Indian worker Girija had never had a passport or stepped on a plane. The primary breadwinner of her family for over 20 years, the 55-year-old managed to save enough money to take the first trip of her life to Dubai. She is part of a group of 15 low-income women who have travelled from the southern Indian state of Kerala to the UAE on their maiden international trip.

“I never imagined that the first time I stepped foot on a plane would be to Dubai,” she told while exploring the city's famous Miracle Garden. “In December, when I learnt of this trip, I knew I wanted to come. I applied for my passport on an emergency basis and got it within two weeks. This is the city we used to see on TV and read about in the newspapers. I still pinch myself to see if I am dreaming or not. This miracle garden is one of the most beautiful things I have seen in my life.”

Girija and her fellow travellers are members of the poverty-eradication Kudumbashree programme by the government of Kerala. For over 20 years, the programme has been empowering women with limited resources and education to earn their livelihoods. Earning between Dh1000 to Dh2000 a month, these women have been able to transform their lives with the programme. A joint campaign by Indian tour agency Travel with Jas and Dubai-based Smart Travels has helped make this dream trip a reality for these women.

“When we were approached with the idea, we knew that we had to do something to make this trip as enjoyable for these women as possible,” said Safeer Mahamood, general manager of Smart Travels. “We have designed a custom tour package that covers almost all the major tourist destinations in Dubai and Abu Dhabi and we have absorbed most of the cost as part of our CSR (corporate social responsibility) initiative.”

Accompanying Girija is 54-year-old grandmother Usha, who has been heading a Kudumbashree unit manufacturing homemade weaning food for almost 15 nurseries around her area. “For more than 24 years, I have used this income for educating my children, building a house and getting my daughter married,” she said. “Now, I am able to save some money so that I can travel the world.”

Usha said her grandchildren are already aspiring to be like her. “I have shown them photos from here and have done video calls,” she said. “They are saying they also want to grow up and travel like me. Until last year, most of the women in our group had not travelled outside of our little town. Today we are in Dubai. I hope more women are inspired by what we do and begin enjoying their lives.”

Jasmine Begum, who heads Travel with Jas, said she was impressed by the determination of the women. “Many of them have spent their entire lives earning for their families,” she said. “When I floated the idea of a Dubai trip, they were very enthusiastic to come. Unfortunately, due to passport issues and last-minute planning, only 15 women were able to come this year. Next year we are hoping more women can join.”

Girija, who has been helming her catering service unit through the Kudumbashree programme, made time for the trip in between a packed schedule. During the first week of February, her unit is catering for the wedding of a Kerala state minister’s son. “I knew that such an opportunity would not come every day, so I got my team to complete the preparations for the event,” she said. “I am hoping to get back in time for the big day.”

She added that the challenge of catering to a high-profile wedding is nothing compared to what she faced during Covid. “At the start of the pandemic, we were approached by the local authorities to cook food for 1500 people staying in quarantine centres, three times a day for months,” she recalled. “All the big caterers had refused. We had never taken on such a big order, but we said yes. We figured things out along the way. It was a life-changing experience for us.”