In May this year, Sahana’s founder and designer, Inosha, returned to Sri Lanka. But this was more than just a trip home, it was a reconnection with her roots, her community, and her long-standing desire to give back to the women of her homeland.
For over 25 years, Inosha has worked alongside the Foundation of Goodness — a Sri Lankan not for profit organisation that supports underprivileged communities through training, skills development, and empowerment. During her most recent visit, she facilitated a series of workshops with women living in rural villages, offering mentoring, guidance, sharing her business knowledge & encouragement, creating a space to dream beyond the limitations they’ve been taught to accept.
A Shared Language, A Shared Experience
Having grown up in Sri Lanka herself, Inosha’s ability to speak the local language gave her the opportunity to truly listen and relate. Understanding the culture and the expectations that put on women and their limitations to achieve their potential is not easy to change overnight. Sitting with these women in small circles, she heard firsthand how so many of them felt powerless to change their circumstances.
Cultural expectations, financial hardship, and deeply ingrained beliefs had led many to believe that their role was fixed: to raise children, cook meals, and keep the household running. Dreams, if they ever existed, had long been put aside.
But through gentle conversation and shared reflection, they began to shift the narative. They began to open up — not just to Inosha, but to themselves.
Workshops Rooted in Possibility
Collaborative workshops were simple by design, but deeply meaningful. They focused on practical, accessible ways to spark change: goal setting, time management, identifying personal barriers, and taking ownership of small, doable actions. Opening up conversations with families and expressing their desires to make room for what they truly want to achieve was initiated.
Together, they explored what it might look like to start a micro-business — sewing, weaving, selling handmade goods, or reviving skills they already had. Some had already taken the first steps, while others were only just learning how to give themselves permission to want something different.
The most important message? That they didn’t have to accept their circumstances as they were. That change was possible and they could shape their own story, one small step at a time.
Changing the Future by Leading Today
One of the most powerful themes that emerged was legacy. Many of the women spoke of their daughters and the hope that they can change their future. The idea of them growing up with more freedom, more confidence, and financial independence.
Inosha believes that when a woman begins to believe in herself, the impact is generational. A shift in mindset doesn’t just change the life of one - it ripples out, affecting how her children see the world and their place within it.
By giving these women tools, encouragement, and a safe space to dream, those sessions planted seeds of change that can grow far beyond the room they were held in.
A Continued Commitment
Inosha has made an ongoing commitment to mentor and support the women she met, not only through advice, but through long-term guidance and connection. She hopes to continue walking beside them as they navigate what it means to reclaim agency, build confidence, and create a better future for themselves.
At Sahana, these stories are at the heart of everything. Every garment, every thread, every conversation is infused with purpose, not just to celebrate slow, conscious fashion, but to honour the strength and spirit of women everywhere.
Because when women are supported to believe in themselves — and given the space to rise — they don’t just change their own lives. They change the world around them.
