Enabling empowerment of women hailing from rural, underprivileged, and marginalized communities, is a key socio-developmental focus of Vedanta. We have undertaken significant initiatives centred around livelihood, literacy and health, through creation of Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and other support structures, which provides the women with social and financial safety.
Subhalaxmi Co-op Society
With over 4000 members and presence in over 70 villages of Jharsuguda (Odisha), Subhalaxmi Co-operative society is one of the largest women’s co-operatives in the country. Supported by us, this co-op is engaged in promoting sustainable livelihood opportunities among rural women, creating avenues for entrepreneurship through skill development and providing financial assistance to the members for furthering their livelihood. Besides helping dedicated entrepreneurs avail higher loan amounts for procuring machinery, raw material support, market linkage and access to specialized trainings, Subhalaxmi has also created a welfare fund which supports the women members during critical phases in their lives like pregnancy, matriculation of children, death in the family and so on. Over the past decade Subhalaxmi has also evolved to become a social change-agent, undertaking various significant campaigns like financial inclusion and social empowerment of women, Swachh Bharat drives, awareness against open-defecation, promotion of girl child’s education and safety, and many more.
Sakhi
Project Sakhi aims to enable rural women by fostering avenues of micro-entrepreneurship, thereby enhancing their social and economic status in the community. It is a holistic program of micro-enterprise covering crucial aspects of self-employment, capacity-building, leadership, and empowerment. With footprint in 44 villages of Lanjigarh, the project is being executed through the Shaktimayee Foundation, which acts as the apex institution for over 300 SHGs from the region. Currently, more than 3,000 rural women are engaged in various farming and non-farming income generation activities, aided by microfinance services by Shaktimayee Foundation. We have also developed a facilitation centre called Sashakti Suvidha Kendra, which is helping the women market their products better for enhanced income.
Unnati
Project Unnati aims to enable underprivileged rural women to make use of the choices, opportunities, and spaces available to them in the economic, social and political spheres. Through this project, we assist these women in creating an effective framework of self-help groups and federations that will enable them to access micro-finance services, engage in remunerative and sustainable livelihood activities, and empower them economically and socially. The project is currently being run at Korba, Kawardha, Mainpat and Chotia regions of Chhattisgarh.
