Nine Kilometres Through the Jungle: How Poornima Stitched Her Own Future

For 19 year old Poornima Rawat of Rajamma village in Lailunga block of Chhattisgarh’s Raigarh district, the road to economic independence began with a difficult journey through the forest.

When the opportunity came to learn tailoring at a training centre in Chilkaguda, Poornima did not let the distance discourage her. The centre was nearly nine kilometres from her village, and she had to walk through dense jungle to reach it. There was no easy commute, but she kept going, day after day, until she completed the training.

The opportunity came through her membership in a Self Help Group started under Khushaal Bachpan, Caritas India’s child development programme supported by Caritas Australia. The Khushaal Bachpan team encouraged Poornima to join the tailoring training centre, recognising that the skill could open up a new livelihood opportunity for her. For Poornima, the training was a chance to learn something practical that could eventually help her earn an income and become more self reliant. The journey itself became a test of her determination.

Walking nine kilometres through a forest to attend a training was not easy, particularly for a young woman from a remote village. Yet she remained regular throughout the training and completed it successfully. By the time she finished, she had acquired more than a tailoring skill. She had also gained the confidence that she could overcome difficult circumstances when she was determined to pursue an opportunity.

Poornima was not willing to let her new skill remain unused. In August 2025, she invested ₹8,500 to purchase a tailoring machine and began taking up tailoring and stitching work.

The beginning was modest. She had to find customers, improve her work and gradually establish herself as a reliable tailor in the community. But orders began to increase as people became familiar with her work. The tailoring machine slowly transformed from a simple household asset into the foundation of her livelihood. Today, Poornima earns between ₹9,000 and ₹12,000 a month from tailoring and stitching.

For a 19 year old from a rural household, the change is significant. Poornima comes from a family of five children, three boys and two girls, and opportunities for young women to establish an independent source of income are often limited. Her tailoring work has given her a way to contribute to her family while also building a livelihood that she can manage herself.

But the most important change is perhaps not visible in her earnings. It is visible in her confidence.

“When I started earning from my own work, I realised that I can also stand on my own feet,” says Poornima. “The tailoring machine gave me an opportunity, but my hard work has helped me take it forward.”

Her association with the Self Help Group has also given her a space to interact with other women, share experiences and take part in collective activities. What began as membership in a community group eventually connected her to a livelihood opportunity, training and, finally, an income generating asset of her own.

The change has been noticed at home as well. Her growing ability to earn has strengthened her sense of responsibility, while the confidence she has gained through her work has become a source of pride for her family.

“I feel proud when I see Poornima working and earning through her own skill,” says her mother. “She has become more confident and responsible. I hope she continues to learn and achieves everything she dreams of.”

Poornima, however, is not looking at her current income as the end of the journey. She wants to improve her tailoring skills, take on more orders and increase her earnings. She also hopes to continue her education and build a future in which she can remain financially independent.

“I don’t want to stop here,” she says. “I want to learn more, improve my stitching and increase my income. I also want to continue my studies and achieve something that makes my family proud.”

Her story is a reminder that livelihood transformation does not always begin with a large investment. Sometimes it begins with a young woman being given an opportunity to learn a skill, and having the determination to pursue it despite the obstacles. For Poornima, that opportunity came through a Self Help Group, followed by a training programme nine kilometres away from home. The journey to Chilkaguda took her through dense jungle on foot, but she made it regularly because she believed the opportunity was worth the effort.

Today, the ₹8,500 tailoring machine she purchased in 2025 earns her several times its original value every month. Yet its greatest significance may lie beyond the income it generates. It has given Poornima a means to earn, a skill to build on and, most importantly, the confidence to imagine a future shaped by her own choices.

At 19, her journey is only beginning. Every day, as Poornima sits behind her tailoring machine in Rajamma, she is doing more than stitching clothes. She is building a livelihood, strengthening her independence and stitching together her dreams, one order at a time.