Chand Foundation- Dream Of A Little Girl That Empowered Other Women To Dream

Women Empowerment By Surbhi Rathore | 4 min read

“CHAND” or The moon is the most enchanting heavenly body. It’s a muse for poets, an object of curiosity for scientists, a matter of hope for lovers. But it became an inspiration for Priya who gave birth to her own sky of hope and called it the Chand Foundation.

We have all read the story of Razia’s Dream as kids, & as adults, we all should read the story of Priya’s Dream because it is more than just a dream; it is a work of art with a dash of love.

Priya Rathore, the founder of the Chand Foundation, toiled for her idea of entrepreneurship, making not only her an independent woman but also inspiring many other women to dream big.

Source – Priya Rathore

The Dream thus began when Priya was a young girl and travelled to Ranthambore to visit her family. She found it amusing that the women of a remote village in Ranthambore were financially independent and proudly displayed their skills by making toys, bags, and accessories by upcycling waste cloth.

Bags and other items curated by this Organization were just not gorgeous but sustainable as well & visitors visiting their shop adored them at first glimpse. She was intrigued to see that the ladies of the village are so creative, as a youngster, she was so inspired by this notion that she chose to learn from it. The vacation of that year ended but seeded a dream in her heart.

Chand foundation
Source- Instagram

The desire to launch a company that would provide economic independence to women became greater with time. After graduation, when most of her peers were beginning their careers and climbing the corporate ladder she shifted to live with her grandparents in her hometown kanota, a hamlet of Rajasthan.

Priya saw firsthand the incredible talent and potential of the local women. All her life, Priya had been resolved to do something positive for her society, and she finally reached the point when she could no longer wait.

Source- Priya Rathore

Dream Turn Into Reality- The Idea

Priya started her one homegrown business and called it the Chand Foundation, after her mother’s name Chand Kanwar. In her interview with MAD4INDIA, Ms. Priya shared,

My mother has always been a source of inspiration for me and while thinking about the name for my own business, I thought what else could better suit the business idea than “CHAND” My source of energy, light and inspiration.

Priya Rathore loved the way the moon illuminates a dark night for so many people. It not only illuminates the area beneath it, but it also serves as a source of energy for the stars nearby. Priya began lighting the area around her while picturing the moon as her muse.

It was not easy to set up her’s own brand but her utmost sincerity toward her dream of helping local women artisans and doing something of her own paved the way for her.

Source – Instagram

Chand Foundation

Chand Foundation is a live example of “Dreams don’t have an age”. Chand Foundation is like a baby for Priya. Now when she is 25, she is literally living her childhood dream. Priya’s startup aims to promote not just the artwork but also a way of life; she believes in simple living, which became the inspiration for her brand.

Chand is a locally developed company founded on the notion of slow life. Our incredibly talented women who work at Chand create handcrafted clothing, home décor items, and lifestyle accessories with affection.

Source – Priya Rathore

She quickly identified several women in her village Kanota and nearby villages, who possessed extraordinary sewing talent. It was a tough task as she has to go door to door in this talent hunt.

The ladies I met were very shy initially and were fearful to work proffessionally as sweing up till now was their hobby, they never thought of making it thier earning source on a larger platform. Moreover, they never considered themselves capable of monetizing their skills.

Despite all the hurdles she created a platform where these women could express themselves & their skills. She has seen these women grow with the help of the Chand Foundation. Shy and unconfident women now have an empowered voice.

Source- Instagram

A Sustainable Model Of Business

While expanding the foundation, she decided to upcycle tonnes of unwanted or unused clothing that would otherwise end up in landfills. She learnt to sew so that she could make manageable patterns out of discarded material.

“Katarans” are nothing new to us, we have all seen waste cloth but never thought of using it. Small tits and bits of leftover cloth which we usually ignore and consider waste became the base for my idea.

“Katarans” was put to good use. They were used and turned into beautiful bags, toys, and other items. At the same time, women got to showcase their talent while finding an identity of their own with it.

women Walk With Glitters & Dreams

Priya is a visionary who understood that dreams take on many forms, that she is more than the sum of her interests and abilities, and that her will to succeed may lift not just herself but all women. Chand Foundation is not merely a business but rather a stage of acknowledgement for women who have never realized the value of their own labour.

I entered the village as a 21-year-old naive girl, but now I am friends with a group of rural women who share their thoughts, struggles, and confidence with me.

Source – Priya Rathore

Even though some women are unable to leave their homes, the Chand Foundation has found a way to reach out to them; Priya sends all the necessary raw materials to their location and picks up the finished pieces of art from there.

Not just that Priya has a wider goal behind the business,

The purpose is to revive the traditional art work that is being forgotten in the new era of machine fashion like our traditional thatiya work and kantha work.

While upcycling waste clothing, Priya is attempting to reintroduce the traditional rural stitching technique of Rajasthan like block printing, patchwork, etc, made by the women of the area, leading to their upliftment and independence, what more can we ask from a 25-year-old.

I’m overjoyed to be helping the women become independent. I am proud of what I’m attempting to do. One day each woman in my village will make her own, money and the Chand foundation will finally be illuminating the whole sky of this rural village.

Source – Priya Rathore

You little girl, Mad4india is so proud of you. You are so deserving of growth and success. A schoolgirl’s dream is empowering so many, today what better can dreams do for us?

We advise you to dream big and support all the dreamers’ out there, Connect with the Chand Foundation, and give them all your love.

Feature image – Instagram

If you like this story, you can also check out – EcoKaari Is Upcycling 20 Million Plastic Bags Into Fabric, This Start-Up Makes Rs 8 Lakh/Month

If you know about more inspirational stories about a person, company, new idea, or social initiative, and want us to write it on mad4india.com, share such information with us on Facebook or LinkedIn.

One Reply to “Chand Foundation- Dream Of A Little Girl That Empowered Other Women To Dream”

  1. Hello. This post couldn’t be written any better! Reading this post reminds me of my previous room mate. He always kept chatting about this. I will forward this page to him. Fairly certain he will have a good read. Thank you for sharing.

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