Launching Saksham

A New Dawn for Girls

We are pleased to announce the inauguration of our Saksham project, with financial support from New India Assurance (NIA) company.

Saksham offers a three-month Patient Care Assistant or Bedside Assistant course for vulnerable groups, including young mothers, survivors of abuse, women freed from sex work, underprivileged girls from slums and tribal areas and children transitioning out of institutionalised care. Additional vocational training programs will also be implemented, all free of charge with a residential center for out-of-town students. The training facilities and dormitories at the Saksham center have been named after notable figures such as Rani Jijau, Ahilya Devi, Savitribai Phule, and Florence Nightingale, among others.

This initiative marks a significant step towards creating a safer, more empowered environment for girls and women in Ahmednagar, paving the way for a brighter future. (It also replaces our previous Bedside Nursing Assistants course which unfortunately came to an end as a result of the COVID pandemic.)

Rajashri Ravindra Kulkarni, who has been providing nursing training in district government hospitals for over four decades, has taken on the role of principal for the patient care training course. Our Patient Care Assistant course will accommodate 30 students, with an additional 70 slots available in our complementary programs. For more information regarding admissions, coordinator of the Saksham center, Dipali Burde, can be contacted by phone at +91 90116 35200.

Speaking at the launch, Chief Guest, 94-year-old senior social activist, Mrs Sudha Bhalchandra Karkhanis, emphasised that the situation for women has become more brutal over the last seven decades, saying: “With the Indian Constitution providing women with equal status and rights, their participation in education and employment has seen a significant increase. However, the persistence of a medieval mind-set towards girls and women in many families and communities has led to a rise in atrocities against them.”

She also presented a detailed analysis of the overall condition of women and girls in India, pointing out the alarming reality that while educated and patriotic individuals boast of their accolades, they often neglect the atrocities committed against women and girls. She emphasised that this societal apathy is a cause for concern in our nation.

Also attending the launch from NIA were Regional Manager, Premchand More, Senior Business Manager, Abhay Akole, alongside Ahmednagar Municipal Commissioner Yashwant Dange, and several other prominent figures. Commissioner Dange noted that due to the diverse projects of Snehalaya, Ahilyanagar has gained a prominent position on the global social map. He announced that the municipal corporation will soon collaborate with Snehalaya to enhance the quality of education in municipal schools.

Also at the event was Charted Accountant, Sandeep Desarda, who announced further plans to initiate accounting training programs at our Saksham center. Advocate Jayant Ohole remarked on Snehalay's reputation as one of the most trusted brands in the women and child welfare sector, acknowledging our pioneering work in addressing issues such as child marriage, human trafficking, child sexual abuse and female infanticide.

We are grateful to Anmol Ganesh Kankaraya who donated surgical and medical treatment supplies for the patient care training program, in memory of late Bhairulalji Kankaraya.