For twenty years, the Rehoboth Home for the Mentally Disabled have been working with women who have been lost or abandoned, with a primary focus on rehabilitation and reuniting with families.
It’s a long, arduous journey and no one knows that better than Sumita Verghese, coordinator at the home.
With over 50 women in the home, it becomes imperative to harness their skills, says Sumita. The livelihood program that makes these bags are a way for the women to create something meaningful. The women are taught various skills depending on their capabilities, and they come together in their workshop to create handmade products.
“Many may think they are not capable, but if our experience of the past twenty years is anything to go by, it is that these women are organized and dedicated and can accomplish anything they set their mind to,” says Sumita.
They make beautiful tote bags that are easily foldable and can be stored in your bike, created with a great sense of passion and purpose.
Many of the women have been found on the road with no idea of how they came to be there, some of them pregnant. Reuniting with the family remains the goal of Rehoboth, with around 140 women reunited with their families.
“That is certainly the high point of our work–seeing the families whose faces light up when they see their long-lost daughter,” says Sumita.