And so, when Rosena Sammi, a Briarcliff mother of two daughters who runs her own New York City-based jewelry company, heard about the organization Apne Aap which educates young girls rescued from the red light districts of India, she knew she had to get involved.
The result: “Who’s Sari Now," a collection launched last summer as part of her Rosena Sammi Jewelry brand. The line uses upcycled sari materials from India with all sales directly benefiting the girls from Apne Aap by helping cover the costs of their daily education.
“As an advocate for equality for women and as the mother of two young girls, I have a deep desire to affect change for women," said Sammi. "In creating my 'Who's Sari Now?’ collection, I am able to accomplish a number of goals, while also doing something positive for the environment. Seeing and hearing the plight of these women and girls, motivated me to create products that can deliver promise and that also reflect the global aesthetic of Rosena Sammi Jewelry."
Apne Aap started out as a group of 22 women in the red light district of Mumbai, India, inspiring journalist Ruchira Gupta to create an Emmy award-winning documentary called "The Selling of Innocents." This film sheds light on the trafficking of girls from the villages of Nepal to the brothels of Mumbai. The women featured in the documentary sought out Gupta’s help protecting their rights and the rights of their daughters and as of 2002 Apne Aap, meaning self empowerment in Hindi, was born.
Today Apne Aap has made a difference in over 22,000 lives across India. Gupta, a winner of the Clinton Global Citizen Award, has become a leading sex trafficking abolitionist. To learn more go to www.apneaap.org/.
To view the 'Who’s Sari Now' collection, go to www.rosenasammi.com/collections/sari. Retail prices range from $15 to $55.
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