Awe-Inspiring Initiatives to Empower Women by JSW Foundation

At JSW, the empowerment of women has been treated as an integral issue in not only determining the status of women, but also impacting the development of the family as a whole and society at large. Hence, JSW Foundation has come up with various awe-inspiring initiatives for women.

Dr. Jayashree Kulkarni, Manager, CSR says – ‘JSW has given vital importance to various women empowerment programs. Firstly, BPO for women who have passed 10^th standard or PUC and believe they can achieve something. The women are provided with necessary computer training required to handle those projects. With these trainings, they are able to earn a decent income every month. For the women, who live within the four walls, we have started Self Help Groups in their villages.’

The women are provided training in entrepreneurial development. After completing the training, they move towards starting their own business and later become financially stable. The training not only makes them financially stable, but also empowers them socially. The trained women are coming out of their houses and are learning to operate a bank account. These programs are not only empowering them, but also paying an important role in their children’s education.

For the women who are uneducated or have just passed 5^th grade or 7^th grade, JSW Foundation provides free tailoring courses. The trained women then stitch uniforms of JSW’s associate employees at their OPJC training centre. They also stitch uniforms for the students. Through this, they are able to earn a good income every month. The women who cannot leave their homes, for them, JSW has started ‘Satellite Training Centre’ in their villages. With this centre, they have taken jobs to their homes.

Dr. Vishwanath Palled, Chief CSR Officer says – ‘At JSW, we have created our own women empowerment program ‘Birth to Motherhood JSW with you’. JSW aims to cover the entire life cycle of a woman with this program. The first program is ‘Garbini Gelathi (Pregnant women friend). From every village they identify pregnant women and provide every treatment needed until the baby is born. After the child is born, it is made sure that they both are healthy. Next step is to ensure that every child is enrolled in school during their adolescence. Once the child has passed 10^th grade, they are provided with vocational training at JSW centres so that they can stand on their own feet and take responsibility for their future.’

JSW Steel Ltd. has also set up a non-voice BPO unit for uplifting rural women in terms of getting equipped to upgraded technology and providing livelihood opportunity.  JSW’s contribution includes infrastructure, electricity, furnishing, computers, technical support to download and upload, hardware and network support and more importantly training women on key boards and projects for delivering BPO work.  The projects include health, survey, bank related work, IPO, XML, scanning, digitizing and so forth.    This unit is providing a dignified employment opportunity to even a just school pass out girl.  The women are also provided with the facilities like transportation at their doorstep, stipend/salary, PF, medical insurance/accident benefit, incentive, personality development and uniform, etc.

The unit has trained around 2000 women and currently 220 women are earning their livelihood from both the BPOs.

JSW Foundation is mobilizing needy women for formation of SHGs and convergence of services, by offering them a range of social and economic options, along with necessary support measures to enhance their capabilities.

Activities under SHGs cover encouraging savings, facilitating credit, income generation by facilitating setting up of individual and group enterprises, arranging capacity building trainings (live stock, book keeping, entrepreneurship development- EDP, bank linkage, leadership, credit management) and in total getting women out of the four walls of the house for her and thereby their family’s overall improvement.

Any village. Any state. Any nation will only develop when the emphasis is on women empowerment which will help the women to become self-sufficient. In this direction, JSW once again emphasize on women empowerment in all direction in all the way possible.