Threads of Hope: Stitching Dreams Into Reality for Women and Children

Look at this picture—this is where we began.

It was 2011. I was a student myself, juggling a part-time job and private tutoring to support my education. In the evenings, I would gather with my small team to teach street children under the open sky of Dhaka. We had no classroom, no blackboard—just our hearts and the burning desire to create change.

They called me Nishat Apu.

Whenever I was ill or absent, these little souls would come to visit me at home, worried like family. In this chaotic capital city, they were my only relatives. Each time I received my modest salary, I would buy them snacks or a warm meal. We had so little, but we shared everything.

We dreamed of a real school—a roof over their heads, a place where learning could feel like home. And in 2016, our dream quietly came true. A kind well-wisher pledged to donate just $60 (6,000 BDT) each month. With that, we rented a small room and opened our first formal school for slum children.

But dreams often meet obstacles.

Many students began dropping out—not for lack of interest, but because they had to earn for their families. They were being pulled into child labor and begging. Our hearts broke, but we refused to give up.

So, we asked ourselves: What if we could empower their mothers?

That’s how our second project—Onondito Naree (The Unbound Woman)—was born. We had no funds and no equipment. I went home and told my mother about the idea. She looked at me with calm determination and said, “Use my sewing machine. I’ll teach them.”

My mother—a skilled trainer—became our first mentor. With her support and my personal savings, we trained women for two full years. Then, a miracle: a donor came forward with four sewing machines. Inspired by this, others followed. Eventually, a bank believed in us and supported training for 500 women.

Today, we have 10 sewing machines in our center. We've trained over 1,000 women and donated more than 100 machines to graduates who now run their own small businesses.

We started from zero. And maybe we’re still standing on the edge of scarcity—but we’re rich in resilience, community, and purpose.

When I see a mother—who once came to us broken and hopeless—now confidently managing her own business, feeding her children, and walking with pride, I know this is what true empowerment looks like.

This is what happens when women support women.

This is what happens when you Shift the Power.

This is what happens when you Fund Her Now.

Sometimes, a small salary… a single sewing machine… or a mother’s belief is all it takes to spark a revolution.

Watch the video to know about Sombhabona and our work