For our first two weeks in India, we worked with a new organization called Rescue Pink. Our friends at Rescue Pink had noticed a problem in India—women are oppressed, viewed as a burden, and have little control over their fate. Marriages are arranged, and a woman is worth as much as her parents can come up with in the form of a dowry. Oftentimes, the financial burden of having a daughter is so heavy that parents end their daughter’s life, or fathers abandon their families. Many of the women we met through Rescue Pink have fallen victim to this unfair cultural dynamic.
Rescue Pink is putting on a free business/entrepreneurship class for women in the community AND giving responsible women loans to start businesses. It really is an amazing idea, and partnering with them has been one of my favorite ministries yet. Our main role while we were there was to visit the homes of all of the women in the program and make profiles of them and their families. We were so graciously welcomed into each home, and it was a blast to get to know these women on a deeper level. Many have amazing and heartbreaking stories, and I thought a few were worth sharing.
Priyanka* is 35 years old and a mother to two daughters. She lives in Medak, India, and works as a house maid. Priyanka makes 4,000 rupees ($60) a month. She was married at the age of eight, but her husband left her after the birth of their second daughter. In Indian culture, women can’t remarry unless they abandon their children. Therefore, abandoned moms are on their own indefinitely.
Priyanka is 35,000 rupees ($530) in debt due to a loan she had to take out for an emergency surgery. Her daughters are very hard workers and help their mother everyday by cleaning their house after school. She dreams that her daughters will work hard no matter their circumstances. She wants a better life for them so they can stand on their own feet. She will do whatever it takes to get them the life they want, even if it means working her whole life to pay for them to go to university to be doctors or engineers.
Her first born daughter, Tanvi* (not pictured), is 12 years old. She is currently at boarding school. The second born daughter, Shreya*, is ten years old. Her favorite color is pink and she dreams of being a teacher.
Riya* is 24 years old, was educated until the 12th class, and has one daughter. She lives in Medak in the village of Golkoenda. Riya wants to own a general store in her own home. Her husband, Ravi*, is 25 years old and works as a server in a hotel. She met her husband at school. It was not an arranged marriage, she married him on her own choice out of love. They got married two years ago, and last year he left after their daughter was born. She feels very sad that her husband left. If he changed for the better and gave up his addictions, she would welcome him back into her life. She is currently living with her grandparents and provides the income for them, herself, and her daughter. She works as a math tutor in her home. She earns 100 rupees ($1.50) per student, and is currently teaching 10 students.
Riya’s daughters name is Tanvi*, but they call her Honey. She is 1.5 years old and likes the color white. She has a joyful and lively personality and her mother dreams of her becoming an engineer one day. She wants to encourage her daughter to be selfless and help others who are in need. If she could change the world, she would rid the world of dishonest men. Her grandparents said that they love her positive attitude and daring spirit.
Priyanka and Riya both embody an ideal that I had taken for granted—that women are valued. Despite the oppression of women embedded in Indian culture, they have hopes and dreams for themselves and their daughters. It was an honor to get to know these beautiful women and to get to play a small role in helping them achieve their dreams.
*Names changed
