Young women's empowerment project.
Arya Tara Mahila Trust celebrates this new project and welcomes Karunaprabha and her team to the Trust. The Vishrantwadi project is based in five slums in the Vishrantwadi area, Pune. The project is for teenage girls from 11 to 20 years of age who either go to school or have dropped out for some reason. We are including aspects of personality development, helping to develop self-confidence, negotiation skills, communication skills and also vocational courses so that they will be able to earn something and develop confidence about life. The vocational training will include computer training and basic office skills so that they can get work in situations such as doctors’ dispensaries or hospitals.

In a recent Pune University survey, 89% of girls/young women living in slum areas were found to be suffering from anaemia. Our project arranges anaemia detection camps for the girls and then provides treatment. We will also organise sessions designed to change behaviour in the area of nutrition.

We work with girls and young women including young married girls and we chose this group because if the woman is educated about health and nutrition, then her whole family becomes more effective. If a healthy mother gives birth to a healthy child then the whole family and community benefits.

Pune is a fast-growing city, with many new shopping malls and IT parks but in this big city, there are also many slums and those people are not getting good medical services from the city authorities. Something like 40 to 45% of Pune’s people are slum dwellers.

The project is mostly funded by the Karuna Trust, UK and we have donations from an Australian charity called Bodhi. But we would like to expand the project because there are many other girls/young women in other slums who would benefit. If we can get more funding for that we can expand the programme to all the girls in Pune slums.