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WOMEN EMPOWERMENT FOR NATION BUILDING

WHY WOMEN EMPOWERMENT

  • Over the past decade, gender equality has been recognized as crucial not only to the health of nations but also to their social and economic development. The promotion of gender equality and empowering of women is a key aspect of UNDP’s Sustainable Development Goals. While showing improvement from previous years, India still ranks 136 in 145 countries as per the Global Gender Gap Index Report 2022.
  • A community, society, and country prosper when its women and girls are empowered. Giving women and girls the liberty and opportunity to have an education, be self-sufficient and financially independent, get the right healthcare, and have a say in decision-making at home and outside the home is beneficial for society. Even as we are witnessing women rising to the topmost political, bureaucratic, banking, and corporate positions, gender bias still prevents girls and women from rising to their highest potential.

WHAT WE DO

  • Smile Foundation launched its women empowerment programme in 2005 to reach out to marginalised and socially-excluded women and adolescent girls. The aim since then has been to capacitate them through innovative community practices, support them in education and livelihood, development of life skills, empower them to seek healthcare and bring sustainable changes in the community, and also engage men and boys in creating a gender-equal society.
  • Smile Foundation’s aim has been to address the concern through a simple but effective approach involving the community. Through innovative community practices, the programme seeks to make the marginalised and socially-excluded women and adolescent girls realise their inner strength and individual and collective self-esteem.
  • The programme aims to enhance their access to basic healthcare, nutrition, and knowledge about the different government schemes and bring an overall improvement in the quality of their lives. Potential women entrepreneurs are identified and supported with dedicated programmes to build an ecosystem for them to progress and excel.

our intervention

impact on ground

72,000+

women & adolescent girls empowered

1000+

change agents, peer educators, community health volunteers

changes that inspire us

STORIES OF CHANGE

MAMPI

Like many in my community, we depend solely on my father’s earnings. He is a daily wage earner and works in a marble factory.

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ANAM

Education is sacred for us. Many of our parents haven’t stepped in a school. Hundreds of boys and girls who starve

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MILI

There are many girls in my locality who have never got a chance to go to school. When your family struggles for basic needs 

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UPDATES

Exposure visit conducted for Swabhiman Scholars

An exposure visit1 was organized for Swabhiman scholars on the 

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Group meeting for men conducted under Swabhiman programme

A meeting of the male members of the society

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Self defense workshop conducted for girls

A self defense training camp was conducted for the girls of Shri Ram

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LINKS YOU MAY FIND USEFUL

Support Women & Girls

Read More On The Smile Blog

Other Fields Of Change

MAMPI

“Like many in my community, we depend solely on my father’s earnings. He is a daily wage earner and works in a marble factory. We live in a rented accommodation and the rent is so high, that it leaves very little to meet monthly expenses let alone pay for schooling. During the lockdown, he was not paid for a few months as everything had shut down. When things got a little better, he got his job back. But it is still not easy to meet daily needs. Just living is expensive.

 

The pandemic has taught us to see the world differently! And become a little more stronger from within.”

Mampi Das

-Mampi is a recipient of Smile Foundation’s Swabhiman Scholarship to pursue higher education.

Anam

“Education is sacred for us. Many of our parents haven’t stepped in a school. Hundreds of boys and girls who starve for knowledge, struggle through many hardships and challenges. But they do not want to give up on learning.

I feel every child in my slum deserves a chance to grow up, be able to read and write, and become doctors, engineers and teachers. Every evening, after my college, I teach students who are first in their families to be getting an education. I just want to give these children all the knowledge that I have by teaching them the way I was taught by my hard-working teachers.”

-Anam

(Anam has received merit-based scholarship under Smile Foundation’s Swabhiman programme to pursue higher studies. We congratulate her and thank her for choosing to teach children in her locality.)

MILI

There are many girls in my locality who have never got a chance to go to school. When your family struggles for basic needs every day, education no more remains a priority. This was my story too. I, along with my siblings, spent most of my time at home. When my parents learnt about a free school in the locality, they enrolled all of us there. Truly, I had no interest in studies. I ignored the lessons taught and often skipped classes. Regardless of all these, my teachers never gave up on me.

They started giving me responsibilities – made me participate in all kinds of co-curricular activities and made me organise school events. I never knew when it happened, but I started to enjoy being at school and started to enjoy learning. When I was ranked among the highest scorers in class 8, my parents were the happiest! I am currently pursuing my graduation and hope to make my parents and teachers even more proud with my endeavours.”

Mili

(Mili is a recipient of Smile Foundation’s Swabhiman Scholarship, that is helping her continue her education.)