THE NEED
In India, gender disparities such as lack of schooling, gender-based violence, forced drop-outs, early marriages and constraints on mobility continue to be widespread. The unequal norms faced by women deny them their right to participation in the workforce along with economic independence. Female workforce participation rate (WPR) in India stands at 31.8%, which is almost half of the male WPR at 73.2%. According to a Mckinsey Global Institute study, India could boost its GDP by $2.9 trillion by 2025 if female workforce participation rate is improved by 10 percentage points.
SOLUTION
Saksham supports women and young girls from low income communities with the impetus they need to be financially independent. This includes:
Awareness sessions are conducted on basics of financial literacy including banking, budgeting, savings and short and long term investments. The women are also introduced to various government schemes that are available for them.
The women are helped enroll in vocational skills training courses based on their aptitude and interest. They are also provided soft skills training to improve job readiness. This includes resume writing, interview skills, telephone etiquette, English communication and others.
Women who have the potential to be entrepreneurs are supported through tool kits and financial support to kickstart and grow their ventures. This may include raw material, infrastructure, start up funds, market linkages and other support.
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Project Saksham was launched on 2nd May 2019 at the Bloomberg office with an orientation and introduction by the UWM team. At the launch, a session on ‘Public Speaking and Self-Confidence’ was organized by Bloomberg, followed by a discussion on challenges such as fear, lack of self-confidence and the flow and duration of speeches.
