REstore in Naddi

The changes that have happened with Restore within the last 6 months have been incredible. Sometimes I can’t even contain my excitement and find myself jumping up and down in the shop while the girls look at me and call me a "4 year old girl".

For those of you who don’t know, Restore is a shop located in the main square of beautiful Naddi. One of the purposes of Restore is to empower women through teaching them the basic business and personal skills necessary to establish and maintain a successful business. 

It has been quite the ride so far, and I couldn’t be more proud of what we’ve accomplished. It’s most rewarding to see the changes in the girls’ attitudes. When I first came to Restore, 1 girl would come to ‘work.’ I say work in quotes because the interns would be doing mostly everything! Now the tables have finally turned and only 1 intern comes while 2-3 girls do all the work. Not only so, they come to the shop excited and engaged. 

Sunena, Shikha and Bindu, three of the girls that work at REstore

Sunena and Milan having some fun in the shop

We’ve expanded the horizon of products sold in Restore! From scarfs to bags to healthy, unique menu items, Restore can cater to all your needs!

Future happenings in Restore:

We plan to have our Multi-Purpose Bike fully finished by the first week of December. This is what our finished one our Punjab Restore looks like:

Multi-purpose bike

It will function as a blender, a charger, and a lantern, so if your phone is low on battery enjoy a hot cup of chai while getting it charged. 

We made our first laptop case a few weeks ago and plan on making more plus phone cases in the upcoming weeks. Who said your laptop can’t be covered in sass and class? 

The finished product!

Nisha making our first laptop case 

Recently, we’ve been reconstructing our Restore website. Soon Restore products from all our centers will be available online to buy! You’ll also be able to hear what the girls have to say with our Restore blog. This is basically an open journal for the girls who are working. 

Much more exciting things are coming our way in 2016…Stay Tuned!!!

Tulsi Sheth - USA

Microfinance Project Coordinator, Naddi (Himachal Pradesh)