Why elephants?
Rural women in India have fewer opportunities due to a lack of economic independence and literacy. We empower women in rural areas with valuable sewing skills so they can earn a respectable living and help their families. Every six months, over sixty women graduate with practical skills in tailoring and basic business practices. Once a woman graduates from the tailoring program, she will be proficient in treadle (foot-powered) sewing machines. Some even start their own tailoring business from home and earn a daily income that can provide food & basic necessitates for their families.
The Elephant Project partners impoverished women in India with sewing groups in the United States by shipping partially completed toy elephants sewn by the women in India to us for finishing. The elephants are then combined with a souvenir plaque commemorating the creator in India and telling their story of transformation. These are sold as artisan projects which help fund further projects among the rural poor of India. But why elephants? Why not something else? Elephants are easily associated with India, and the colorful fabric and decorative belly band add to this image. It reminds people where they come from and why they are important.
Why do we do it this way?
Because creating the patterns for the elephants is something the women can do from India, does not take a lot of technical knowledge, and the patterns can then be shipped flat without stuffing. Each elephant can be linked back to a specific woman by its color and cloth. We’re not trying to mass-produce elephants, that’s not the product or the program. What we are interested in is transformed lives. A hundred and twenty women a year go through our courses with no charge and no obligation and only a few are selected to help with the elephants. We could have a thousand fully stuffed elephants made and shipped in a month, but that’s not what we’re about. We’re about training women in these regions with valuable skills that they can take with them for a lifetime. The elephants help cover the costs of the tailoring schools so that women can attend at no charge.
I want to get involved, where do I sign up?
Contact us at GHN@globalhelpsnetwork.org and make sure to put ‘The Elephant Project’ in the subject line or send us a letter by mail at PO Box 1238, Enumclaw WA 98022 (but make sure we have a way of contacting you back!) You can also fill out this form and we will reach out to you with more information.
Sewing Questions:
How long does it take?
It’s all basic stitches. It all depends on how healthy your hands are because there is a lot of small work, but the stitches themselves are not fancy. Be careful not to over stuff the elephants (watch the legs as you sew to make sure it is not too tight a fit and give yourself a chance to remove some stuffing if needed). That’s it.
It takes a non-expert sewer about six hours to learn how to and finish an elephant.
What stitches do I need to
know?
Basic hand stitching is all you need to know. Below is an example of how to do a blanket stitch, which is the method we recommend you use when sewing the elephants.
Where do the supplies come
from? How long does it take to
get here?
The list of what we provide is included in red in the item list (on the how to page and the link above) and what you will need to have ready is in black. We will send you the consumables marked in red as a full “kit” which we will ship to you. Fill out this form HERE so we know where to send the kit.
What tools do I need to have?
Everything you need is listed in the download-ready pdf above. What you will have to have on hand is in black and the tools we will provide are in red.
This is the same list as the pdf repeated here for your reference:
Consumables provided:
Elephant body
Elephant ears
Black cone thread
Thread the basic color of the elephant; white, beige, light lavender, light green
Belly band trim
Template and laundry marker
Fiber fill
Heat activated basting adhesive
Tools needed:
Object 5 inches long
Scissors
Stick/ chopstick
Needle
Straight pins
Clips or clothespins
Iron
How do I get the elephants?
We will ship them to you in a flat rate box. About twenty-four un-stuffed elephants along with the consumables you will need and paper instructions with step-by-step pictures.
Party Questions:
What is the party?
We want to work with you more than shipping boxes back and forth. We want you exited about the why behind the project. We also want to know from you once the project is finished why you got involved, how this project has become a calling or how it has changed you. We will send you a video with the sewing supplies of the women in India, and how their lives are being transformed, that you can watch while you sew. We want you to see the difference you are making and not just view this as “another crafting project.”
We need someone to head up the sewing of the projects, but we also need a “cheer leader” to throw a virtual party, invite people, and we would help promote this for you if you’d like. The purpose of the party is to engage with your friends and family in what you are doing and spread the excitement. We’ll provide you anything you need to tell the stories behind your elephants and even hop on your call, if you decide, and talk about the tailoring schools in India and how the elephants fit into everything.
We expect the project to take about a month at the most and will check in with you once a week for to encourage, answer questions, see how they are doing, and to help with the virtual party if needed.
*We do not intend to ship out the plaques out with the elephants because they are heavy and are harder to ship. We’ll only ship those to people who have donate to the the tailoring schools the minimum to be gifted an elephant and plaque.
What if we have elephants left
over?
If you have elephants left over and aren’t really interested in completing them, we have no problem with that. Please ship them back to us at PO Box 1238, Enumclaw WA 98022. Don’t feel you have to overnight them to us and spend extra on shipping, normal mailing methods would be fine.
What if we don’t have enough
elephants?
First of all, that’s great! If you run out of elephants, that means you completed all twenty-four we sent to you! If you run out and are looking for more, just ask and we will send over more.
Do we HAVE to have the party,
or can we just send the
finished elephants back?
Strictly speaking, you don’t have to have the virtual zoom party at the end to celebrate and share with your friends and family the awesome work you are doing. Here’s why the party is a part of this project: we don’t want you to get involved with us as “yet another sewing project” or just another fun casual project to fill the time. These elephants are connected to stories from real people in India living real lives.
The people we are looking for to get involved are not only talented in sewing by hand, but are also people looking help make a lasting difference in a society that keeps the poorest families locked in poverty through a ridged caste system. There are very few organizations doing what we are doing. Tailoring schools are key in breaking cycles of poverty by giving new skills that open job opportunities in the cities. We are one of the only groups teaching vocational skills to the lowest rungs of Indian society.
Getting involved with our project is more than about sewing, it’s about transforming lives. We want to give you every opportunity to be a part of these women’s stories, to learn about who they are, and to be a part of a project that directly influences their communities. This is why the party is so important. This is why the entire project is so important. We don’t do this for ourselves, we are doing it for them. For Shama, Payal, and Vijaya. Read their story.
I want to get involved, where do I sign up?
You can contact us at GHN@globalhelpsnetwork.org and make sure to put ‘The Elephant Project’ in the subject line or fill out our Elephant Project interest form HERE.