144 326
LIFE&FAMILY
144
October14
Spotlight on Ladli
• Enrolment: 200
• Annual budget: $85,000,
approximately 75 to 80
percent of which is generated
from sales, exhibitions and
fundraising events
• Staff employed: 13
• 95 percent of participants
receive formal education in
school and colleges, as do
their children
• 70 percent live in i-India’s
shelter homes for orphaned
and homeless children
• 40 percent of participants
have saved up to $2,000 in
personal bank accounts
• After receiving basic financial
literacy education, the female
groups at Ladli now have ATM
cards
ladli.org
Ninety-five percent of participants attend
regular schools; some have gone on to
colleges to study nursing, textile design
and information technology
KARIN SCHULTE is a founding member
of Street Child Project (SCP) in Singapore,
a society that raises awareness of i-India
and Ladli. Now a voluntary adviser to Ladli
and SCP, Karin answered our questions
about the great work being done.
Tell us how Ladli works.
The alternatives for the street youth and
children who attend Ladli are begging,
child labour – even prostitution. At Ladli,
however, they learn to design jewellery,
garments and handicrafts – all valuable
skills in Jaipur. The Ladli environment is
fun, safe and relaxed.
As many as 95 percent of participants
attend regular schools, and some have
gone on to colleges to study nursing, textile
design and information technology. At the
two boys’ centres, they learn sewing and
fabric printing, while the focus of the two
girls centres is on jewellery-making. Jaipur
is famous for its semi-precious gems.
Regardless of their ability and output,
everyone enrolled at Ladli receives
regular, fair incentives that are saved
into individual bank accounts; plus, they
get advice on good saving practices
and wise financial habits. The concept
of the Ladli programme is to empower
participants through skill enhancement
and financial security, with a taste of
independence and ownership.
Shocking factory fires in
Bangladesh last year turned the
world’s attention to the inhumane
conditions in which many
consumer products are made.
They underlined the importance
of ethical sourcing. Tell us, can
consumers purchase from Ladli
with confidence?
Some international clothing companies
manufacture in countries with very low
labour costs, where price pressures are
the main driver of inhumane working
conditions, low pay and long working
hours.
Ladli is not a production or
manufacturing unit; rather, it’s a
social enterprise that promotes
ownership, community, and a friendly
working and learning environment.
Participants receive fair incentives
and profit shares; social workers are
on hand for mentoring, education,
and imparting life skills; meals,
health checkups, recreation and
entrepreneurial support are provided.
As owners themselves, participants
share the revenue, in the form of
funding for education, which benefits
their overall development, improves
living standards and, importantly,
extends the programme to reach other
disadvantaged youth and women.
Over the past nine years, the
organisation has established a project
for domestic and overseas visitors and
volunteers who want to engage in ethical
tourism and fair trade, and to understand
its positive and innovative approaches
to the creation of social justice. Anyone
interested in getting involved can email
me at
ks@karinschulte.com.