Sakhi embodies the spirit of Auroville, a city that inspires the growth of consciousness, creativity, and community.

A Natural Progression

Since 1991, Life Education Centre (LEC) has empowered many young women from the villages of Auroville by providing them opportunities for upskilling and personal growth.

Sakhi, the brand, was founded in 2018 to combine financially rewarding work with training and holistic personal growth programs.

Our Products

When you purchase Sakhi products, you receive high-quality items made with awareness and outstanding craftsmanship. Furthermore, you endorse a movement dedicated to the holistic growth of individuals and enterprises.

Our products are inspired by the joyful, abundant nature in Auroville. Vast skies, red soil, large trees, flowers, birds, songs, and silence inspire our everyday life and influence the design of our products. 

  • Hand-Made with Joy 

    Our products are hand-embroidered and hand-crocheted and carry a joyful elegance. We like the mindfulness and peace that develops with hand-work.

  • Eco-Print Collection

    Each eco-printed Sakhi product is uniquely designed depending on the outcome of the natural print, which is always a mystery!

  • Made in Small Batches

    Sakhi products are not mass-produced. They are made in small batches with the attention required to bring out the beauty and detail of each product.

  • Upcycled Collection

    We find treasures in used saris, small fabric scraps, dead stock, off-cuts and inner tubes of used tyres and turn them into functional products.
Our Products

33 Years of Working with Women

Work, wages, skill development, and programs for women’s growth and well-being to enable fulfilling lives are at the core of what we do.

Sakhi means female confidante in many Indian languages. True to our brand name, the women express qualities of friendship, warmth and care towards each other, creating a community atmosphere at work.

With joy, playfulness, serenity, and
high-quality craftsmanship, Sakhi artisans are the power behind our creations.

A Holistic, Sustainable Business Model

We recognize the women’s resilience, traditional wisdom, and intelligence to learn and acquire new skills. Sakhi is a brand and a nurturing environment.

In the Sakhi approach to work, women artisans spend 15% of daily paid work time in programs that promote integral well-being and personal growth.

Nurturing Creative Potential

Through our workshops, we inspire individuals and communities to discover and nurture their creative potential and the mindfulness and awareness that develops with it.

Hand-Made Culture

In the past, people made things by hand, for themselves, for their families and friends. It was a way of life and culture. We value the joy of working with hands and the peace and delight that come with the experience. For us, work and self-discovery are inseparable.

Identity

The logo of Sakhi symbolizes jungle babbler birds found in the Indian subcontinent.  Popularly called the “Seven sisters”, they are gregarious social birds that forage in groups of six or ten. The women artisans of Sakhi characterize these birds in their sisterhood, looking out for each other with kindness, empathy, solidarity, and sharing - values that we cherish and nourish!