Bhagya

ARTISAN#: 06

Meet Bhagya. She is a thirty year old woman with one daughter. She lives in the Kadapa District of Andhra Pradesh, India. She was educated until the 9th grade and then pulled out of school to get married. Her parents believed that continuing her education was a waste of time and thought marriage was a better option for her future. She worked in the fields earning 15 rupees a day, working 10 hour days of hard manual labor. She had to ask her husband for everything and did not have the power to make any decisions herself. In her village, she was given the nickname “Dumb Bhagya” as she never spoke a word. She remembers that no one in the village ever looked at her as a real person and she did not know what it felt like to be respected. She always knew she had a touch for tailoring and decided to do something about it. She approached the Vijay Foundation Trust and One Thread Fair Trade with the sole goal of changing her life.

Bhagya definitely had a special gift and has become the head manager of her textile unit. She has worked in the unit for five years and learned to be brave and confident. The fair wages she earns not only have improved her standard of living but have given her a sense of pride in her own abilities. Now, she has no difficulty speaking her mind and demanding the attention she deserves. She has earned authority as a manager and respect in her village. The villagers now come to Bhagya for advice and counsel and she cannot believe how her life has changed. Bhagya is now a role model to many young women in her village, including her own daughter. Her daughter is at the top of her class and credits her success to her mother. When asked what she believes in, she says she believes in hard work and in independence. We could not be prouder of Bhagya and all that she has achieved so far.

FUN FACT: Bhagya’s favorite color is turquoise blue