Empowering Women

The Tailoring Training program provides women with vocational skills required to establish their own businesses and participate in the economic reconstruction of Iraq. The graduates of the program organize bazaars to showcase and sell items they created. The bazaars allow the women to profit from the products they have created, apply marketing and management skills they have learned in the training, engage in community outreach and further the empowerment of other women in their communities.

Around 60-80 women were trained in using a peanut butter machine so as to be able to increase their daily productivity over the manual methods earlier used. The women also learnt to package and market their peanut butter. This has helped many women gain confidence and achieve economic independence. For the first time, women have been able to afford their children’s school contribution and have inspired their husbands to support them by giving them land to grow peanuts.

Dharavi, the biggest slum in Asia in Mumbai, India: A CSR tie-up with Godrej initiated a beautician training centre in Dharavi in 2013 with 30 graduates. The trainings covered essential topics of beautician training, customer relationship, soft skills development and entrepreneurship and are conducted both in English and the local language. This center aims to train 240 women every year.

Graduates typically earn between INR 3000 to 5000 after the training creating a sense of self-esteem and confidence.

“Frankly speaking, I never thought I could start my own parlour. This training enabled me to do so and get financial independence. I am really glad I took this training” - Swati Sherkhane, mother of a two-year-old, started her own parlour.

“Working as a trainer to empower others has been the most fulfilling experience for me.” – Sandhya Gavali, a former student turned trainer who now supports her grandfather’s medical expenses.