Thanks to a system she had worked out with her brother, Shashi was able to go to secondary school. She worked as a housekeeper in a hotel to pay for her brother's studies and he, in turn, worked to finance hers. Before her job at Solid, Shashi was unemployed and unmarried. 

‘My mother already worked at Solid and convinced me to apply as well. She felt it was a good environment to work in. I had no previous knowledge of weaving and asked a lot of questions to get better. At one point, a master weaver said that I would never be as good as him because I am a woman. I saw a challenge in this statement and strived for perfection. I have worked very hard to improve my technique and I am very proud of where I am today.'

Today, after a lot of practice and perseverance, Shashi is now one of the best weavers in the Solid’s Paces Crafts workshop. She is capable of reading weaving-drafts and knowing how to set up a loom all by herself. She is rightly proud of herself for achieving these goals. Because of her extensive knowledge of weaving, she is asked to do the quality control and was promoted to teacher. She teaches her students the secretes of the looms and how to set goals and achieve them. Seeing her grow into the highly skilled and confident leader she is becoming, inspires many of our artisans to question their limiting beliefs and to re-imagine what is possible for them.

'Recently I was selected to do the final quality check. That made me so very happy and proud. Again, I see it as a challenge that I enjoy taking on.’

‘Before I started here, I didn't have a job and I didn't get marriage proposals. It is since I started working at Solid that I have found a good husband. He supports me a lot and thinks I should do what makes me feel most happy. I could stop working now that I am married, but I don't want to. Everything I have achieved has been thanks to Solid.’