Support & Mentor Special Needs Mothers in India

It seems as if the first six months have flown by, and just like that, the women in our program have made it to the halfway point! At this point, they have settled into their new routines and new relationships and are beginning to plan for the future. In this report you'll find a month-by-month summary of what they've achieved so far. Feel free to send an email at any time to Michaela (michaela@priyamglobal.org) if you would like to learn more about any aspect of our project. I will be happy to explain further!

Our second-ever cohort of 18 moms begin to get to know each other. There are three events in January: an initial meeting to go over the details of the program, a group celebration of Pongal (a harvest festival dedicated in gratitude to the sun), and a kick-off meeting of ice breakers and Q&A to start the year well.

Group meetings continue. Mothers share feelings of sadness, anger, guilt, and how they have processed the challenges they face. They also talk about their child with special needs and the things they love most about him or her. One of the group meetings focuses on communication: what it is, and how to improve it with their children, especially with children who are non-verbal. Tailoring classes also begin in February: the mothers learn basic hand stitching and are very eager to learn.

March is filled with sewing lessons. Mothers wear their first hand-stitched blouse to class and receive feedback from their trainer. They begin to learn to sew on a machine, and show an eagerness to help each other learn. Several mothers begin to discuss the possibility of opening a collective sewing shop and working together to take on more business.

Mothers begin to learn a fancy type of embroidery known as "zardosi", which is very popular in south India. They also learn to sew bridal tops for wedding saris, which sell for a higher price than basic tops. In education classes, they begin to learn about how to begin saving money. They continue to provide peer support and counseling and friendships are growing stronger. They also complete a class on family dynamics and wellbeing, and how to support the typically-developing siblings of their special needs child. A HIGHLIGHT In April, the mothers visit BANYAN NGO, a local empowerment nonprofit, where they are given a tour and some tips and insights for developing their skills. They also receive sewing orders for products to sell to Banyan. Everyone is excited about this opportunity.

May is the annual holiday month for schools in southern India. The mothers drop off their first order to BANYAN and receive positive feedback. They take the rest of the month off from training to be home while their children are on school holiday. Gereena, our program coordinator, visits a few of the homes. The mothers share what they have been able to buy with the stipend provided during the first few months, with purchases ranging from buying filtered water instead of using tap water, buying more fresh fruits and vegetables, buying household items, and paying for emergency expenses.

The mothers were all happy to re-convene after school holiday. They had missed their newly-formed friendships, and a group conversation turns to how to maintain their friendships after the program ends. The mothers begin to learn practical life skills to increase their confidence: filling out sample bank forms, applications, registration forms, and other forms common in south Indian life. For the rest of the month, they will finish final sewing classes before turning their attention to learn other income-generating skills.