Tata Communications aims to Empower 5 Million Women by 2024

By: WE Staff | Thursday, 3 November 2022

Launches Phase 2 of the ‘School of Hope and Empowerment project in collaboration with The Better India; Expands reach to Bihar and Odisha States

Tata Communications, a global digital ecosystem enabler, today launches Phase 2 of its ‘School of Hope and Empowerment (S.H.E) project intended to provide entrepreneurship education and professional guidance to 5 million women by 2024 across the states of Bihar and Odisha in India. Phase 1 of the project has motivated women to complete the education series and be empowered with knowledge and skills to set up and manage a business independently, ensuringaccesstoqualityeducationfor all.

“The Phase 1 of the School of Hope and Empowerment project has advanced the well-being of women inJharkhandandempoweredthemto playa pivotalroleinadvancingtheir family and the larger community,” said AadeshGoyal, Chief Human Resources Officer, Tata Communications. “In Phase 2, we are now scaling up this project by 10X to help women in the States of Bihar and Odisha in India. Through this project, we are extending access to self-empowering learning modules, local support ecosystem and micro communitiestobridgethe ruralandgender development gap.”

Phase 1 of the project, launched at the 2021 UNESCO World Conference has surpassed its target and brought entrepreneurship education to over 1 million women in the state of Jharkhand in just 1 year wellbeforethecommitted 3years.

The empowered women of this project are an embodiment of courage and confidence, overcoming structural barriers including gender stereotypes, household responsibilities, financial constraints, and social pressures. A multi-media, multi-stakeholder impact communications initiative, this project is designed in collaboration between Tata Communications and The Better India to support and educate women from rural parts of India. As reported in the Tata Communications Sustainable Development Report 2022, sustainability is built on the premise that positive economic results are possible when we effectively manage our environmental, social, and governance (ESG) activities and is aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG) in policy and practice. The School of Hope and Empowerment Project aligns with UN SDG number 5 (Gender Equality) and number 8 (Economic Growth). It is empowering youth and rural communities (especially women) economically and socially through vocational, entrepreneurship, and life skills training which enhance access to resources, and new technologyandfinancialservices, thereby supporting them in becoming activecontributorstotheeconomy.

To celebrate and recognize the success of phase 1 of this project, both partners have unveiled an education video series featuring real-life women entrepreneurs with their stories. One such story is that of Kalawati Kumari, a resident of the village Kurumdegi in the Simdega district of Jharkhand. A beneficiary of the project, she won a business grant to set up a flour mill which today she manages with her own funds. She also creates and fosters relationships with her customers and operates the flour mill. “The workshop trained on subjects like book-keeping of accounts, managing customer relations, shop environment, theimportanceofsaving,” said Kalawati.