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.