Sharana’s Solidarity Shop was inaugurated on August 30! The shop carries recycled newspaper products, jams, cookies, a line of garments from Raga, and other items from Souffle de L’Inde — profits from the sales of which will be solely for Sharana’s benefit.
As many of Sharana’s supporters and friends will know, Raga is an independent company run by Jyotsna Dutta (who serves on Sharana’s Governing Board) but housed within Sharana’s office on Lally Tollendal Street. The women employed by Raga are typically parents of Sharana beneficaries, and Raga contributes a portion of the montly rental for Sharana premises–a developing example of how a for-profit venture and a social development organization can function symbiotically.
With the Augst 30 launch, however, the collaboration with Sharana takes yet another dimension. With the assistance of Josette of Souffle de L’Inde, an organization which runs such production units for women’s empowerment in Kerala, Raga is now developing products that are dedicated to generating income for Sharana’s programs.
Many of you may have seen photos of the shop opening Sharana’s Facebook page already, but we figure a second look at the products and the community that has assembled to help launch this project would certainly not hurt!
