Empowering
Dreams
Young women with high aspirations but low resources, and a weak educational foundation, who come from OBC or minority communities. But they need higher education to get well-paying jobs. Employment also helps in delaying their marriage and making them more confident to travel and deal with life.
Who?
Young women with high aspirations but low resources, and a weak educational foundation, who come from OBC or minority communities. Theirs is a long, uphill journey without any road maps and little support. School education is sparse and time is often spent on household chores. There is no career guidance and parents have limited information. There are no extra tuitions rather low attendance in school and junior college. Yet, they dare to dream and hope.
This program engages with first generation college entrants between 17 and 20 years who are determined to pursue higher education to enhance their access to employment. We believe that to achieve their goal, they require financial support, life skills training, and gender awareness workshops. Our program aims to Empower the Dreams of marginalised young women.
Saksham
Learning to
believe in oneself
Swayamsiddha
Daring to dream
Swadhin
Self to society
Saksham
We aid them through capacity building workshops, confidence boosting measures and information. Immersive and interactive workshops give them an idea of how, as women in a gender unequal society, they have to overcome biased gender norms. They learn to negotiate with their families for greater mobility, lesser restrictions and household burdens. They realise they can overcome their fear of violence on the streets through simple but effective ways. Secondly, these young women learn soft skills like understanding the functioning of banks, the ATM, savings schemes and how to face the police and lodge complaints.
At the end of the first year, more than 60% report a rise in their confidence levels.
Swayamsiddha
The second year focusses on developing the young women's agency and more confidence. To realise financial independence, they have to pass college exams so they are provided Study Tips and Stress Management classes. Then Akshara focusses on building their CVs, Interview techniques and computer-based communications. Alongside, they learn about their rights like their right to health and contraception; to a life without violence and employment. They understand that relationships especially with men and boyfriends should be equal and consensual.
At the end of the second year, 87% wanted to be employed and delay their marriage plans. They realised that earning money increased their confidence and the respect of their family.
Swadhin
The last step of agency and confidence building is moving from changes in oneself to changes in society. Akshara believes that real change in society is possible if we change ourselves as well as our society. The Swadhin participants are trained to be changemakers. They not only interact with the Saksham participants but also in their own communities and neighbourhoods and take up issues like menstruation taboos and hygiene, implement gender melas in communities and during festivals, prevent sexual harassment and organise exposure visits.
In the third year, the Swadhin participants do small projects in their communities, or introduce young women to the functioning of public utilities like banks, police stations and ward offices.