Tabby’s employs women affected with HIV to create stuffed animals out of bright and colorful saris. Yet when COVID hit India in May of 2020, Tabby’s pivoted their business model to creating and distributing masks to the vulnerable.

The women of Tabby’s completed the final production of the masks for this project during the first quarter of 2022. As of March 31st, 70,045 masks have been completed and 49,957 have been distributed. It is their goal to distribute the remaining inventory of 20,088 masks during the 2nd quarter of 2022.

A part of their ability to do this was your generosity of raising $30,000 when this crisis hit. But the bigger story is the women who made the masks. Meet one of these amazing women below.

Sunitha is one of their most faithful and joyful workers at Tabby’s. Her home life is very difficult. Her husband, who contracted HIV and passed it on to her, is still living. He is in poor health and does not work and is an alcoholic. She has two teenage daughters and cares for her mother-in-law, who is bed-ridden. She has also struggled with several health issues, in addition to her HIV. Even with such a heavy burden, Sunitha is joyful and loving to all she meets. This quarter, more than 700 masks were distributed by Sunitha in her own neighborhood and nearby slum areas.

Learn more about Tabby’s here.