“These conversations challenged my own assumptions about what empowerment looks like. The women we met did not describe themselves as beneficiaries of charity. Instead, they spoke confidently about expansion plans, product development, future investment, and employment opportunities. The revolving fund had not simply provided financial assistance; it had given them the confidence to see themselves as business owners and leaders.”

An excerpt of my blog post written for Archana Women’s Centre which nicely sums up this fourth week spent in Kerala working with AWC as part of my CraftHER LiA. A lesson in what it means to care, AWC provides and empowers women in such a range of ways. Both its strengths and its weakness. I am reminded of the saying “ to be a jack of all trades is to be a master of none” but what if all those trades are equally important and come together to bring about the final goal: empowering women.

AWC began by training women in non traditional livelihoods such as carpentry and masonry. We met one of the women carpenters on Tuesday, Omana Chechi, who taught us all about her craft. Her eyes filled with that age old wisdom I can see in so many of the women we’ve met. The day prior during our introductory sessions at AWC we discovered that the office in which the organisation works out of was also entirely made by women trained by efforts from AWC, from the bricks to the construction, women’s hands alone were responsible for the building rising out of the ground. We also discovered that these trainings of carpentry and masonry were no longer taking place, women were simply not interested. Many underwent training, around 600 for carpentry but only a handful manage to continue the work (3 in the case of carpentry). Setting up their own business or being employed as skilled tradespeople becomes harder when you are a woman. And this is why AWC set up their second branch of work; a revolving fund, helping women get that starting push to become their own bosses.

As the week continued and we met more and more women entrepreneurs supported by this fund, we began to understand it wasn’t about the money. It was about the freedom it gave, the confidence it nurtured and the women empowering themselves. So much untapped potential lies just beyond the excuses, AWC allows women to break free of those excuses and become their own CEOs, skilled tradespeople and role models for many more. Of course AWC didn’t just stop there. We slowly began to realise the organisation laid out in front of us was more than training and loaning. It also advocated for women’s rights through organised protests and drama presentations, they provided lawyers for cases of domestic violence, they help integrate water resource management through programmes and promote organic farming. AWC does it all. And on the one hand it is the biggest demonstration of human care that I have ever been witness to. To see so many problems and be so in service of the world that a solution is presented for each and every problem is the mark of a truly great organisation, but I can’t help but feel it is also the mark of a disorganised system. And for an organisation that desperately needs funds from benevolent donors it does not inspire confidence. That being said however, AWC manages remarkably well to keep all its ducks in a row and that can’t help bu be admired. A view that my peers and I shared as we discussed how their organisational system may be improved. Remarking that all their initiatives were equally important and intertwined, we discussed the possibility that they may establish three channels of operation and build an organisation hierarchy based on these. Whilst an important discussion we ultimately decided AWC had bigger fish to tackle and presented these in our final outputs on the Friday.

We worked on the business case, financial analysis and operational model of an online shop, bringing together the products from all AWC’s various units under one roof and platform, improving reach and visibility. A part of this was our suggested rebranding, notably of their presentation and online identity for the shop. All the more important was the fundraising which Abi, Alba and Erin valiantly led the frontline on, leaving behind a multitude of email templates and donor suggestions. Not to be forgotten was the social media for which carousel posts, posters and photos with suggested captions were handed over. The final presentation was a great success and I can only hope that some of what we left behind may prove useful. I leave, though, feeling that I have not done enough. Perhaps it is the Type A part of me—the part that likes everything neatly organised—that wishes I could rearrange AWC's structure. But I think I've learned a far more valuable lesson this week: just because something isn't neat and tidy doesn't mean it isn't working. AWC may not be the most focused organisation, but its dedication and genuine care are impossible to deny.