"I have learned new ideas about managing my future and have realized I am truly amazing"
We have been working with Mexoxo, a Greek-based non-profit since 2022 and were one of the first Indian organisations recruited by them to empower women. They believe that education is the tool for growth and change, and they encourage, enable and facilitate women’s active involvement in business, employment, learning, and community.that supports women to achieve their full potential.
We have been supporting them in their mission to support 5 million women by 2030 to achieve socio-economic growth through specially developed sessions to build confidence and give participants the space and tools to consider their self power, build resilience to keep walking towards achieving their dreams and feel the assurance that they can succeed.
In 2022, our ‘Women Empowerment’ collaboration reached our female staff, women and girls living in slums, shelter homes and villages within a 15 km radius of Ahmednagar city. In 2023, we expanded our reach, starting with women living in our on-site shelter, two villages where we have established self-help groups, two slum communities and one of our local colleges.
Women’s shelter
The women living in our shelter home were definitely empowered by the sessions. These are a mix of women fleeing domestic violence, unmarried and pregnant mothers and young women who have aged out of our childcare insititution. They all participated with enthusiasm and appreciated the space to think about themselves and their futures. With our shelter staff on hand they were able to address some of their concerns and had a greater confidence about speaking up about their short and long-term goals. Taking the session gave them a reenergized voice in asking for what they want and discussing plans to make their dreams a reality.
Villages
We have a deep connection within these communities empowering the women there to work together to support each other in accessing their rights and becoming independent. The Mexoxo training complemented session we run on self-defence, domestic abuse, skills development and more. The session inspired the women to aim higher boosting their confidence in taking the lead to uplift their communities.
Slum communities
We operate community centers in six of our city slums. Having been there since 2003, we have formed strong links with the families who live there. Our projects focus on after-school education of children with the aim of uplifting the communities. With many of our staff being residents to the communities we serve, we have strong links within these areas and also regularly deliver community strengthening activities such as health camps and women empowerment and skill development programs. Adding the Mexoxo program into the mix was a great initiative. Many of the women attending the program live in very poor circumstances, often with only one breadwinner in the family bringing in a daily wage of under US$2 per day.
The program was conducted in two slum centers and aimed to raise their confidence and inspire them to consider their strengths and opportunities to support themselves and their families. When you consider this in tandem with the skills development and other activities such as financial literacy sessions, the Mexoxo program helps them aspire to maximize their opportunities to become more financially and personally independent both for themselves and their families.
Colleges
Rajmudra College in Ahmednagar is passionate about mentoring and counseling young minds. It prepares 11th and 12th appearing students and 12th cleared students for architecture entrance examinations which entitles admission to the five year B. Arch. Degree Program and design courses. We interacted with young women through the Mexoxo program is different batches. The girls were really engaged and we supplemented the training with our own messages of women empowerment and how to identify stalking.