From March to April 2021, rural Indian women in informal jobs accounted for 80% of job losses (Financial Express). The Desai Foundation is working to rebuild and empower the lives of women in rural India by equipping women with skills and engaging them in the workforce so they can independently provide for themselves and their families, cultivating confidence and dignity.
We have multiple programs that enhance the capacity and employability of disadvantaged women and girls; enhance the income generation opportunities and sustainable livelihoods of disadvantaged women and girls through skills training on Sewing, Beautician skills, Candle and Diya Making, Jewelry Making, Computer Classes, and Entrepreneurship Development; and ensure the ability to generate income to sustainable livelihood for the less fortunate women and through vocation skill training.
The Heroes for Humanity program, initially launched in 2021 as a COIVD disaster relief initiative, has since adapted to deliver the Desai Foundation’s regular programming, including health screenings and camps, menstrual health education, vocational skill training, and more. Heroes, primarily women, are employed to work in their rural communities as agents of hope and change. They themselves earn a livelihood while promoting programs that provide opportunities for others to earn a livelihood.
This program has reached over 3 million individuals to date throughout 8 states in India. In the last three months alone, more than 4,830 individuals have engaged in computer courses, sewing workshops, beauty parlor training, candle and diya making, jewelry making, and more. Beneficiaries also receive training workshops on entrepreneurship and vocational skills training.
Family members of participating beneficiaries also benefit indirectly through the generation of new income to their households. Indirect beneficiaries amounted to over 2.5 million in the last 3 months. As more people become aware of vocational training and its importance, employment abilities expand, and the economic conditions rise in the region and the nation.
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During COVID, The Desai Foundation launched the Heroes for Humanity program which allows us to impact the lives of thousands of people with food, supplies, COVID testing, access to medical interventions, and much more. This program serves the most rural communities which are radically underserved and typically overlooked.
Through Heroes for Humanity and our vocational programs, we seek to empower disadvantaged women and adolescent girls by improving their knowledge, capabilities, and skills, and providing them with opportunities to secure livelihoods and generate income for their families.
In 2021-2022, we have been able to employ, train, and deploy over 500 individuals as Heroes which equates to more than 16.3M rupees paid as salaries to rural Indian women. Through the deployment of our Heroes in their communities, we were able to impact over 2 million individuals throughout 8 states in India reaching nearly 2,500 villages.
In addition, during the same period, 1,885 women have been taught to sew, 1,577 were taught computer skills, and 6,428 have been trained in vocational skills.
To ensure professional growth and development, we offer continued training to all Heroes including:
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Since launching this campaign in February 2021, the Desai Foundation has continued to operate our Asani Sanitary Napkin, but in the wake of the second, more deadly surge of COVID in India, we have shifted our on-the-ground work to provide relief to rural villages for COVID, specifically with a focus on uplifting women and girls throughout the pandemic, and setting them up for long-term success once this crisis has abated.
Our programs empower women and girls to learn new skills, improve their economic/social conditions, and challenge cultural stigmas. This work is more important now than ever, as the status and opportunities of women and girls in India are under threat of reverting back several decades’ worth of progress, as communities work to rebuild.
The COVID relief we are currently performing that impacts women and girls in rural India include:
The Desai Foundation remains committed to serving the over 1,400 rural communities we serve in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu.
We continue to realize the burden that is disproportionately placed on women in rural India as a result of COVID. We are in touch with the hundreds of thousands of women we serve trying to support them in any way we can. In order to combat the inequities faced by these women, we are providing relief to rural villages for COVID, specifically with a focus on uplifting women and girls throughout the pandemic, and setting them up for long-term success once this crisis has abated.
In 2021, the Desai Foundation launched our Heroes for Humanity program that allows us to impact the lives of thousands more people with food, supplies, COVID testing, access to medical interventions, and so much more in the most rural communities - which are radically underserved and overlooked. The program also economically empowers 500 families - aligning perfectly with our philosophy of bringing both urgent solutions in a time of crisis, while building long-term sustainable programming to support communities.
We are incredibly proud to have reached over 4 MILLION beneficiaries, across our 8 target states, serving rural communities in need. In 2022 we have been able to employ 410 Heroes that have worked more than 6 months, which includes more than 12.9M rupees have been paid as salaries to rural Indian women
To ensure professional growth and development, we offer continued training to all Heroes including:
The Desai Foundation remains committed to serving the over 1,400 rural communities we serve in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu.
We continue to realize the burden that disproportionately placed on women in rural Indian as a result of COVID. We are in touch with the hundreds of thousands of women we serve trying to support them in any way we can. In order to combat the inequities faced by these women, we are providing relief to rural villages for COVID, specifically with a focus on uplifting women and girls throughout the pandemic, and setting them up for long-term success once this crisis has abated.
In 2021, the Desai Foundation launched our Heroes for Humanity program that allows us to impact the lives of thousands more people with food, supplies, COVID testing, access to medical interventions, and so much more in the most rural communities - which are radically underserved and overlooked. The program also economically empowers 500 families - aligning perfectly with our philosophy of bringing both urgent solutions in a time of crisis, while building long term sustainable programming to support communities.
We are incredibly proud having reached over 4 MILLION beneficiaries, across our 7 target states, serving rural communities in need. Over the last 6 months, we are thrilled to have onboarded 541 Heroes and 429 Heroes that have worked more than 3 months, which includes more than 6.1M rupees have been paid as salaries to rural Indian women
To ensure professional growth and development, we offer continued training to all Heroes including:
Links:
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