Woman empowerment is a core project of Model Village Trust. MVT holds a firm belief that empowering women and improving their political, social, economic and health status is highly important for transformation of the villages. Development projects are most effective when steps have been taken to improve the status of women.
Focus of our women empowerment initiatives is on women leadership development, skill development, awareness on women issues, promotion of self-employment programs, women health and female literacy.
Our Approach :
Addressing Prominent Gender Issues
MVT’s women empowerment initiatives address the prominent on ground issues of selected villages. Issues are identified through community itself.
Leadership Development
Developing leadership in women by enhancing their skills, knowledge, confidence and aspirations and involving them in empowerment of other women of their villages.
Holistic Approach to Empowerment
We focus on empowering women and girls in all the aspects of their life, let it be their personal or social well-being so that the effect is not easily reversed. We strive to enhance their overall well-being and enable them to contribute in development of rural society.
Our Initiatives :
Project Ummeed:
Low female literacy rate in rural India not only results in lack of awareness about their rights and entitlements but also impacts every aspect of their development. Ummeed is an adult female literacy program designed to meet the educational need of rural women through the provision of functional literacy classes in their village itself. Ummeed also works as a platform for women to discuss the social issues around them.
Program reduces gender disparities in rural society by empowering rural women through education, promotes self-reliance in them and enable them to contribute in the development of their community.
Ummeed is also an attempt to change the overall perspective of society at large towards the adult literacy.
Menstrual Hygiene Management Program:
Poor menstrual health and hygiene is one of the most neglected and hidden issues related to women health. Research shows that nearly 23 million girls drop out of school annually due to lack of proper menstrual hygiene management (MHM) facilities. Situation takes worse shape in rural areas due to unavailability of menstrual hygiene management structure, lack of awareness, traditional beliefs, unavailability of safe menstrual absorbents and many other challenges.
Our Menstrual Hygiene Management Program targets the key issues behind the poor menstrual practices and strives to bring out behavioral changes in society at large.
Key on-ground interventions of the program focuses around ensuring availability of safe menstrual absorbents, adequate menstrual hygiene infrastructure at schools and houses and most importantly creating awareness and sensitizing all the stakeholders on the matter.
Leadership Development:
MVT believes women to be the key agents of change who can bring positive transformation in rural India if their leadership skill is nurtured. We promote leadership in rural women through women-centric interventions. Women are trained and developed as volunteers and their representation and participation has been ensured in all our programs.
