Help support Ariana's service trip to India

Hello everyone! My name is Ariana Lerma and I am a student at Florida International University. I will be attending our annual service trip to Bandhwari, India, with The International Business Honor Society, to expand our innovative microenterprise initiative, The Bandhwari Women’s Project. The ultimate goal is to help a community of poverty-stricken and marginalized women near New Delhi gain financial independence through creating hand-crafted fashion accessories. These women work incredibly hard and are very talented in their craft, and they do it all to help send their children to great educational facilities where they can advance their education.

I had the extraordinary opportunity to attend this life-changing trip in February of 2023, and I experienced the warmth, sensuality, beauty, and spiritual peace of the kids of the local government school, the hardworking women from the women’s center, and the villagers. I have never felt so welcomed to a completely different way of life, and having the opportunity to connect and work with the people of the village was the best experience of my trip to India. We collaborated with the dedicated ladies to create a new line of handcrafted goods made from recycled Indian sarees and participated in educational activities with the local kids. The Taj Mahal might be one of the 7 wonders of the world, but what was truly wonderful to me were the people of India.

During next year’s trip in February of 2024, we will continue to expand the initiative, working closely with the women, while also continuing to teach mathematics and english at the local government school and find ways to improve the educational facility. We also hope to continue our partnership with students from Symbiosis Center for Management Studies to further advance the objective of empowering the women of Bandhwari.

The funds will be utilized to cover airfare (ranging from $1000 - $1400) and program costs ($1390) which include transportation, housing, food, and other activities such as sightseeing. Your support would mean the world to me, but most importantly, make the biggest difference in the lives of these women and kids that we have such a special connection with. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to do what I love most: helping the world and connecting with people. I’m happy to know I have a family back in India, waiting for me and my fellow IBHS members with open arms.