Empowering Women
Two thirds of women in the developing world are employed in the most unstable and underpaid jobs while shouldering a majority of the responsibility as the primary caretaker, food producer and land caretaker for their families. Embracing the World's economic development project aims to equip 100,000 unemployed and economically vulnerable women with the skills and means to help their families make ends meet. Through providing vocational education, start-up capital, marketing assistance and access to microcredit loans from participating banks, ETW is working to change the economic equation. Research has shown that empowering women with equal economic opportunity is one of the most effective ways to reduce poverty throughout entire communities.
Self-Reliance Education and Employment
The ETW Self-Help Cooperatives are based upon a formula established by the Reserve Bank of India and National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development. Our volunteer program coordinators first identify each targeted community's particular needs, existing skills and resources before launching a phase of vocational training. Courses are selected from proposals and suggestions that emerge from the respective targeted communities and then offered at reputed vocational institutions. Finally, self-help co-ops are formed according to geographic proximity, each consisting of approximately 20 women. (Men who are family members of the women in the co-op are also eligible to receive vocational training.)
While the cooperatives operate autonomously, ETW nurtures them toward successful independence. In addition to providing vocational training, ETW helps each cooperative come up with a viable business plan and assists in packaging and marketing the cooperative's retail products. To date, over 3,000 women's self-help cooperatives have already been established, each one 20 women strong.
- ETW aims to equip 100,000 unemployed and economically vulnerable women with the skills and means to help their families make ends meet.
- Here, participants receive beauty parlor training.
- Screen printing workshop
- The women receive training, start-up capital and the necessary equipment to start their businesses.
- Where additional funds are necessary, ETW helps the women to receive microcredit loans from participating banks.
- Empowering women in this way has proven to be one of the most effective means of reducing poverty throughout entire communities.
Microfinancing
ETW provides each cooperative with a grant in start-up capital. But in order to maximize the co-ops earning capacity, ETW also helps each cooperative to open a co-op bank account upon its inception. Each co-op member is required to deposit a minimum of Rs. 10 each week. When a co-op's bank balance reaches Rs. 1,000, the group can begin to withdraw money and commence internal lending with a minimal interest rate. During the first six months of the co-op's account activity, the bank assesses the group's financial management capacity so that eligible groups may apply for venture-capital loans. Additionally, any money deposited during the co-op's first six months is matched by the bank at a ratio of four to one - thereby increasing the co-op's initial investment by 400%. So far, ETW has helped 1,500 co-ops to receive microcredit loans to expand their businesses; 30,000 families have benefited.
Out of the nest and into the sky: ETW self-help cooperatives soar into self-reliance
Once vocational training is complete, the co-op transitions into a more autonomous, income generating company of its own. ETW assists the co-op in locating a common facility center, where the co-op will carry out their income-generating activity. Some groups opt to use a co-op member's home as the facility center. While Embracing the World provides training and raw materials, the cooperatives are encouraged to take a majority of the initiative to jumpstart and sustain their respective ventures. Accordingly, the cooperative members receive total profits from products sold. Embracing the World receives no compensation or financial return at any time for its work with the self-help cooperatives.
ETW Self-Help Cooperatives are currently operating their own businesses in the following fields:
- Handicrafts
- TALLY (account system)
- Beauty Parlour Management
- Female hygiene products
- Paper products
- Fashion-oriented clothing
- Uniforms
- Leather products
- Bakeries
- Mussel Culture
- Aquaculture
- Hand loom
- Coir making
- Communal Farming
- Food Processing
- Banana Culture
- Rice flour production