SHINE Today: Honouring Women on International Women’s Day

Rowena and Daisy always shine! We love them and are so grateful for everything they do for Project Help India and the world!

When women are given opportunity and encouragement to recognise their value and dignity, the future becomes brighter for everyone.

Today is a special day. As this blog is being read, 300–400 women from rural and marginalised communities are gathering in a remote part of northern India in Uttarakhand for the SHINE Women’s Empowerment Conference. Many of these women have travelled from small villages and difficult circumstances to be part of a day designed to encourage, uplift, and empower.

Today also marks International Women’s Day, a moment recognised around the world to honour the strength, resilience, and achievements of women everywhere.

Meet Daisy Samuel

Daisy at SHINE 2019

At the heart of SHINE is Daisy Samuel, a founding leader of ‘Project Help India’ and today’s key speaker and emcee. Daisy’s own story reflects the spirit of the conference.

Raised in a small hill village in Uttarakhand, Daisy grew up facing poverty, discrimination, and hardship. As a young girl she walked long distances to collect water before school, often studying while hungry and helping her mother work in the fields. Despite these challenges, she remained determined to pursue education and eventually completed her Master’s degree in Hindi and Social Work.

Today Daisy dedicates her life to uplifting women and children across India, using her own journey to inspire others to believe that change is possible.

A very special guest at today’s conference is Rowena Thomas from Sydney, Australia, Daisy’s close friend of fifteen years. Over the years, Daisy and Rowena have worked together to develop and grow the SHINE Conference, which has now been running for many years and continues to impact hundreds of women annually.

Today we honour Daisy, Rowena, our guest speakers, and the inspiring women of the Project Help India team, whose dedication makes this gathering possible. Most importantly, we honour the courageous women attending SHINE today — women who show remarkable strength and resilience despite the poverty and challenges they face each day.

On this International Women’s Day, Project Help India celebrates women everywhere. May strength, dignity, and opportunity continue to grow for women in every community, and may the future be filled with hope and success.

The impact of SHINE does not end today. With continued support from friends, partners, and supporters around the world, more women will have the opportunity to attend future conferences and experience the encouragement, dignity, and community that SHINE provides.

Because when women are encouraged to shine, the light spreads through families, villages, and generations to come.

5 Days to go - Seen. Heard. Strong. Two Women, One SHINE Story

Thanks to SHINE Conference ‘I am seen’ says Rupa (left) - “I can be strong’ says Mamta (right)

With just five days to go until this year’s SHINE Women’s Empowerment Conference, Rowena and I are in India, working with our team preparing to welcome women whose lives are shaped daily by poverty, significant hardship, and limited opportunity. SHINE is not simply a gathering - it's a space where dignity is restored, confidence is strengthened, and women feel heard, understood and begin to see new possibilities for themselves and their families.

We are deeply grateful to those who have already partnered with us and given generously. Your support is already helping to make this conference possible.

For many women who attend, this will be the first time they are encouraged, listened to, and reminded that their lives carry deep value. The impact is often quiet but significant - rippling outward into homes, marriages, children’s education, and community life.

As we finalise preparations, we still need support. If you have been considering sponsoring a delegate (at just $15), partnering with us, or making a financial contribution, these final days truly matter. Your generosity helps ensure that women facing poverty are given the opportunity not just to attend a conference - but to experience encouragement, community, and lasting change. 

Rupa and Mamta are two truly remarkable and inspiring women whose lives have been transformed through SHINE. Though their circumstances are different, both have discovered renewed confidence, strength, and dignity through the encouragement and community the conference provides. Their stories reflect the quiet but powerful change that happens when women are given space to grow, to be heard, and to believe in themselves again.

“I Am Seen” – Rupa’s SHINE Story

Rupa Devi is 40 years old and lives with her family in a slum area in Kotdwar. Her husband has been suffering from tuberculosis for a long time and is unable to work. Rupa supports her family through daily labour, while her two children attend Project Help India’s slum centre.

Life is hard - but SHINE has given Rupa something rare. “At the SHINE Conference, people hug us and show us love,” she says. “In our society, poor people don’t receive that kind of care.”

For Rupa, SHINE is not just about learning - it is about dignity, emotional wellbeing, and being treated as human. Her story reminds us that empowerment includes compassion, belonging, and care. Being seen can be life-giving.

Finding Confidence at Home and Beyond - Mamta’s SHINE Story.

Mamta Devi is 38 years old and has attended the SHINE Conference twice. For the first time at SHINE, she understood the importance of education for women.

“I think if I had studied, I could have taken better care of my children,” Mamta says. “So now I am determined to educate them.” 

At SHINE, Mamta also learned something even more transformative - that women have the right to speak up; “I learned that women have the strength to stand against wrong things” she explains.

Today, Mamta uses her voice at home. She supports and counsels her husband, who previously struggled with alcohol, and she has found that he listens. Her story shows how empowerment ripples outward. When women gain confidence, families and relationships begin to change too.

- Sponsor a woman to attend SHINE – $15 AUD. For many women, SHINE is their first experience of encouragement, learning, and community.

- Make a financial contribution. It is not easy to run this conference. Your support helps cover venue costs, materials, meals, transport, and accessibility for women who would otherwise miss out.

- Become a partner or corporate sponsor. We are seeking businesses and organisations who believe in women’s empowerment and want to align with meaningful grassroots impact, particularly in the lead-up to International Women’s Day.

With love and thanks,

Rowena and Daisy

“I Am Strong Enough” – Kamlesh’s SHINE Story

​Kamlesh Devi is 42 years old and the mother of Gitanjali, a differently-abled child who attends Project Help India’s Disability Centre. Life has not been easy. With pain in her voice, she reflects…

“My husband works as a labourer, and our financial situation is very difficult,” Kamlesh shares. “People in society often say cruel things about my daughter. They treat her disability like a curse.”

For years, Kamlesh carried deep pain and self-doubt. As a mother, she questioned herself. She felt the weight of stigma and isolation. Had she done something in her life for this to have happened? Caring for a child with additional needs in a community where disability is misunderstood can be emotionally exhausting. Living in poverty is hard enough without having a child with additional needs.

That began to change when she attended the SHINE Women’s Empowerment Conference.

“At SHINE, I realised I have strength,” Kamlesh says. “I can care for my daughter. She is special to me.”The conference did not remove Kamlesh’s challenges. Her circumstances remain the same. But something inside her shifted. She no longer sees herself as helpless or alone. She now sends Gitanjali confidently to the education centre each day and faces her community with renewed courage.

Kamlesh’s story reminds us that empowerment does not always mean changing our circumstances overnight. Sometimes it means reclaiming our strength within them. It means moving from self-doubt to self-belief. From isolation to confidence. From shame to dignity.

The SHINE Women’s Empowerment Conference continues to be a space where women like Kamlesh rediscover their resilience and recognise the strength they already carry. Each year, women leave SHINE not with their problems erased, but with renewed courage to face them.

As we approach this year’s SHINE Conference in March, aligned with International Women’s Day, we are reminded that real change begins when women are given opportunity, encouragement, and community.

When a woman realises she is strong enough, everything shifts - for her, for her children, and for the future she is shaping.

How You Can Help

- Sponsor a woman to attend SHINE – $15 AUD. For many women, SHINE is their first experience of encouragement, learning, and community.

- Make a financial contribution. It is not easy to run this conference. Your support helps cover venue costs, materials, meals, transport, and accessibility for women who would otherwise miss out.

- Become a partner or corporate sponsor. We are seeking businesses and organisations who believe in women’s empowerment and want to align with meaningful grassroots impact, particularly in the lead-up to International Women’s Day.

- Share this story. Help amplify the voices of women like Kamlesh by sharing this blog within your networks.

Every contribution, large or small, helps ensure that more women like Kamlesh can discover the strength they already carry.

“I Learned That My World Could Be Bigger” – Kallo’s SHINE Story

Kallo is 19 years old and lives in a small village in rural Bengal, surrounded by the forests of Corbett National Park. She belongs to the Boksi tribe, and for most of her life, her world has been very small.

“Our village has no education facilities, no medical services, no markets, no transport,” Kallo explains. “I have spent all my 19 years like this.”

Even her name carries weight.

“My name is Kallo, which means black,” she says. “When people call me by my name, I sometimes feel defined by it.”

Everything changed when Kallo was invited to attend the SHINE Women’s Empowerment Conference for the first time. It was her first journey to a city, and her first time leaving the forests she had always known.

“At SHINE, I saw a different world,” Kallo says. “I saw women who were confident, educated, and achieving great things. I realised there is a world beyond my village.”

One moment stayed with her. When speakers at the conference spoke about the beauty and value of a woman’s existence, something shifted inside her.

“I understood that my life has value,” “…….That even though my name means black, I am special.”

For Kallo, SHINE was not just a conference — it was an awakening. It planted a belief she had never been encouraged to hold before: that her future could be different.

Her story reflects the heart of SHINE and the spirit of International Women’s Day — creating spaces where young women can imagine more for themselves and begin to believe they belong in a bigger world.

Kallo hopes to attend SHINE again.

“I want to come again and again,” she says, smiling. “I am very thankful for this opportunity.”

When one young woman begins to believe in herself, the future opens — not just for her, but for generations to come.

Please help us to make SHINE happen for women like Kallo.

How you can help

• Sponsor a woman to attend SHINE
  A gift of $15 AUD sponsors one woman to attend the SHINE Women’s Empowerment Conference — often her first experience of being encouraged, valued, and heard.

• Provide financial support
  Donations help cover conference costs including materials, meals, transport, and ongoing support for women from rural and marginalised communities.

• Partner with us
  We welcome partnerships with individuals, organisations, and businesses who share our commitment to women’s empowerment, education, and equality.

• Become a corporate sponsor for SHINE
  We are currently seeking a corporate sponsor aligned with International Women’s Day, offering meaningful social impact and alignment with real, grassroots change.

• Share Kallo’s story
  By sharing this blog, you help amplify the voices of young women who are discovering that their world can be bigger.

When a Woman Discovers Her Worth: Soniya’s SHINE Story

For many years, SHINE has been at the heart of Project Help India’s work with women. More than a conference, SHINE is a space where women are seen, heard, and encouraged to recognise their own worth. As we prepare for this year’s SHINE Women’s Empowerment Conference in March—aligned with International Women’s Day—we want to share the stories of women whose lives have been quietly but profoundly changed.

Soniya is one of them.

“My name is Soniya. I’m 30 years old, married, and I live in rural Bengal. I belong to the Boksi tribe.”

Before SHINE, Soniya had never been educated. She was raised believing that women had little value beyond household chores and childcare. Confidence, choice, and identity were not part of her world.

That changed the first time she attended the SHINE Women’s Conference.

“For the first time, I felt like I had my own identity,” Soniya says. “I realised that I am special, and that my life has worth and value.”

Soniya has now attended SHINE three times. Through these gatherings—filled with learning, encouragement, shared stories, and community—she began to see herself differently. Today, she speaks of living her life “with full confidence,” something that once felt impossible.

Soniya’s story reflects the deeper purpose of SHINE and of International Women’s Day itself: when women are given opportunity, encouragement, and community, they rise—not just for themselves, but for their families and villages too.

Each woman who attends SHINE costs our charity around $15 AUD to sponsor. We anticipate 400 delegates will attend. For many, this conference is their first experience of being valued as an individual.

As we approach IWD, we are seeking individual sponsors and corporate partners who believe in women’s empowerment, education, and equality. Your support can help ensure more women like Soniya are given the chance to discover their worth—and to SHINE. All up, one SHINE Conference will cost us approximately $6000 - perhaps a little more.

Together, we can turn one woman’s confidence into a ripple of change, that impacts her family, her community and beyond.

 How you can help

• Sponsor a woman to attend SHINE
  A contribution of $15 AUD sponsors one woman to attend the SHINE Women’s Empowerment Conference and experience learning, encouragement, and community.

• Make a financial donation
  Your donation helps cover conference costs, materials, meals, transport, and follow-up support for women in rural and marginalised communities.

• Partner with us
  We welcome partnerships with individuals, organisations, and businesses who share our commitment to women’s empowerment, education, and equality.

• Become a corporate sponsor for SHINE 2026
  We are currently seeking a corporate sponsor aligned with International Women’s Day 2026, offering meaningful impact, visibility, and alignment with real grassroots change.

• Share Soniya’s story
  Help amplify women’s voices by sharing this blog within your networks and starting conversations about empowerment and opportunity.

Urgent Appeal: Help Us Rebuild Our Destroyed Village Classroom

We urgently need your help to rebuild our village classroom — a project that any builder, educator, architect or home renovator would recognise as an incredibly low-cost way to restore a vital learning space. Might your school, business, or workplace consider supporting this powerful and life-changing work? Your generosity would bring safety, joy, and hope back into the lives of very poor and vulnerable children (and their community) who otherwise have nowhere else to go.

On Friday (23rd January) , a severe storm and heavy rain hit Kotdwara in Northern India, causing the collapse of the small traditional hut where children study at our Bagnala Village Education Centre. Built by local villagers, the classroom could not withstand the force of the weather. Thankfully, no children were inside at the time. Sadly, the entire structure has been destroyed, along with posters, books, and teaching resources that filled the space with colour, learning, and hope.

Around 48 tribal children rely on this centre as their only safe place to learn. There is no proper school in the village, and the surrounding Himalayan jungle makes travel to distant schools dangerous. For these children, Project Help India is not just a classroom – it is their place for education, nutritious meals, music, art, games, safety and protection, and a vision for a brighter future.

The centre also brings pride and joy to the whole village. Many elderly residents, who never had the chance to go to school themselves, find deep happiness in hearing the children sing, read, and laugh.

To rebuild the collapsed hut will cost approximately ₹25,000 (about $450 AUD), with a further ₹15,000 ($258 AUD) needed to replace learning materials.

Your tax-deductible donation can quite literally rebuild a school and restore hope. Could your school, workplace, business, or family help us bring these vulnerable children back to learning, safety, and joy?

Your gift will make an extraordinary difference within a very small time-frame.

End of Year News

As an organisation, we are filled with optimism and expectation for our hopes and plans for 2026. Rowena and I (Doug) will be heading to India in just six weeks to visit our centres, deliver training, strategic planning, and, most excitingly, to join our teams in Zira (Punjab) and Kotdwara (Uttarakhand) for two SHINE Women’s Empowerment Conferences coinciding with International Women’s Day 2026. It will be wonderful to be back with dear friends and our second family after postponing our trip last year due to my health.

December was a time of purposeful busyness and Christmas celebrations

We held our Annual Function on 14 December, providing an opportunity to showcase the talents of many of our students, to honour each member of our staff, and to invite local dignitaries to thank them for their support and to build trust, partnerships, and ongoing support. The event was a great success. A particular highlight was the variety of cultural dances performed by our students, including performances from our Disability Centre.

Thanks to the generosity of our supporters across the year, we were able to budget funds for Christmas gifts for all of our staff and students. Each of our 14 Centres and Women’s Centre held Christmas parties, much to the delight of the kids -many of whom live in poverty and this is their only chance to experience Christmas and hear the message it brings.

December also gave us the opportunity to thank God for the full recovery and good health of baby Samuel (Saleem and Raman’s son in Punjab), who is now out of hospital and putting on weight. Thank you again to those who contributed to his medical bills (there is no free health care in India).

Finally, we are thrilled to share the exciting news about Amit’s award. On 31 December, our Director, Mr. Amit Samuel, was presented with a Human Rights Award for “Best Service to Humanity,” recognising our organisation’s tireless work. The award program was organised by the Indian International Human Rights Commission (IHRC). We are honoured to receive such national recognition for Amit and for the work we do. Here's a LINK to the full story

We start the new year with an enormous sense of gratitude

Thank you for reading and for supporting our work. Over the coming weeks we will share stories about our upcoming SHINE Conferences. One of our hopes (and dreams) is to partner with an Australian corporate, or school sponsor to help fund our SHINE Conferences, with a goal of securing a $12,000 AUD donation to cover expenses. Please share our emails with those who might like to align their corporate or workplace values with Project Help India and International Women’s Day 2026.

A practical ask to keep us thriving in 2026: consider making a regular monthly donation. Regular gifts help us with planning and budgeting, ensuring we can reliably fund SHINE Conferences, staff support, essential programs across all 14 Centres, and provision for emergency and crisis help. Your ongoing commitment makes a real difference. Please reach out to us if you can help or like further information.

‘Best Service to Humanity’ Award - what a great way to end 2025!

Project Help India Director receiving a ‘Best Service to Humanity’ Award at the Indian International Human Rights Commission of India ceremony on December 31st.

We are proud to share, in a heartening recognition of our efforts, that the Director of Project Help India, Mr. Amit Samuel, was presented with a Human Rights Award ‘Best Service to Humanity’, honouring our organisation’s tireless work. The award program was organised by the Indian International Human Rights Commission (IHRC) on 31st December at the Government Hospital auditorium in Kotdwara, with the event gathering social workers, police, officials, and medical professionals from across the state who share a steadfast commitment to human dignity and justice.

The Indian International Human Rights Commission (IHRC), an autonomous non-governmental organisation dedicated to protecting, promoting, and advocating for fundamental rights across India, plays a pivotal role in strengthening human rights at the grassroots and national levels. IHRC advances its mission through a comprehensive portfolio: providing accessible legal aid, conducting independent investigations into rights violations, and supporting marginalised communities with education, research, and social justice initiatives. It also runs awareness campaigns, trains community advocates, and collaborates with civil society, law enforcement, and judicial bodies to improve accountability and access to justice.

Across India, IHRC supports vulnerable groups, from women and children to persons with disabilities and marginalised communities -through legal clinics, helplines, and targeted outreach. Its policy advocacy work seeks to influence legislative reform and strengthen enforcement mechanisms, ensuring that rights are not merely theoretical but practically protected for all citizens.

As an organisation, we are thrilled to be commended by an institution whose national mission aligns so closely with our own vision and mission to serve the vulnerable with compassion and effectiveness.

We take this opportunity to also honour and commend the tireless efforts, passion, and vision of our Director, Amit Samuel, and his wife Daisy, who are both well deserving of this recognition. Thank you, Amit and Daisy, for all you do to help the poor and needy, and for being our inspiring leaders.

This award is indeed significant news for the Project Help India team, our supporters and community. This acknowledgement certainly wrapped up a very successful 2025 for us all, spurring us on with God's great guidance, to expand our work to reach and impact more lives in need, over the new year ahead.

Thank you for your generous financial support and prayers - none of this would be possible without you.

See the local news item below.

Amit (third from right with some of the other award recipients.