ABU DHABI An Indian housewife in Abu Dhabi is selling handmade terracotta jewellery to supplement the family income after her husband was diagnosed with blood cancer.
“Our life turned upside down when Sumesh was diagnosed with cancer and the responsibility of running the family fell on me. So I turned my hobby into a means of livelihood,” Lekshmi Sumesh, 29, from Kerala told XPRESS.
She said her husband Sumesh, 33, does not have a steady income. “Whatever little he had went to pay for his treatment at the Khalifa Medical City Hospital where he spent most of last year.”
If this was not bad enough, the couple’s six-year-old son, Trilok, has a physical disability.
“He lives with his grandparents back home and undergoes treatment. We were in a financial mess. I had to meet our living expenses, and fund my husband’s treatment besides sending money to India for my son’s physio-therapy. I knew how to make terracotta jewellery so I decided to make earrings, necklaces and bracelets and sell them to support my family,” recalls Lekshmi, who got her first set of customers from the hospital itself.
Brisk orders
Today, she has her own brand called ‘I Spot, Terracotta Jewels’, which she promotes through her Facebook page.
“The response has been fairly good. I get a few orders every week. People contact me from as far as Al Ain and Sharjah. I hope with time more people will learn about it and support my cause,” she said.
According to Lekshmi, a necklace costs Dh125, and a pair of earrings Dh30.
