Through Shakti, a small number of women and girls are empowered with skills that enable them to earn a living that helps to uplift their lives.
On November 27, the products made by these women were showcased at the Shakti stall in the annual International Christmas Charity Bazaar which was held at the Hilton Colombo Residences.
Although this was the first time Shakti was represented at this annual event,it managed to win the best charity award among all the other charity stalls at the bazaar.
With the exception of handmade greeting cards, all the items produced at Shakti are fabric based- made up of Sri Lanka handloom combined with selected imported prints. Most products carry a specially printed “ brand themed” lining. With regards to the cards, two girls aged 17 and 19 are the specialists, producing creatively quilled cards, among others. Each handmade product is individually crafted, whether a fabric item or cards, and is quality checked. Each crafter is paid a predetermined price for each satisfactory produced item. Thereafter, the items are put in the inventory and tagged and individually packed ready for sale at the Shakti and Tea Tang premises at no. 11 Havelock Road.
This is the very same premises where these women and girls are taught the skills to sew and perfect the quality aspects of the beautiful Shakti products.besides having a fresh take on the well known hand loom by incorporating classic, fun and unique prints that are sourced outside Sri Lanka, the finish is something that Shakti is extremely particular about and takes pride in.
This has been emphasised to each and every person who joined Shakti ever since its inception three years ago. Shakti is happy that they have been able to achieve this, even though workshops are conducted at intervals as far apart as every six to ten weeks at times.
Shakti was started by two women from overseas with the help of another volunteer from Sri Lanka.The Shakti workshops were originally started at the Ahungalla Heritance where a venue was offered by the hotel until Shakti started renting its own premises in Havelock Road, Colombo to carry out its work.
Shakti belongs to the SHA Foundation which was established as a transparent and accountable avenue for various charitable work to be carried out in Sri Lanka. SHA focuses mainly on teaching and upgrading of skills, and supporting those in need of medical assistance.
The acronym SHA in SHA Foundation stands for two special parents, Sepala and Hemalatha Amarasuriya. The foundation was set up as a dedication to their memory and hopes to continue their lifelong passion to give back to society by reaching out to those in need. The Shakti charity shop also known as Shakti Gallery is situated at Havelock Rd, Colombo 5 .
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