Helpinh Hand's-NICM

India: Sewing centers change women’s lives in North India

For millions of women in India, life is a day-to-day battle against poverty and despair. Most are completely reliant upon their husbands for survival. When he dies, is unemployed or runs away, women are left alone to care for themselves and their children. Having acquired few income-producing skills, many turn to prostitution, begging or working as hard laborers in the construction field for less 2 dollars a whole day. Some even turn to suicide-leaving their small kids behind.
A large number of such suffering women are shockingly young: half of women in India aged 20-24 were married before they were 18 years old.
“Helping Hand’s in North India has opened sewing centers that not only provide women with vocational training, but also with the opportunity to fellowship with others and hear the gospel.
Anitha was one such woman impacted by a Christian sewing center in Barwala in Haryana state of North India. She came from a dalit background; she was forced to marry a 37-year-old man- when she was only 15. The man was addicted to alcohol and abusive, making her life unbearable.
By 19, Anitha had two small children. She writes, "All my youth days just passed away like this. Only poverty and tears were my friends."
Anitha’s despair grew as her husband, who worked as a day laborer, brought home less and less money to feed his family. She and her children often went hungry. Anitha began to think of getting into prostitution-when she saw her little children’s asking for food-and she could not feed them, as there was none many times. Then one day, she learned of a Helping Hand’s-Christian sewing center in her neighborhood where women were taught to make a living.
"The atmosphere there touched my heart," Anitha says. "I began to love the center. I would quickly finish my work at home and rush there not only to learn sewing, but also because I was longing for fellowship. Every day prayer meetings and bible study introduced me to the gospel of Christ. I accepted Him as my personal Savior, and since then my life has changed. Now I go to Barwala Christian church with my children."
Hers is only one story amid hundreds of women whose lives have been changed by vocational training centers across ‘Helpinh Hand’s” sewing centers all over North India. Pray for NICM’s pastors, field evangelists and sewing centre teachers-as they reach women like Anitha with the hope of Christ. Pray also for the millions of Indian women in need of such hope.

Simmi Dhingra