Around 5,000 women from in and around Hasimara, a small town in West Bengal, have found new livelihoods. They credit 38-year-old Sukla Debnath.

This graduate and trained beautician is singlehandedly empowering girls and women in her village.

As a young girl, Sukla would worry about her four older sisters and their marriage. Her father had a small sweet shop in Hasimara, and the family faced financial difficulties.

She recalls how women in her village had only two futures — working in the tea gardens or marriage. “But I wanted to break this cycle,” she recalls.

Sukla decided to fund her education by giving tuition to children. After finishing school, she sold her cycle for Rs 1,200 to pay for a beautician’s course in 2003.

Once she completed the course, Sukla decided to use her skills for the betterment of society, particularly to combat human trafficking.

As she explains, “If a woman gets trained as a beautician, she can earn a minimum of Rs 7,000 for bridal makeup in the village, and in the town, she can earn even more. This is a very good option compared to what she would make in the tea gardens.”

This income would also eliminate the problem of families falling for fraudulent promises of money made by traffickers.

Sukla began visiting the tea gardens to talk to the women and convince them to get trained. “They were hesitant at first as leaving even a day of work at the tea gardens would mean losing their daily wages. But a few showed up, and I have not stopped ever since,” she adds.

Having dedicated her life to serving people, she has never charged a fee from any of her trainees and has never raised any funds either.

“I want to keep going and support these women. I want to make them capable enough to never get trapped in human trafficking and ensure they are not a financial burden to their families,” she shares.

“I saw my father worrying day and night, wondering how he would marry off five daughters. I don’t want any fathers to worry like that by making their daughters financially independent,” she adds.