How SocialStory celebrated International Women’s Week – the top stories of the week
This week, SocialStory witnessed a number of women-led and women-run non-profits and NGOs that have been uplifting and empowering women.
From Jasmine Bala to Selvarani Rajaratnam, SocialStory celebrated women in the social impact space, during the International Women’s Week 2021.
While Jasmine started Project Balika to empower millions of girls with school education, Selvarani from Trichy started the Sri Selliah Memorial Special School for Intellectually Disabled Children.
Meanwhile, a mother-daughter-granddaughter trio is empowering artisans to become more independent financially through their knitting initiative.
Here are the top Social Stories of the week:
How this woman is bringing millions of girls back to the classroom
Jasmine Bala with the students in the Project Balika programme.
Jasmine Bala first came to Malwani, Mumbai as a Teach for India Fellow from Brown University to work in a school teaching seventh graders. She said there was a deep-rooted value system of inequality between boys and girls. There was a social perception of girls being better suited to household chores rather than careers outside the home.
She went from door to door, convincing parents to send their girls to school, and sought help from community influencers and older women to help her in my quest. This effort evolved into Project Balika, a dream to bring millions of girls back to the classroom benches, which now has a team of more than 150 volunteers.
Building employment and entrepreneurship opportunities in Odisha
The Swabalambee Foundation is building entrepreneurship in Odisha to provide more employment opportunities in the state
Odisha is known for its rich mineral resources, forest reserves, and agricultural output. Yet, the absence of local processing units means there is no value addition at the next level in the production chain, and the bulk of these natural resources are either underutilised or undervalued when sold to middlemen.
Distressed by this gap, decided to build a solution that would enable employers and industries across Odisha to employ local youths. Through his Swabalambee Foundation, he started the Atal Atmanirbhar Sahayak Kendra (AASK) to provide the much-needed employment for improving the economic situation of the state’s most marginalised communities.
How three generations of women are empowering over 30 artisans
WLFG's products
Founded in 2018, With Love, From Granny (W.L.F.G.) is a women-led social enterprise that was started by three generations of women — Asha Puri (the grandmother), Neeru Sondhi (Asha’s daughter), and Kritika Sondhi (Asha’s granddaughter).
The Delhi-NCR-based startup is involved in producing and selling hand knit, crochet, and Macramé products. The startup — bootstrapped with Rs 3.3 lakh — was launched with the idea to promote and revive knitting — an underrated and underpaid skill. It has now diversified into related product lines.
Making life meaningful for intellectually-disabled children in Trichy
Selvarani Rajaratnam
Selvarani Rajaratnam from Trichy, felt distressed a seeing the helplessness of a 16-year-old intellectually disabled girl, and felt the urge to do something. So in 2009, she set up the Sri Selliah Memorial Special School for Intellectually Disabled Children, and enrolled the girl as one of the first students.
Selvarani runs the school with the help of two educators who have specialised in Special Education, one physiotherapist, two trained teachers who work part time doing admin work as well, a programme officer, a coordinator, a caretaker, two helpers or aayas who help the students in personal hygiene, since the children are dependent on others for it.
Anahad foundation is empowering over 5,000 Indian folk musicians
During the shoot of one of the videos
Indian folk artists — with their rustic music, dances, and numerous instruments — have been an integral part of the country’s rich heritage. While many have tried to give Indian folk music a modern twist, in the 21st century, its impact and reach is getting diminished. However, all is not lost.
Anahad Foundation is working towards bringing back folk artists to the spotlight. The Delhi-based organisation helps in the conservation and preservation of the evolution of folk music by empowering folk artists across India with free production technology, providing legal awareness, thereby making them self-dependent.
Edited by Kanishk Singh
