With the release of their new video “Rainbow” on January 31st, internationally-acclaimed band SHEL has launched a campaign to spread awareness and raise support for Hope Springz, a locally-run craft center in Vrindavan, India that empowers exiled widows by teaching them skills, providing community, and giving them purpose. “In many rural societies in India, people believe that the loss of a woman’s husband is a result of her bad karma,” says SHEL’s Eva Holbrook. “There’s a ceremony after his death that involves dressing her in white (the color of death), smashing the bangles around her wrist, and turning her out of society to beg on the streets. Often her own children abandon her. Our vision is to provide support for widows with the help of Hope Springz,” she continues. “This one room apartment empowers over 30 women, providing them with community, purpose, and loving support through skill development programs, including jewelry making. We commissioned Rainbow bracelets from Hope Springz as a symbol of restored dignity and color in the lives of the women who make them.”
