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