Hers is a story from the movies. A 23-year-old girl from Brazil, living an exciting life as a fashion designer with an established company. As youth dictates, parties, fashion shows and hanging with friends is the norm. She soon gets jaded and disappointed with the fashion industry so she takes a gap year and travels to California; doesn’t know how she will survive and starts working in a coffee shop; in the process earns a living and learns to speak English.
She then decides to come to India through Worldpackers, a work exchange programme, to volunteer with Roadhouse Hostel. She stays in Jaipur for a month working with the NGO, Barefoot College, a voluntary organisation founded by Bunker Roy, working in the fields of education, skill development, women empowerment and solar electrification, for the upliftment of rural people. She later moves to Goa in 2015, knowing that Goa is more accepting of foreigners and since then, Carla has been living in Goa, running her initiative, Project Três and teaching marginalised and socially excluded women how to design, produce accessories and be financially empowered.
Narrating her life script, 27-year-old Carla says, “I was raised by a single mom who faced domestic violence and experienced first hand how tough it was for her. I came to Goa and stayed at the Roadhouse Hostel and would move around Anjuna asking if there were women who wanted help. Most people thought I was crazy. A person led me to Farida Hassan Bapu, who lived in the jungles of Chapora raising 4 kids on her own post her divorce after a long history of abuse by her alcoholic husband.” Farida made ends meet by working as a professional babysitter. Continues Carla, “Farida would work like a machine; babysit from 10a.m-6p.m and then also work as a child minder at a casino in Panjim, clocking in almost 18 hours of work to provide food and education for her children!”
Carla very boldly decided to move in with Farida. “I needed to know how she lived her life and the only way to do it was to try and be in her shoes.” A very reluctant Farida was embarrassed that Carla would live in her hot home made of tinned sheets, without a toilet or running water, filled with mosquitoes but Carla was determined. Living with them, she realised how tough it was for that family. Carla, through her contacts got a sponsor to support these children’s education. She also ran a crowd-funding campaign to help pay Farida a salary to set up her own babysitting business that allowed her the leeway to give up the casino job.
She then began training Farida in making necklaces from beads, painted recycled wood and thread. This initiative soon spread and more women in Anjuna joined in. Adds Carla, “I worked with the Mahila Ashram in Assagao and initially trained 15 women there. I also worked for a few months with an NGO, Make Love not Scars in Delhi, that worked with acid attack survivors and trained 3 survivors who are now artisans.” With a team of 20 women including 3 from Delhi, Carla began Project Tres. Explains Carla, “Três denotes the number 3. These products / accessories represent the past – for what the material used to be, the present – for a unique design product and the future – creating a greener and sustainable environment. It is a metaphor for the women we work with, who come from extremely poor conditions; divorced, single mums or widows – women who didn’t get fair job opportunities.” Using crochet, embroidery and training women in new skills in making accessories and decorations, Project Três now includes products like bags, pillow covers, kimonos and necklaces.
Carla has also partnered with small international brands; Les Ethniques from Brazil, La Vie & Me from UK and local brands like Studio Tia in Calangute to supply them with good quality articles that supports fair trade practices besides creating sustainable jobs for the women making them. Women impact the world in ways they don’t even know. Says an emphatic Carla, “Empowered women transform their families, communities and the world. It is the most liberating to see vulnerable women take control of their lives.”
Working closely with her 3 trusted aides – Farida, Rupa and Lalita, Carla has ensured that they are part of every aspect of the business, from sourcing, sampling, quality control, pricing and shipping so that they can run this venture independent of her. Carla is very clear in her aim, “The point is to make them independent. If I trust them, I will only get trust back from them. I am happy to support these women in running their businesses.”
Explaining the financial side to this, she says, “In a good cycle, these women earn nearly Rs. 10,000 a month. It’s taken us two years to get to the point of being sustainable. We are now in the process of registering Project Três as an NGO and are looking at raising funds especially for the education and health of these women’s children.” On being questioned about how she manages to live, Carla’s quick repartee is, “We give money too much importance. We don’t really need that much. I compromised to have a basic lifestyle and I am happy with my decision. Nobody thought I’d get this far.”
Carla is currently preparing to visit Kenya for a similar social project that involves working with 15 single mothers who have suffered violence and is eager to start work with them. She is also optimistic of selling Project Três products online through their portal www.project-tres.org and is in the process of looking at venues / shops in Goa to retail these items. As a parting shot, she very wisely states, “The only difference in people’s lives is the opportunities that are given to them. It’s important to do something meaningful and make opportunities available for others. Together, we are not alone, we can only be stronger.”
