“I can’t compare Blue Mango to any other working place. This is my first job.
All I know is that at Blue Mango you feel loved.” -Amutha


“My husband died of AIDS. My youngest daughter and I are infected. I think about which of us will die first. My daughter is a teenager now, and she cries about the fact that she won’t be able to get married. I love Blue Mango because I can laugh, make friends and temporarily forget my worries. Blue Mango is family to me.” -Kuttirani


“Nobody can believe that I can earn money. I wasted my whole life uselessly sitting in the house day in and day out, just because I am disabled. Look at me now! “ -Manimehala


“What I like about Blue Mango is the new savings program. It means that when I get older, I won’t be vulnerable. The fact that I can stand on my own two feet makes me proud and happy.” -Sushila


“I am a widow. Because of Blue Mango, I am able to raise my children on my own. My son is studying engineering, my daughter is top of her class. I can buy new clothes for them during festival seasons, we eat well. I don’t have to depend on my father, I don’t have to depend on my brothers, I won’t have to depend on my son. I have pension, savings and does that ever feel good! My neighbors say ‘not bad not bad’. They have never seen an independent widow before!” -Rajakumari


I was married at age seventeen. After five years, my husband died of AIDS. Now I have AIDS but my two daughters don’t. For this, I say ‘Thank You’ to God everyday.” -Nageswari


Why Blue Mango? Because we provide a safe haven for widows. They take courage from each other even though the larger society often alienates and shuns them.


Why Blue Mango? Many of our widows are also HIV positive. Imagine having to live with this double blow. Sometimes their children also carry the virus.


Why Blue Mango? We invite those with disabilities to join. In the not so distant past, families used to hide individuals with disabilities. The fear was that the able bodied siblings wouldn’t procure a good marriage if the truth were known. Even though this is changing, some of these attitudes still persist.


The kind of transformation that we see in some women after some months at Blue Mango is astounding. Muthu ( name changed) is paralyzed from her waist down. She used to crawl under a table and hide all day. Today she chatters with her friends, and puts ribbons in her hair.


Why Blue Mango?
Women who are broken start to heal.
Women who have no belief in themselves start to gain confidence.
Women who look scared and vulnerable start to loosen up and laugh.
Women who are dependent on irresponsible and abusive men start to take charge of their own futures.
THIS is why Blue Mango exists.


Blue Mango offers a supportive infrastructure to marginalized women
, enabling them to gain financial stability and emotional self reliance.


Blue Mango gives priority to:


  • HIV Affected Women
  • Widows
  • Abandoned Women
  • Physically Disabled Women
  • Victims of Domestic Abuse
  • Impoverished Women

Blue Mango provides:


  • Pleasant Working Conditions
  • Free Training
  • Product Design
  • Sourcing of Materials
  • Marketing

Although donations have been gratefully received for construction and capitol expenses, on a day to day basis, Blue Mango is fully self-sufficient. The women develop self-confidence as their products are successfully marketed to high end boutiques within India and to Fair Trade Organizations abroad.


Product design is done backwards. Instead of first designing a product and then hiring trained women for production, Blue Mango first accepts women regardless of education or experience. Free training is provided and beautiful products are designed which the women produce to the market’s highest standard.


Blue Mango runs by Fair Trade principles and Social Business standards. Profits are reinvested into the program enhancing the women’s lives. Benefits made possible by the women’s hard work include:


  • Financial Incentives for Long Term Savings
  • Pension
  • Bonuses based on Profits and Productivity
  • Free Primary Health Care
  • Highly Subsidized Noon Meals
  • Child Care
  • Free Transport to and from Blue Mango
  • Annual Tour
  • Legal Aid
  • Tuition Free Admission to Nirmala School for Blue Mango Children

As Blue Mango develops, the women themselves are taking a more active role in the business. We hope that they will not only embrace the vision, but help to form the vision. The concept of ownership is fundamentally embedded in the ethos of Blue Mango.


We have grown from 4 women to 65 women. The only persons we have hired from the outside include an elderly gentleman accountant, a disabled accountant assistant, our van driver, and the head cook. Today, senior women who had started as trainees include:


  • Rajakumari - Supervisor of Blue Mango
  • Kalavathi – Manager of the Beading Department
  • Nagarathinam – Packing, Tagging, and Organizing Products
  • Surliamma – Sewing Trainer
  • Leela – Quality Control
  • Parimala – Bead Design Assistant
  • Aarathy – Stitching Design Assistant
  • Panchavaranum – Head of Cutting
  • Pichamani – Cook Assistant/Head of Maintenance
  • Bothimani/Ponnathai – Child Care


We have regular group meetings to help the newer women bond into the Blue Mango family. We hope many of them will grow into leadership positions.