PROJECT SURYA KIRAN – Empowering Rural Women
Surya Kiran is a leading project of Sun Foundation for imparting vocational and skill development training to under-privileged girls and women. The project aims at welfare of women in general and upliftment and empowerment of rural women in particular. It is noteworthy that Surya Kiran’s training and skill development programmes are extended to the beneficiaries absolutely free of cost.Project Surya Kiran was launched in 2011. To achieve its objectives, Surya Kiran has established a large number of Skill Development Centres in various parts of Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Delhi. Most of these centres are located in rural areas which are remote and not easily accessible and lack good road communication and public transport facilities. Surya Kiran centres have been able to make a mark in such a scenario with minimum support of govt. agencies and overwhelming support of the local villagers and gram panchayats.
Empowerment Through Skills Development
Project Surya Kiran with its large network of Skill Development Centres provides free of cost Vocational Training in various skills to needy women. Main courses conducted in these centres are drafting and stitching, textile designing, embroidery, basic computer knowledge and life style products. The package of courses in each centre is designed keeping in view the interests of local girls and women. Depending upon the type of skill, our Skill Development Centres conduct training courses of 4 to 6 months’ duration on regular basis throughout the year. After successful completion of the course, students are awarded a certificate by Sun Foundation . The certificate helps them in seeking better job opportunities. The project through its wide reach, especially in remote rural areas, is having a big impact on lives of thousands of girls and women belonging to poor strata of society. Since Surya Kiran’s inception in 2011, a total of 5,257 girls and women have received vocational training up to 31st March 2015 at 38 Skill Development Centres spread over Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi.
Due to distance from towns and remote location of these villages, employment and job opportunities for the rural women are more or less non existent. Therefore, the task of empowering them has not been easy. However, with the zeal and determination of the women students and motivation from our side, a significant number of our students have started earning a decent amount of money by making use of skills acquired in the Skill Development Centres.
Increased Earning Power
Students empowered under Surya Kiran based on random sampling are given below:-
|
S.No |
State |
Number of empowered women contacted |
Income Range (Rs / month) |
Total |
|
(a) |
Haryana & Rajasthan |
373 |
1000 – 2000 2000 – 3000 3000 – 4000 5000 – 10000 10000 and above |
267 58 24 20 04 |
|
(b) |
Punjab |
69 |
1000 – 2000 2000 – 3000 3000 – 4000 |
28 27 14 |
|
(c) |
Delhi |
18 |
1000 – 2000 2000 – 3000 3000 – 4000 5000 – 10000 |
11 5 – 2 |
Work profiles of the women who have been empowered by Surya Kiran’s programmes reveal interesting insights into the enthusiasm and entrepreneurship of these women:
- Majority of the women are working from their homes, and are stitching clothes for the residents of the village (on payment).
- They are adding to their earnings by stitching bridal suits and other garments during festival seasons.
- Some have opened their own tailoring shops. Others have tied up with local tailoring shops. After obtaining orders they stitch clothes at their own homes.
- Some of them have got employment in nearby garment factories thereby earning regular monthly salaries.
- Some women have formed small groups and are engaged in stitching uniforms for neighboring schools.
- A few outstanding students have been employed by Surya Kiran as faculty.
Even after completion of the course, Surya Kiran permits and encourages the women to continue practicing their newly acquired skills by using existing infrastructure and equipment of our Skill Development Centres. Guidance and technical help of the teachers and senior lady trainers are also made available to them to further improve and master their skills.
