Lakshmi: Turning Challenges into Opportunities – A Journey of Strength and Empowerment

Lakshmi is a true inspiration, a woman who, despite the challenges of society and disability, carved her own path to success. Not only has she transformed her own life, but she is also motivating other women to become empowered.

Hailing from a small village near Bighapur, Unnao, UP, Lakshmi was not born with a disability. Her life changed in 2011 when she suffered an electric shock, which led to a disability in her right hand. She lost three fingers, which caused her to only complete her 10th grade education and prevented her from further studies.

Despite her strong desire to continue her studies, Lakshmi faced the harsh reality of living in a rural area where educational opportunities were scarce, and societal expectations were high. As a result, her family arranged her marriage in 2013 when she was still quite young.

But Lakshmi always wanted to do something different. Fortunately, she received full support from her husband and in-laws. Despite her disability in her right hand, she learned sewing and soon started her own stitching business from home.

Even with the responsibility of raising her son and managing her household, Lakshmi never gave up on her stitching work. She continued to learn new sewing techniques and kept improving her skills.

Lakshmi’s eagerness to learn new skills led her to the Sarthak Educational Trust Lucknow Centre, where she underwent three months of online training. The training opened up many learning opportunities for her, which she couldn’t access due to her disrupted education. During this time, she gained confidence, improved her digital knowledge, discovered various schemes for persons with disabilities and, most importantly, found the motivation to realize that she is no less than anyone else.

"Once I learned new skills, I realized that I can do anything. I’m no less than anyone else. I can achieve success," said Lakshmi.

Refusing to let her disability define her, Lakshmi worked hard to create a better life for herself and her family. Once she became self-reliant, she decided to empower other women in her community.

With the full support of her husband, she set up a proper workspace and bought a sewing machine to train other women. She recently started tailoring classes for the women in her village, helping them become independent. Through her dedication and efforts, Lakshmi became an inspiration to many.

Lakshmi’s dream is to take her sewing work further and build a name for herself in the field. She is deeply grateful to her in-laws and husband for their unwavering support. Lakshmi also wants to thank Sarthak Educational Trust Lucknow Center for the guidance and support she received, which has empowered her to progress and pursue her dreams.