The discrepancy in the ideology and practice of the empowerment policy of women in India constitutes its continued social, economic and social backwardness. Women make up 52 per cent of our country’s population. Hence, there can be no progress unless their needs and interests are fully met. Empowerment will not hold any meaning till such time as the women are made alert and aware of their equal status in the society. Policies should be framed to bring them into the mainstream of society. Educating women should certainly be the need of the hour, as education of women will lead to their empowerment, meaning a significant impact on the nation’s development. Education, thus, holds the key to development.

Taking all these factors into consideration, TARA proposed the establishment of a robust system that will first make women literate, then strengthen their income generation environment through various activities and, simultaneously, increase their livelihood and income-generating opportunities. This formed the basis of a CSR initiative of the Noida Power Company Limited (NPCL), Greater Noida, a project that began in September 2011, with 122 women from three villages in Greater Noida.

The project’s initial objective was to start with 100 women from different clusters in Surajpur, Kasna and Kulesra villages, make them literate through the TARA Akshar+ programme, and then impart 75 of them with basic life skills. A further 50 women were to be trained on vocational skills and, from among them, 25 women were to be trained on enterprise development training.

The components and activities of this project include:

The programme finally commenced with 122 women instead of the targeted number of 100 with TARA Akshar+, which laid the foundation for the empowerment mission. During the mobilisation process, while mobilising 100 women, 22 more joined the group. Seeing their determination and overwhelming response, these women were also accommodated. In all, 122 women were made literate through this initiative.

For the convenience of the students and also to bring the benefits of the programme to their doorsteps, two to three sub-centres were organised locality wise and then made operational. This showed the versatility and flexibility of organising the sub centres.

While carrying out the initial survey of the students, it was observed that Satyavati, a member of the Block Development Committee (BDC), whose primary job is to monitor the development works in the block, was totally illiterate. She was asked by the Master Trainer to join the TARA Akshar+ course, which she did. There was not a single drop-out once the course started and the result of the examination held at the end showed 100% pass percentage.

After completion of the TARA Akshar+ course, an informal feedback session was conducted to assess the outcomes and impacts it produced on the participants. A general feeling that was observed after the women became literate was:

Life skills education forms an integral part of vocational training programmes. The goal is to develop confident individuals, capable of self-directed growth and to provide them with the ‘soft skills’ they need in order to become successful and self-sufficient adults. It also provides them with a deeper understanding and awareness of self that helps individuals establish a good attitudinal foundation as well as a basis for long-term professional and personal development. Life skills empower an individual to make informed decisions in his or her life. Effective acquisition of life skills can influence the way one feels about oneself and others and can also enhance one’s productivity, efficacy, self-esteem and self-confidence. It further enables a person to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life.

Thus, soon after the literacy programme, the training on life skills began, where the participants learned about identity, goals and expectations, SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats), attitude and self-esteem. Besides, they were also taught about social and interpersonal issues like gender; values and perceptions; balancing relationships; decision-making; communication skills; conflict resolutions; and handling responsibilities.

The participants initially did not understand the importance of life skills, but slowly and gradually, as this training was made part of the vocational training, it has gained acceptance and women now look forward to understand, learn new concepts and share their own experiences. One can easily observe the change that has been brought about in the lives of these women.

After the completion of the literacy programme, training needs assessment were carried out for all the women through personal interviews and focused group discussions. This helped understand the needs and desires of the participants. Accordingly, vocational training has been initiated along with the life skills programme. The women in some clusters were quite hesitant in undergoing the vocational training initially and insisted that they enjoyed studying and would want to continue doing the same. But soon after the vocational training (stitching and tailoring) began, they began to enjoy the learning experience. They are now looking forward to completing the whole process soon, learn how to stitch garments and to either start their own enterprises or get employment in this field. It is interesting to observe how these women refuse to stay home even on Sundays and are always present at their centres before the usual time.

The confidence and high levels of self-esteem reflects on the faces of these women. There has been a tremendous change in the thinking and attitude of these women towards life. They now understand the importance of education and being empowered, not just for their children, but also for themselves as adults and, more importantly, as WOMEN. q