Trees are the guardians of our natural world, the lungs of our planet and our biggest life-sustaining force.

It is our honor and delight, at the International Women’s Conference, to unveil Mission Green Earth 2020 as part of our sustained efforts to take care of our Mother Earth, the environment and our natural resources. We are committed to planting 5 million indigenous trees in harmony with nature and we invite you to join us on this beautiful journey to regreen our planet. We have created an exhibition to spread awareness and information about indigenous trees and how you can participate in this sacred mission to

Plant more trees and protect our planet.

Namastasyai - a tribute to our legendary foremothers

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar often says one of the qualities of a good leader is the ability to lead from behind. Our foremothers who walked shoulder to shoulder with our forefathers were living examples of this kind of leadership - of leading by example, caring for the people and placing the society, people or the cause before their own personal interests.   

The history of mankind is replete with tales of great women who, through their courage, wisdom, and compassion, have left an indelible mark in all fields of life including spirituality, government, scholarship, education, science, and even the battlefield.

We at the International Women's Conference invite you on this fascinating time travel to revisit the lives of some of the most inspirational she-heroes from around the world. The numerous ways in which they have made the world a better place continue to inspire us to this day.

Women’s Leadership Training Program (WLTP)

Rural Women Become Drivers of Change

With changing socioeconomic structures, rural communities in developing nations often have a list of critical needs. Some of these needs are very basic. Like education, sanitation, electricity, management of natural resources like water, soil and gainful employment opportunities, among many others. How can these communities be best supported to meet these needs?

The Art of Living works as a catalyst. Shifting mindset from a ‘want state’ to building capacities of rural youth to be ‘drivers of change’ themselves. We do this through our tailored workshops called The Youth Leadership Training Program (YLTP), awareness campaigns, resource-building exercises and by offering technical expertise to help communities become independent and empowered.

To bring more women in the pivotal roles, The Women’s Edition of the YLTP, called the Women’s Leadership Training Program (WLTP) was launched at the International Women’s Conference, 2020.

Offered to rural women between the ages of 18 to 45 194 women from 7 Indian states have already been trained in this module.

The module effectively touches upon relevant community issues including menstrual health and hygiene under the "Pavitra Project", and appraising them of their rights and privileges under various government schemes and laws for protection and empowerment of women.

The participants are also assisted with opportunities to gain financial independence like forming Self Help Groups in villages and venturing into micro-entrepreneurship through Sri Sri Tattva’s Micro Entrepreneurship Training Program (METP). De-Addiction programs, Sri Sri Sanskar Kendras for children. The module includes deaddiction programs where needed called "PRAN", lifestyle changes through yoga, meditation and right nutrition through locally sourced food and self-defense training. Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar aptly captures the essence of this program. “The role of women in the development of society is of the utmost importance. In fact, it is the only thing that determines whether a society is strong and harmonious, or otherwise. Women are the backbone of society.”

Enabling Women Farmers to Revolutionise Agriculture

The Art of Living’s International Association for Human Values (IAHV) team is proactively supporting women farmers to learn and adopt sustainable agricultural practices by launching the practical Jal Sakhi (Friend of Water) project. This initiative aims to create a cadre of village-level women leaders, who will take the lead in managing and conserving water resources as well as collaborate together to ensure the holistic development of their villages.

They aim to dig wells in the villages, desilt ponds, build check dams and loosen boulder structures alongside the community. The intention is to also create soak pits, install and repair hand pumps, practice and promote natural farming, develop rainwater harvesting as well as form cooperatives for selling the harvested organic produce and much more.

“Becoming a Jal Sakhi has been an empowering process for me. I feel confident! I can now meet government officials and village elders without hesitation and raise and share our concern,” says Sumita Devi of Ormanjhi Block, Ranchi, Jharkhand. 

As part of the initiative, Jal Sakhis are constituting informal committees in their villages called Jal Jaivik Kheti Samuh/water and natural farming councils, which are a platform to link women together regarding important agricultural issues. The objective is to increase women’s participation in decision-making, in particular, with reference to water, soil, and livelihood related issues in the region.

The IAHV team is building the participants' capacities by providing regular training on topics ranging from broad themes such as water conservation, natural farming, and water literacy as well as norms and guidelines of the government’s ongoing schemes, to more skill-oriented sessions such as preparing village water security plans, managing water resources, promoting natural farming and repairing hand pumps.

The pilot project has been launched in 50 villages of Ranchi district in Jharkhand, India and is supported by Welthungerhilfe.

The International Women’s Conference 2020 presented a special limited edition book titled You Matter. It creatively introduced readers to many of the past delegates and brought to the fore interesting and inspiring facts about them. Since the delegates create the heart and soul of each conference, knowing their background stories and understanding where they are coming from, is in itself a wonderful journey.

In the book, the delegates share their bravest moments, their biggest milestones and which causes are closest to their hearts.

The book also acquainted readers with some of the initiatives that had taken center stage at the current conference such as Mission Green Earth 2020. Furthermore, it takes them through a quick virtual tour of the Ashram Campus as well as it’s many green initiatives that make it a sustainable and biodiverse ecosystem. Certain measures started and were now being implemented by the Campus at length, such as the permaculture farm, the use of natural sources of energy, organic farming, and waste management, which are also highlighted in the book.

As a bonus, You Matter also showcases selected snippets of the dynamic cultural programs that have been presented over the past eight conferences as well as offering readers ten delectable and energizing ayurvedic recipes.