We recently hired two new production associates in Delhi! It was a momentous occasion, and we all celebrated the two new team members as they donned their crisp, white uniforms, looped their work identification cards over their necks, and embarked on a new beginning.
But it was also a sad day, sad because a third woman decided that day not to join Savhera. She chose instead to continue to live and work in the brothel.
Why would she make this choice? After all, Savhera pays production associates in Delhi more than the living wage. Our production team members are given significant time and resources to grow in other areas of their lives through Savhera’s PIES model of human development. But even after all of this was explained to her, she still chose the brothel over Savhera. Why would she choose this when there is an incredible alternative?
While we do not know the exact reason for this woman, we can surmise based on some pretty universal human experiences.
- Change is hard. It’s not easy for any of us to leave what we know for some unknown. There is comfort and stability in what we know, and change is scary and unpredictable.
- Fear of failure is real. Most of us have been paralyzed by fear at some point in our lives. Whether it’s our relationships, our health, our career, or something else, we often don’t take the next step because we are afraid we will fail in that relationship, with that health goal, or in that new job.
- We live into what we’re told. What people say to us, how they say it, and how they treat us all impact our self-image (whether we should allow it to is another story). We live into these narratives. When we are loved, cherished, and respected, we believe we deserve that. But the opposite also is true. When we are bought, sold, abused, and used, we believe that is what we deserve.
While we celebrate every new employee that lives into a new narrative, we also grieve those who don’t because we see the confidence and pride that a new, redemptive narrative brings in the lives of our production team, and we want her to experience that, too. Maybe one day she will...