For WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT

Vishalakshi Women Empowerment Project

As part of its endeavor to promote economically self-reliant communities, the Art of Living Foundation started the Vishalakshi Women Empowerment Project under the guidance of Bhanumathi Narasimhan. The project aims to provide an alternate means of income for rural women through sustainable activities.

The women are trained in tailoring, embroidery, bead work and other useful skills. Some of the products made by the beneficiaries of this project are jute, cloth and paper bags, quilts, incense sticks, candles, food, sanitary napkins and handicrafts.

A large number of women in rural areas are unable to deal with stress and emotional problems. Our programs are designed to empower these women by providing basic education and skills to make them emotionally strong and financially independent. Currently the project is running in 9 centers in different states of India.

In 2013, the Stree Saukhya Project was inaugurated in the Satara district of Maharashtra to educate rural women on menstrual hygiene as part of the Hygiene Awareness Program . The women were supplied economical and eco-friendly sanitary napkins. More than 5000 women have been educated through over 1000 workshops.

In 2008, the Papanasam center in Tamil Nadu began providing training in tailoring, screen printing, toy making and tea-light candle making. The program has benefitted over 900 women from the surrounding villages.

In June 2014, the Madhya Pradesh centre inaugurated training in a wide range of skills such as beautician training, tailoring and mehendi design. Adult education classes for rural women are also conducted there.

Since April 2017, the Andhra Pradesh centres have conducted tailoring classes for over 126 rural women from surrounding villages.

In June 2018, the foundation for a workshop on embroidery training was laid in Phubala village, Manipur.

VISTA -Value Integrated Services To All

VISTA (or Value Integrated Services To All), an independent non-governmental organization, was started in 1985, by Acharya Ratnanada, the father of Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, near Bangalore, to empower illiterate women, abused women, women in poor health and disadvantaged women. VISTA India is a grassroots project that provides vocational training in sewing and embroidery to make them self-reliant. Many of these women find work in the local garment industry; others work from home to augment family income. The women are also taught literacy and given basic knowledge about health and hygiene.
VISTA has instituted a special program called 'Earn while you Learn,' which helps women-in-training take up tailoring orders from individuals and companies. Besides skill training in tailoring, they are also trained in pickle making and production of sweets and savouries.
Over 8000 women from surrounding villages have been trained through this program. Currently 450 ladies are under the program in the VISTA unit in Sirsi, Karnataka.