About 60 girls attend Girls Ladli. They specialise in learning jewellery-making. The girls are taught various local techniques by trained staff and work mostly with semi-precious gemstones, copper and silver. Each teacher sits with a small group of children where she instructs and guides them. In addition to making jewellery, the girls are taught about stone identification and colour combinations. Many of Ladli’s designs are created by the teachers and by volunteer foreign designers, but the girls are also encouraged to experiment and make their own designs: these are displayed for sale alongside the established work.

 
 
Since Jaipur is one of the jewellery centres of the world,
many jewellery business people visit from abroad. They buy materials, have their designs produced locally, and then sell the finished products back in their home country. A number of such business people have visited Ladli, sat with the girls and taught them how to make their designs. They have then given us orders and we have shipped the finished items to them. This experience gives the children exposure to a wide array of techniques and broadens their skills.

Girls Ladli, of course, is not all about jewellery. The girls can drop-in to informal classes of Hindi/English/Art etc. There are also regular dance classes – classical and modern – which the
children love. These activities are lead by a full-time teacher and part-time hobby teacher. There are usually one or two short-term foreign volunteers also teaching or playing with the children.

The atmosphere at Girls Ladli is delightful. Visitors are invariably taken aback by how happy and at peace the girls are.

Girls Ladli is located in the Sodala district of Jaipur, about 5km west of the city centre. The address is: 74 Govindpuri, Rakdi, Sodala, Jaipur 302006, India.