Shakti  of the SHA Foundation was launched in 2014 as a non-profit entity to provide income generating opportunities to underprivileged women and girls in Sri Lanka.

Shakti workshops provided training for mastering skills
of hand and machine sewing  to produce  limited-edition  handcrafted bags, pouches and accessories. Sewing machines, raw materials, transport allowances, meals  and an incentive based “attendance fee”  were provided . These  benefits continue till today.

The Shakti brand identity soon evolved. Beautifully stitched creations, made with lovely combinations of interesting prints and vibrant Sri Lankan handloom colours caught the attention of most people. The women and girls were duly paid their wages, quality checks were done and thus began the marketing of Shakti products in Sri Lanka  and the reafter in Singapore. 

One of Shakti’s greatest benefits to the artisans is that they are  allowed to take (after each workshop at Shakti ) about a month’s  work to sew  from home, a system which Shakti started 6 years prior to the pandemic! This arrangement  provided  the much needed  flexibility to care for children/ elderly  and attend to all  their  household responsibilities.

Shakti strives to reuse, recycle and upcycle whenever possible. When cutting, Shakti controls fabric wastage. Donated fabrics are now being repurposed to create fabric packaging pouches - replacing the use of plastic packaging , while creating more job opportunities  in the process. The  fabric packaging pouches are reusable and are offered free with each purchase as Shakti’s gift to the customer, a gentle reminder  (and a thank you) for helping  to protect the environment by avoiding plastic.

As Shakti continues to empower women and girls in Sri Lanka through its  job creation endeavour of a creatively  designed limited-edition brand and to carry out its work as “Green” as possible,  it seems clear that for SHAKTI, it is all
about  Making A  Difference...