empowHER India Signs MoU with Zilla Parishad, Raigad to Empower Adolescents through Life Skills Education
A transformative partnership was formalized between empowHER India, a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering women and adolescents and the Department of Primary and Secondary Education under Zilla Parishad, Raigad. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), effective December 6, 2024, was signed by Ms Punita Gurav, District Education Officer (Primary), Zilla Parishad, Raigad, and Ms Anamara Baig, CEO of empowHER India, along with Mr Maharudra Nale, District Education Officer (Secondary), Zilla Parishad, Raigad, and Mr Satyajit Bade, Chief Executive Officer, Raigad Zilla Parishad. This MoU aims to enhance the holistic development of adolescent children through life skills education, financial literacy, gender sensitization, and WaSH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) interventions.
The collaboration represents a significant step toward achieving equitable education and empowering adolescents to become confident, independent individuals.
empowHER India's Setu Program helps rural adolescents transition smoothly to adulthood by developing essential life skills, promoting gender equity, improving health, and enhancing financial literacy. It empowers adolescent girls to become independent, economically confident women. The program fosters self-expression, problem-solving, and community awareness on issues like sexual health, financial independence, and gender-based violence.
Since 2020, the Setu program has impacted over 5000 girls across Raigad and Chh. Sambhajinagar district.
The School WaSH Program provides clean sanitation and water facilities in rural schools, reducing dropout rates, especially for girls. It involves parents and teachers in promoting hygiene and infrastructure improvements. Since 2022, 9 toilets have been built in Karjat and Panvel, and 12 toilets have been retrofitted in Karjat, Alibaug, and Pen blocks.
The key highlights and scope of work would entail delivering life skills education and financial literacy, enhancing school infrastructure for WaSH, promoting behaviour change for sustainable practices, and providing support for child safety and well-being.
About empowHER India: empowHER India is a non-profit organization that approaches social issues through a gender perspective and prioritizes women and girls as the major beneficiaries of all its activities. For the past 30+ years, empowHER India has worked at a grassroots level to empower women and girls to create a more equitable society through various programs, including the Adolescent Children’s Program (Setu) and the School WaSH Program.
About the Education Department of Zilla Parishad, Raigad: The Education Department of Zilla Parishad administers key programs such as the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan, which addresses the educational needs of children from pre-primary to higher secondary levels, the mid-day meal scheme to enhance nutrition and reduce dropout rates, and various scholarship initiatives aimed at supporting marginalized communities. The department is committed to achieving improved learning outcomes, holistic development of children and youth, promoting digital education, and creating a supportive environment for all learners.