 Ruanthi, not her real name, left an abusive marriage and became a successful entrepreneur and role model for other girls and women who seek a life of dignity. Like many other young women in Sri Lanka, Ruanthi married a man of her choice when she was 18. Her parents did not approve. Ruanthi's husband turned out to be physically and emotionally abusive. But Ruanthi remained faithful to him and to her wedding vows. Ruanthi sought comfort in work and launched a small dressmaking business to help keep her mind off her troubles. When her daughter was born, though, Ruanthi faced the truth. Her husband would never change. She left her husband and filed for divorce. Ruanthi's brave decision to improve her life circumstances opened up a new set of problems for her as she was mocked by her community for what she had done. Her future was looking very bleak when someone pointed her toward the women's development center. The WDC offered her counseling, which helped her to regain some hope for the future and some joy of life. It also offered her the chance to take part in self-employment training programs. Her participation in those programs led her to being invited to join the Kandy District Women Entrepreneurs Association, which was established as part of the Girls Inspire Project. Through the association, she learned new skills and regained her self-confidence and self-belief. She also learned that she was not alone. These days, Ruanthi continues to take every opportunity to learn that comes her way, and she is also giving back by training girls and women to sew bags. If you ask her what her greatest achievement is, she's very likely to say that it is how proud her daughter feels about her accomplishments.