Setu - Adolescent Girls Program - EmpowHER India

SETU’s core focus is to bridge the Gender Gap by imparting life skills that mold, change and transform mindsets.

Lifeskills are a group of psychosocial competencies and interpersonal skills that help people make informed decisions, solve problems, think critically and creatively, communicate effectively, build healthy relationships, empathize with others, and cope with and manage their lives in a healthy and responsible manner.

– World Health Organization on Life Skills

Building a Bridge of Good

India ranked 127 among a total of 146 countries in the Global Gender Gap Index 2023 and is one of the worst performers in the world in the “health and survival” sub-index.

Girls in India continue to face roadblocks in the form of poverty, gender bias, cultural norms, and a lack of access to resources on their journey to achieving their highest potential. With over 3 decades of experience, empowHER realized that just academics aren’t enough. Life skills are a prerequisite to transform an adolescent girl’s mindset and are essential for a new generation of self-reliant, independent, and empowered girls.

SETU powers change by teaching these indespensible life skills

Socio-emotional and Thinking skills
Health & Hygiene
Financial Literacy
Gender & Safety
Future Readiness

Research shows that mindsets play a significant role in determining life's outcomes. By understanding, adapting, and shifting your mindset, you can become more resilient to life's challenges.

– Report by Stanford University

A Bridge that comes with our promise

empowHER has a 15-year legacy of supporting rural women’s needs. We have learned that adulthood is rather late for any significant change to occur, we need to start early. We run evidence-based programs, developed by experts and delivered at the village level by a well-trained staff. With strong focus on measurement, you can see the impact of every rupee donated. SETU was envisioned to truly equip girls with a self-reliant future through life skills, health education, and financial literacy.

Our theory of change goes beyond transforming the lives of young girls

Community

Build a supportive ecosystem at the local level to uplift the lives of young girls and help them thrive.

Society

Shape a strong narrative among general public about prioritising adolescent lives.

Government

Bring systemic and sustainable impact through policy change focused on adolescents.

The bridge is well-structured

In each cluster, the Cluster Head and Coordinator form the dynamic operations team - they oversee the planning, implementation, problem-solving, and data collection on a daily basis. Meanwhile, the Trainer Monitors play a vital role in providing support to the village mentors, offering trainings, constructive feedback, and monitoring the quality of teaching and learning. Lastly, the dedicated Village Mentors diligently conduct regular group sessions in the villages, to empower and enlighten the community.

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SCHOOL WaSH

Sanitation for Government Schools

After building over 2500 individual household toilets, empowHER transitioned to building toilets in government schools to ensure girls continue schooling, especially during adolescence. Since 2021, we built 6 toilets that provided sanitation access to 1100+ children. The goal of our School WaSH Program is to ensure that girls stay in school by providing them with safe spaces to relieve themselves with dignity while also promoting their health and hygiene.

EDUCATION

Rakesh Jain Madhyamik Vidyamandir

Millions of girls in India are deprived of education due to gender discrimination and patriarchal mindsets. In the year 2000, RJMV was established in Shivkar village, Panvel to address the growing need to educate the girl child. With a holistic approach that includes arts, culture, vocational skills, sports, and digital technology, the school has become a beacon of learning for both boys and girls in the surrounding communities.