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A day in the life of a Freeset woman starts early. Before work the women head to the markets to get the day’s food for their families. They make preparations for the day, then head to work.

By 10am the ground floor courtyard at Freeset is packed with women in bright colored saris, some laughing and talking, others sitting quietly waiting for the day to begin. Once everyone is there (all 170+ women), a visiting minister or a staff person reads from the Bible and often offers their thoughts on the passage. (When I was there they read about Mary and Elizabeth—two ordinary women who had the faith to do extraordinary things.) Next, there is prayer. After that one of the women leads the group in song, and sometimes there’s dancing. Voices and clapping echo up through the building.

Then it’s time for work. They go to rooms along the sides of the courtyard on all three floors, and to the covered area on the roof where they screen print fabric for bags and t-shirts. Most rooms have rows of sewing machines, and according to their ability, different groups sew different parts of the bags or shirts. Another group women works spreading ink through custom designed screens and drying the bright colored prints on the fabric. A few women also work in the nursery that provides affordable, safe childcare for kids right where their mothers work. The least skilled women, often the oldest ones or the ones whose past have been particularly traumatizing, work in the finishing room; they sit in a circle talking and trimming excess thread from the bags, making sure everything looks perfect and ready to sell.

Each new woman at Freeset is trained in a variety of skills. They learn to sew, to write their names, and to read basic words and sentences. Learning is a challenge for many of the women. Almost none of been to school, and for some the trauma of their lives has set a limit on how much they’re able to learn. After about three months of training, each woman is placed in the part of the business that best fits their skills. Every woman, no matter how unskilled, is given a place. No one is ever turned away because of lack of ability.

At noon, everyone breaks for tea. It’s a time to relax, chat, and recharge. At two, it’s time for an hour lunch break. Most of the women go back home; some spend time in the small yard behind Freeset—a true luxury in the area. At three, it’s back to work until five o’clock tea. Finally, at seven, everyone gathers in the courtyard again for pray. Then it’s home for the evening.

Keep reading over the next few days for more about Freeset—and stay tuned for the unveiling of our new Freeset tees!

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