Does the idea of trekking through picturesque hills, humming happy tunes, and bonding with fellow divorcees appeal to you? Imagine stepping off the bus, wandering through serene tea plantations, reaching the hilltop, and swaying to the soothing sounds of your newfound friends’ hymns of freedom. If that’s your idea of post-divorce bliss, it might be time to check out…divorce camp.
Healing, hiking, and hitting refresh
That blissful scenario we just painted is what you can expect from India’s first divorce camp, founded by Rafia Afi. Ms. Afi created the camp for women who are divorced, widowed, separated, or just in need of a graceful exit from their relationships.
The idea of getting divorced and maintaining your dignity may sound impossible to some, but Ms. Afi’s camp is here to prove otherwise.
It all started with Ms. Afi’s own divorce. Sharing her journey of healing and single parenting on social media, she quickly found a tribe of women who resonated with her story. She realized that many women going through divorce don’t have access to a support system, and that’s how her project Break Free Stories came to be: divorce healing camps designed to build a community of women who can connect, commiserate, and reclaim their lives.
Divorce can be beautiful…at least that’s what the divorce camp founder says
In India, divorce can carry a lot of baggage, including social stigma, side-eyes from relatives, and mountains of paperwork. Enter Rafia Afi’s divorce camp: a place where women can trade judgment for hiking boots, swap gossip for campfire songs, and maybe even get some legal advice along the way.
The camp’s approach is holistic, combining emotional healing and practical guidance. You get support from fellow divorcees and a crash course on how not to get tripped up in the legal maze.
Speaking of practical guidance, let’s talk stree-dhan. In India, stree-dhan is the property, gifts, and jewelry a woman receives during her lifetime — all hers, no questions asked. Yes, that means those shiny baubles from your wedding technically belong to you, not your soon-to-be ex.
Indian law is pretty clear: even if your ex or in-laws are holding onto your stree-dhan, they’re legally just trustees. If they try to keep it from you, they could face some serious consequences. So, it certainly pays to know your rights (and maybe keep a receipt or two).
More divorces, more divorced friends, more camp — but who’s counting?
From its first location in a tiny village in Kerala, Afi is looking to expand across India, bringing more singing, affirmations, and support to divorced and separated women rebuilding their lives. Meanwhile, in the good ol’ US of A, “divorce camp” might take on a slightly different flavor. Here, it might mean a gathering of legal professionals (family law attorneys like us) converging not to sing hymns of freedom or hike through tea plantations, but to attend conferences and workshops that make us better at our jobs.
So, not exactly what Ms. Afi brilliantly conceptualized.
That said, we’re still big fans of the idea. Divorce can hit hard, especially for women, though men aren’t off the hook when it comes to financial or emotional fallout. Sure, there are group meetings for divorcees in the US, but nothing quite compares to hopping on a bus to sip tea and hum tunes on an idyllic hillside, helping you forget the worries of being single once again, if only for a couple of days.
And if you’ve gone through multiple divorces like Liz Taylor or Zsa Zsa Gabor, just think of it this way: more divorces, more divorced friends, and more chances to go to divorce camp. It’s practically a loyalty program.
Related reading: Divorce trends we’d like to see normalized
For your family law case in Washington State, call LaGrandeur & Williams. And yes, we promise not to make you hike any hills, unless you want to. Consult our attorneys today!