By Emily Parkes | Programme Officer
Dear All,
Work has begun on the launch of this exciting new project with Reaching Hand!
The first stage: Reaching Out has been a great success. We have targeted low-income families from poorer communities of Bangalore. Most of the women we met with are domestic workers who earn very little and do not have any kind of financial security. All can speak basic English and are able to communicate in Kannada, the local language. Through this initiative, the women shall have the opportunity to contribute significantly to the income of their households with an average wage of Rs. 8000-12000 per month. This opportunity will have far reaching benefits to the women’s children and family, as increased income to the household will enhance standard of living of all members. The women will be provided with the necessary and relevant skills to take into life; enhancing independence and employability. We have met with various groups of women who are in need of stable employment, and discussed their needs and opinions about taking part in the driver’s training. Met with much excitement, we have over 30 women who want to be involved in our first batch of training!
The Road Ahead…
The next stage in this project is forming partnerships to facilitate the appropriate training for each woman. Reaching Hand shall be working with a driver’s training centre to provide the driving course over 3 months. Once completed the women will have their own driver’s license. Along with the drivers training they shall also be intensively trained on how to:
1. Administer First Aid – by partnering with medical institutions and volunteering medical intern students, the women shall be trained on how to deal with medical emergencies and give first aid.
2. Develop language and communication skills – Reach volunteers will teach soft skills and English speaking skills to the women in classes.
3. Ensure Safety – Reach volunteers and self-defence trainers will teach the women the correct self-defence and safety measures to take for themselves and their passengers, in case of an emergency. Also, they will be taught to use a GPS mapping system fitted within the cars.
A Call for Support
We would like to say a huge thank you for donating towards the empowerment of our women, and being a part of this exciting initiative that will encourage their integration into the wider workforce and society.
The Government of Karnataka is planning to start the taxi services for the women by the women hence we are holding on to this project as of now and will be officially launching this project in the month of August once we get the nod from the Government & corporate partners otherwise it would be very difficult on our part to sustain this project.
Thank you for supporting us,
Reaching Hand Team
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