Muskan Harmalkar is from Mapusa, North Goa, where she lived with her parents until she got married and moved to Anjuna, a village closer to the beach, still In Goa.
Science enthusiast since she was a little kid, Muskan had to drop her studies in the 12th grade, when her dad, a daily-wage labour worker, could no longer cover their children's school fees. Muskan had one brother and four sisters.
Her dream was to become a nurse or work with pharmacy, but financial challenges got in the way.
Her childhood was marked by the home duties all the siblings had every morning before going to school, as well as the trips to the hills nearby, where she would join her mother in chopping and gathering wood.
Nevertheless, Muskan proudly claims she had a happy childhood, and her family was always very appreciative of everything they had.
They were never left hungry or malnourished because, despite being a fieldworker and the sole earner in the family, her dad would always bring something to keep everyone’s bellies full.
The closest Muskan got to her professional ambition was to work in a pharmaceutical factory, at the packaging department, but that only lasted 6 months. She moved on to a different factory: a watch manufacturer, where she stayed until a little after she got married, at the age of 26.
One year later, she got pregnant with her first child and had no other choice but to drop her professional path and dedicate herself entirely to motherhood. From that point, all the family income would rely on her husband’s job. He was and still is a cab driver.
Today her son is in the 12th grade and he dreams about working with computers. His sister, who’s one year younger, is interested in working as a secretary.
As much as Muskan tried to show them the benefits of studying and working with Science, she’s aware she can’t push her dreams on them. She lets and encourages them to follow their hearts.
This brave woman joined Project Três seven years ago, right after meeting Carla, who was presenting Project Três to a small women’s collective at the home of one of Muskan’s friends.
Muskan was already familiar with embroidery, so joining an organisation with such an optimistic approach, with a real financial opportunity, was a no brainer. What she didn’t expect was that other than developing her tailoring and embroidery abilities further, she would also learn how to do accounting, which is something she never thought before, and was, in fact, very scared of.
Today Muskan knows how to use a computer. Her kids help her a lot with it. But most importantly, she feels much more comfortable visiting banks and doing anything that’s financially related.
More than skills, the project gave Muskan the power of self-confidence. After being challenged and encouraged in many different circumstances, Today Muskan understands she can change her reality and break her own self-limiting believes when she feels safe and supported enough to do so.
That’s something Project Três has been providing amongst all the women: a sense of belonging, a community where all of them feel seen, heard, and encouraged to share their feelings, opinions and personal experiences, which wouldn’t be possible elsewhere, including in their own homes.
Muskan calls it “her freedom house”. Where the women not only speak freely, but also have a lot of fun with each other.
With this new perspective on freedom ever since, Muskan has been raising her children to be financially independent and emotionally supported, just as she managed to become.
Short test here