Challenge

Gender inequality, traditional mindsets of the community

Strategy

Galvanizing masses towards collective action & conducting skill-training for women

Outreach

111,000+ women trained in vocational training

 

Overview       Strategy      Impact      Stories

Overview

Like in many developing countries, change at the grassroots is slow while the challenges abound. A girl child is seen as a liability, giving an impetus to practices such as selective gender abortion and marriage of the girl child. Educating a girl child is given a lower priority as she is considered to take on the role of a homemaker after marriage. Those women who want to engage in economic activities face further roadblocks in learning a skill or getting funding to start their micro-venture.

Nevertheless, the relentless efforts of agencies, individuals, and progressive thinkers have resulted in several changes. When seen together, these little drops of progress is changing the socio-economic landscape of thousands of women across India.

The Art of Living is passionate about empowering women and making them self-reliant. Our approach to empowerment is driven by several parameters:

  • A change in mindset: Our awareness and sensitization campaigns have positively changed mindsets and have brought 1 million to pledge to protect the girl child in the past.
  • Better access to health: We’ve organized medical camps for disadvantaged women both in rural and urban areas.
  • Provision of training: Our central approach to women empowerment is providing life-skill, trauma-relief, knowledge and skill development training.
  • Providing a support system: A strong sense of community that develops with our training programs works as a support system throughout a woman’s journey towards self-dependence and after.

WOMEN EMPOWERMENT

 

Help women rise

You can help secure livelihood for disadvantaged women

Frankly speaking, I never thought I could start my own parlor. This training enabled me to do so and get financial independence. I am really glad I took this training.”

- Swati Sherkhane, a mother of a two-year-old, graduate of beautician training center, Dharavi, Mumbai

 
1,11000+ women trained in vocational skills, raising their self-confidence and household income

The role of women in the development of society is of utmost importance. Infact, it is the only thing that determines whether a society is strong and harmonious, or otherwise. Women are the backbone of society.

- Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Strategy

Our strategy includes:

Strengthening the individual: Providing tools and techniques to reduce individual stress, strengthen them from within and helping them build self-confidence.

Tapping into the community: Creating a sense of community spirit to face similar challenges as a team rather than individually. Building platforms to exchange thoughts and collaborate and give women a more powerful voice.

Helping women become self-reliant: Encouraging women to find practical solutions to their challenges, become selfdependent. We are training rural women in different skills like stitching, cutting, embroidery, beadwork, for jute bags and Agarbatti i.e. incense stick rolling

Educating people against the practice of sex selection and female foeticide in India, through campaigns like The Girl Child Campaign 2013 and The Act Now Campaign 2014.

Increasing awareness against malpractices: Educating people against the practice of sex selection and female foeticide in India, through campaigns like The Girl Child Campaign 2013 and The Act Now Campaign 2014.

Our strategy includes:

with special tools and techniques

Tapping into the community

 

by providing training in different skills

Female foeticide awareness

Empowering women - a talk by Gurudev

Impact

Over 1 million pledged

to protect the girl child

 

100,000+ people sensitized

against gender tests

 

150,000 people sensitized

against child marriage in Bihar

 

111,000 rural women

trained in vocational skills

71,051+ adolescent girls

trained in menstrual health and hygiene

 

623 Self-Help Groups

(SHGs) formed

 

110,000+ smokeless chulhas

distributed by 62 women entrepreneurs

 

Regular medical camps

for sex workers in Sonagachi, Asia’s largest red-light area

Featured stories

A multi-faceted approach to social initiatives has saved many lives,lit many smiles, and helped communities experience progress. Every piece of service work is created with dedicated analysis, thoughtful care - keeping humaneness in the forefront.

A multi-faceted approach to social initiatives has saved many lives, lit many smiles, and helped communities experience progress. Every piece of service work is created with dedicated analysis, thoughtful care - keeping humaneness in the forefront.

Contact Us

info@projects.artofliving.org+91 80 67433684

 
The Art of Living International Center, 21st Km, Kanakpura Road, Udayapura, Bangalore South, Karnataka, India 560082