5 February 2014

Crafting a Brighter Future: The Story of Krishna

Krishna. A shy and introvert woman born and brought up in Palwal, Haryana and married into Bandhwari, a tiny hamlet on the Gurgaon-Faridabad road. If you try striking a conversation, she would simply giggle and fix her eyes to the ground. But once she lets her guard down, she comes across as an assertive and creative individual opening up to new possibilities.


Krishna has been married for 6 years, has a 3 year old daughter and is due to deliver her second baby soon. She joined the ACT rural women livelihood project in April 2013 and will soon complete a year with us.

“I became interested in this work when I saw my friends and neighbors making beautiful things out of old newspaper. I asked my husband if I could join the program and he was very supportive. I joined ACT nine months back and spent the first three months in training.”

A Gradual Transformation

Under the guidance of our master trainer Kusum, Krishna started making danglers, bowls, coasters and mats. She has perfected the art of making bowls and trivets, which requires a great degree of dexterity in the special and tedious paper folding technique.  


“I found making the bowls a little difficult but with regular practice I have become perfect. Didi lets us choose whatever we want to make and in my condition, she asks me to take up only as much work as I can complete comfortably.”

In the past 9 months, Krishna’s friends and family have seen a considerable change in her. She has become more confident, a little more vocal and definitely more self-assured.

“I never thought I would ever be able to earn money for my family. In this work, I don’t have to invest any money of my own and I can decide how much work I want to take. My husband is also very happy.

I will use this income to send my daughter to a private school. To tell you the truth, even if my husband had not allowed, I would have still joined this project."


Bowls and Trivets - Krishna's specialty

Learning this craft has brought out Krishna’s unused talent. Although at this point she does not have the same high aspirations as some of the other women in the group, she is content with her new-found vocation. 

Support Krishna in her endeavor

Your support is vital in fulfilling Krishna’s dreams. You can support her by purchasing ACT artifacts hand-crafted by her. To view the products, please click here

For inquiries or to order, write to us at actfordevelopment@gmail.com

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