Pratima

Pratima lived in a community with no direct access to water. Girls and women would have to walk through the jungle for almost three hours to return with a bucket of water each day. One day as she returned from the river, Pratima was sexually abused by men who would wait for village girls to pass.

Pratima discovered that other girls from her village had endured similar abuse. Working hard to cope, she contacted our partners to find refuge in the Safe Home to heal. Still, she remained burdened with the knowledge that girls from her community were in danger.

Pratima returned home and formed a small women’s coalition that worked together in appealing for a water supply tank in the village. The group grew from 10 women to 25, and they were able to raise $1,000 collectively. With additional assistance from ODI, these women were able to bring two water tanks to Padampur, providing running water to over 200 households in the village. Vulnerable girls and women no longer had to make the dangerous journey to the river to be abused or potentially trafficked.

The women’s coalition now has over 1,000 members and formed a micro lending bank providing loans to many women in the community who have opened businesses. One business that began with a loan from the cooperative manufactures rugs to sell. It now employs over 60 women from the community, providing important jobs that insulate them from being vulnerable to traffickers.

Pratima is now the chairman at the cooperative bank and runs her own tailoring business. She is married and actively helps other girls and women become thriving members of their flourishing community. She continues to advocate and educate her community on risks to girls and women and has become a powerful agent of lasting change.