Danielle Luffman (US)

My time with Paryavaran Mitra – Friends of the Environment was truly indescribable. These women are some of the most dedicated and hard-working people I have ever met, while maintaining an utmost sense of humility. They work early hours of the night to bring home menial pay to support their families. I had the opportunity to accompany many of them to the hospital for health screenings. Much of the time spent in the waiting room past with the accompaniment of a Gujarati-English dictionary and many Gujarati language lessons. It created a space for love, laughs, and memories. But most of all these health checkups gave women the sense of empowerment- the fact that they had the ability to control their health status and make efforts to improve their overall health. I will never forget how inspiring these women were and the dedication to the project. During the day time, after collecting throughout the night, the women would come in to clean and recycle bottles to use as planters for gardening. The women spend hours painting extraordinarily detailed designs on these bottles which they could then make additional revenue for him. The project is a great way of how Manav Sadhna continues to empower women through art and free expression. I am so grateful for the short time I had working on this project and cannot wait to see its future!