Let’s get comfortable with Punjammies! Supporting women in India breaks cycles of generational poverty with your purchasing power.

What started as a mission trip to India blossomed into a project that partners with an India-based organization establishing Sudara sewing centers. Women come under these programs by choice, and that choice leads them out of poverty and into economic stability.

I am in love with the LELITHA FULL, Punjammies Longue Pants that come in Tall; perfect for someone on the taller side, like me. The pants are made by women like Lelitha. Lelitha is the daughter of a woman with HIV. Lelitha's mother stopped her father from selling her daughter to pay for the medical bills. Lelitha ran away and found Sudara.

Let’s look at the facts about Sudara, where you can find some Punjammies:

1. Sudara bases its name off sundara, a Sanskrit word meaning “beautiful”.
2. Women that work in the sewing centers are of legal age, though many women bring their children into these programs both for educational services as well as for housing.
3. With the establishment of micro-enterprises, the survivors are not given a hand out. They are given economic and educational opportunities.
4. Sudara does not rescue women, but partner and empower them with these sewing skills and thus gives them, on average, double the fair wages and real world knowledge of financial stability.
5. They have employed more than 300 women in one of their sewing center partnerships throughout India. That number changes based on if the women stay for longer or shorter periods of time, and if they’ve advanced themselves within the training centers.
6. They are committed to working only with ethical partners who believe in transparent supply chains and are WRAP Certified. You’re encouraged to contact them directly for more sourcing questions!
7. All proceeds from purchases are reinvested back into the business, where these women are employed. This covers housing, medical, and training costs. Hence, what you spend goes back to the women that made it.

So, let’s be clear for a second: Punjab is a state in the northwest of the Republic of India, which is part of the larger Punjab region spanning into present-day Pakistan. Punjabi is a language and refers to traditional attire worn throughout this area. Sudara assures us that it is through etymology and conversation with their partners and teams in India that they came to the naming: Punjammies.  Their women gain education and job skills that elevate them from the poverty that leads them to human trafficking.

Instead of being forced into the trade of selling their bodies, there are finding resources, programs, and a path to having their own businesses. We are encouraged and we know no one company, brand, or person can empower the 32 million people in slavery today. Nor should it be a solitary mission. If we all, as consumers and people with more advantage and power than those without, come together and raise our voices and our wallets, we can eradicate modern day slavery.

Shannon Keith, Founder of Sundara (formerly known as The International Princess™ Project) said this: “My dream for the future would be to have my children live in a slave-free world, where every human life is valued and free.”

That’s a dream I can get behind. And I encourage you to keep asking questions and holding your brands to a higher standard. Recognize your purchasing power and use it to your advantage.

Keep up to date about Punjammies by following/liking Sudara on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram,Tumblr, YouTube, and their blog, Scissors & Gold!

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Every effort is made to verify the accuracy of these external resources; however, Diana Mao and Nomi Network cannot guarantee or control the content, usefulness, or appropriateness of these sites or that their products are 100% slave free.