PLAINSBORO: Student to help women in India

   PLAINSBORO — High School North senior Aneesha Raghunathan knew she had to act after witnessing the appalling conditions of sweatshops during a family vacation to India in 2009.
   Instead of standing idly by while women her age sewed garments in a crowded and dirty workspace, Ms. Raghunathan formed Hope Line, an international nonprofit fashion company that raises money for one purpose – empowering women to follow their dreams.
   ”Many of (the women) had so much talent and they were just wasting away in these sweatshops producing garments for large brand name companies that I once bought from back home,” she said. “It’s sad because the only credit they get for their hard work is the ‘Made in India’ tag. Other than that no one knows what they go through to make that shirt. The problem is that they are stuck where they are in poverty, with no way of becoming independent and empowering themselves.”
   Ms. Raghunathan said she learned how to sew in one of the sweatshops during the two-month stay and became friends with many of the women, most in their mid-20s.
   ”The machines leaked oil all over the floor and a ditch ran through the outside of the place so it would smell really bad and attract a lot of insects. There was almost no lighting at all,” she said.
   Hope Line sells Ms. Raghunathan’s custom-designed T-shirts that sport phrases such as “Support Dreams” and “Empower a Girl, Empower her World.” Ms. Raghunathan says half of the proceeds go towards providing opportunities to the women workers, such as starting their own clothing repair businesses or sending their children to school. The other half goes toward other projects to provide education, such as distributing textbooks and supplies to India’s slum areas.
   For an upcoming fundraiser called “Stand Up for Hope,” Hope Line is teaming up with STAND, the school’s student group devoted to ending global injustice and promoting Amnesty International. The event, to be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on April 30 at High School North on Grovers Mill Road, will feature speakers from both groups, a Hope Line fashion show with T-shirts for sale, and performances from SAASA, the school’s South Asian-American dance troupe.
   The group hopes to raise at least $1,000 that evening.
   ”This money will be enough to finish building a library in Kalighat, one of Hope Line’s specific projects, and to send at least 20 girls to school,” said sophomore and member Swetha Kodamasimham. They also hope to send money to impoverished schools in rural South India and Bombay to buy at least 1,000 books.
   T-shirts cost $12 and also come with a unique identification number that customers can use to track their direct contribution online. The purchase, represented as a dot, is shown alongside other Hope Line wearers around the world, creating a global forum where they can interact and vote on Hope Line projects.
   ”Hope Line guarantees 100 percent empowerment,” Ms. Raghunathan said.
   Hope Line T-shirts can be purchased at www.hopelinefashions.org. The group also accepts donations on its website.