Lata’s family has always faced the adversity of poverty. With her father earning barely enough, they often wondered if they would eat another meal. With great difficulty, Lata has studied up till the 10th standard and is proud, yet grateful, to have done so. 

To help her family financially, Lata started looking for work as soon as she turned 18 years and worked in jobs that didn’t pay well and weren’t as safe for a young woman. When she found work with Asha, she was trained to become a quality control inspector and has excelled at her role. Today, Lata is enjoying a happily married life and loves her work, because of the financial stability it gives her family. 

One of Preeti's biggest regrets was not being able to finish school. Her family couldn’t afford to pay the school fees and her parents’ had a negative attitude toward girls being educated beyond primary school. Plus, her family's financial condition forced Preeti to perform odd jobs instead of going to school. When she was 18 her father passed away, so she looked for full time work to help support her family. That’s when she found Asha, where she was hired as an apprentice wood polisher. Preeti is happy that she can help support her family and hopes for a bright future. She is grateful for Asha and how they support their artisans with fair pay and provide safety and security in the workshop.

Seema grew up in poverty, after the death of her father her mother struggled to provide and the family survived in a highly unstable situation. Seema was married very young through an arranged marriage but sadly, after the birth of her son, her husband left her. She found work with Asha and trained to be an expert woodworking artisan. Seema is proud that she can take care of her son all by herself and hopes to provide him with a good education.