Launched second phase of ‘School of Hope and Empowerment’ project in association with The Better India; Increased operations in the states of Bihar and Odisha
MUMBAI, Tata Communications, a global digital ecosystem enabler, today launched the second phase of its ‘School of Hope and Empowerment’ (SHE) project. It aims to provide 5 million women in the states of Bihar and Odisha in India by 2024 with entrepreneurship education and business guidance.
The first phase of the project empowers women through an awareness series and empowers them by providing them with adequate knowledge and skills to set up and manage businesses independently, so that all women have access to quality useful knowledge.
Adesh Goyal, Chief Human Resources Officer, Tata Communications said, “The first phase of the School of Hope and Empowerment project empowers women in Jharkhand and enables them to play a leading role in their families and communities.
In the second phase, we are now launching this project with 10X, i.e. 10 times more operations, to help women in the states of Bihar and Odisha in India. Through this project we will bridge the gap in rural and women development by increasing accessibility to self-powered learning modules, local support ecosystems and micro communities.”
The first phase of the project was launched at the 2021 UNESCO World Conference, which has far exceeded its target and provided entrepreneurship education to more than 1 million women in the state of Jharkhand in just 1 year, ahead of the 3-year deadline.
The women empowered through this project are a symbol of adventure and confidence, successfully overcoming structural barriers, including gender norms, family obligations, financial constraints, social pressures.
As a multi-media, multi-stakeholder impact communication initiative, the project has been created in association between Tata Communications and The Better India, which aims to support and raise awareness and educate women from rural areas of India.
As stated in the Tata Communications Sustainable Development Report 2022, when we carry out our environmental, social and governance (ESG) activities effectively and the policies and practices of these operations are aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), we achieve positive results. It is possible and based on that sustainability arises.
The School of Hope and Empowerment project is aligned with UN SDG No. 5 (Gender Equality) and No. 8 (Economic Growth). This empowers youth and rural communities (especially women) economically and socially through employment-oriented, entrepreneurship and life skills training, which increases access to resources, new technology and financial services, to support them to contribute actively to the economy.
To celebrate and applaud the success of the first phase of the project, both partners have released an educational video series featuring stories of real women entrepreneurs. One such story is that of Kalavati Kumari. He is a resident of Kurumdegi village in Simdega district of Jharkhand.
Kalavati, a beneficiary of the project, received a business grant to set up a flour mill, from which he now manages his own fund. He has established and developed relationships with his customers and operates flour mills.
“The workshop provided training on topics like bookkeeping, customer relationship management, monitoring expenses and explaining the importance of savings,” Kalavati said.