Well Suited

Before we left, I wrote about the Dalits and how the women are the 'Dalits of the Dalits.' At the OM campus in Hyderabad, we were privileged to meet the women of the Lydia project and hear their stories. Upon retirement, an american women named Melanie came to India with a dream of the 'Lydia Project'. Her career had been in costume design for major US productions. She moved to the slums of Hyderabad and brought her sewing machine. (She was alone (!) and says in hindsight - "Uhh, NOT a smart idea"). But, God took care of her and she met Ruby, a young Dalit mother. Ruby was married at 14 to a husband who abused her. She had no skills and no hope.

Melanie shared her first meeting of Ruby -- Ruby was laughing at her attempts to learn the Indian laundering methods. (To me, it looks like beating clothes against a rock) Melanie befriended her and taught her how to sew. An Indian women sewing can provide for her entire family. Imagine how this changed Ruby's life! She can provide for her children and has a purpose. Ruby is now an expert seamstress and is teaching tailoring to other Dalit women. I could, quite literally, see the hope in her eyes.

I was moved by the change in Ruby's life and how she was being empowered by a simple thing such as sewing. It is a profession that we don't hold in high regard in our country. But to Ruby it is quite noble, and more than she dreamed of. Often I think that I do not have a skill to teach that would be useful to help these people. But, if Melanie can use sewing to change lives, surely there is a place for me to make a difference. Surely there is a place for you. Maybe it does not mean traveling to India, but it is up to each one of us to find it.