Stitched Back Together: A Journey of Self-Reliance
Thamilselvi, a woman from Rameshwaram and her husband were married for 16 years but had no children. Because of this, her husband left her and married another woman who already had a child. During this time, she went through deep depression and mental pain. In her weak state, she signed the divorce papers without fully understanding what was happening. Even after the separation and her husband’s second marriage, they met again for a short time as she was not willing to walk away from him. During this period, Thamilselvi became pregnant. She later gave birth to a baby boy. Her husband, meanwhile, had two daughters with his second wife. After some time, the second wife took him away completely, and Thamilselvi was forced to return to her parents’ home. For a long time, she lived in isolation at her parents’ house. She did not come out or talk to anyone. She spent most of her time praying and reading the Bible. Her life slowly began to change when she joined WISHALL’s Transformation Group.
Through the group, Swapna earned some loving friends who supported her and taught her on how to save money. Then she was included in a work project. They also encouraged her to learn tailoring and she started working on her own. Today, she has no contact with her husband and receives no financial support from him. She is raising her son by herself, who is now in second grade. People who know Thamilselvi speak about her amazing transformation. She was once afraid to even speak to others, but today she is confident, emotionally strong, and fully independent.
