Savithramma Skill
Aiming to break the wheel of vulnerability
Savithramma Skill is dedicated to connecting aspirations to skill and empowering women and young girls to achieve their full potential to advance equitable growth, create a generational impact and path to a better future.
What is Savithramma Skill?
Savithramma Skill is a model for change for women and girls. It is a division under Marri Channa Reddy Foundation committed to delivering sustainable change to underprivileged women populations across urban, rural and tribal areas in the critical areas of education, skill and economic opportunity.
We currently work closely with industry experts across sectors to develop and implement proven initiatives benefiting lakhs of women in the state and nation with core focus on advancing gender equality and women leadership.
OUR INSPIRATION
Savithramma
A woman of great strength and inspiration.
Savithri Devi, also known as Savithramma, devoted herself to her family and the life of public service.
Her uncle was Konda V Ranga Reddy, first Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, after whom Dr. Marri Channa Reddy created Ranga Reddy district during his first term as Chief Minister in 1978.
Savithramma went to college after having 3 children and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree, a feat for a woman in the 1950s. A movie, starring Akkineni Nageshwar Rao, was made based on her having gone to college during tough, unconventional times, where he also acted as a grown man who got admitted in college and the challenges that had to be overcome to pursue higher education.
As an educated woman, she set up self-help groups that brought women and young people together to support one another and taught sewing, nutrition, sanitation and money management. Savithramma made a positive impact on many while balancing her family responsibilities. She stood by Dr. Marri Channa Reddy through the Telangana agitations and elections, facing all the ups and downs that come with politics with grace and courage. Her hospitality was known across the country with books written covering her Telangana recipes.
The extraordinary story of Savithramma illustrates the determination of women and girls of all ages and the potential they have to achieve their dreams.
A National Need
Home to 650 million women, India in 2021 slipped 28 places and was ranked 140th among 156 nations participating in the rankings of the Global Gender Gap Report 2021.
According to the survey, India’s gender disparity has widened to 62.5%. This is mostly due to women’s lack of representation in politics, technical and leadership jobs, a decline in women’s labour force participation, poor healthcare, a trailing female to male literacy ratio and income inequality at various levels across the country.
One of the most common challenges for women to enter the labour force is stereotypical gender prejudice, which places women at a disadvantage when compared to men. While an Indian woman devotes 25% of her time to unpaid care and household chores, a man devotes just 2.5% of his time to similar tasks. These inequities shift women’s priorities and keep them out of the formal labour field. Women’s unemployment in the 30 to 59-year age range grew to 65% in 2018 from 46% in 2005. After completing their schooling and entering into marriage, it is common for women to take up domestic unpaid labour and care roles.
According to a recently released report by UN Women, the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic led to a major setback and reversed the cultural and economic progress made by women over the decades. The pandemic likely to have pushed 96 million people into extreme poverty, out of which 47 million are women and girls. Innovative thinking and societal restructuring are required to effect change by bringing women into formal training and skilling programmes, and therefore into the workforce.
Women ’s labour force participation can raise India’s GDP by 27% in the coming years.
Skilling and Employment of Women is a National Need.
India lacks a coordinated labour structure and gender parity. 3 out of every 4 women in India do not take part in any recognized economic activity. While 37.1% of youth are in the labour force, there is a significant difference in participation rates between men (57.1%) and women (12.7%). When women’s participation in the workforce increases, communities prosper, children are more likely to complete education, have a nutritious lifestyle and families remain healthy. One of the ways to narrow the gender gap in India’s workforce is to focus on the country’s 253 million youth (aged 15-24 years), of which 48.5% are young women.
What is the significance of this mandate? Because having more women in the workforce implies not only a better economy but also long-term social transformation and prosperity. Gender equity and the resulting “opportunity to work,” lead to the abolition of injustice, disparities, and deep-seated disadvantages for women in Indian households. Herein lies the key to a brighter future for everybody.
Our mission
Empower low-income women with high quality, certified training and equip them to become financially independent, some even changemakers and leaders in their communities, ultimately contributing to the development of the state and nation.
Skill women :
Key to success
Women empowerment is an important aspect of a country’s growth since it affects her health, education, decision-making power and employability. The availability of agency and the reduction of constraints experienced by women are crucial for the community’s and the nation’s long-term equitable development. To solve the issues of an underrepresented group of youth in the workforce, India must adopt a gendered lens in education and skilling initiatives, as well as look at ways to help women secure and retain jobs.
Reimagining Skilling
Every woman and girl, especially from economically weaker areas, rural and urban, must have an equal opportunity to lead an empowered life. With a transformative vision and approach to improve employability and income earning opportunities, enhance financial security and promote sustainable development and livelihood, Savithramma Skill through its various programmes is working to reinforce and build an equitable, diverse and inclusive workforce of tomorrow.
Skilling programmes are one of a kind public-private partnership initiatives led by Savithramma Skill aiming to train women and young girls with various market-oriented skills and knowledge needed for enhancing their employability, build their confidence and secure jobs in various industries enabling them to be self-sufficient earners lifelong. This programme seeks to not only address the gap in skills needed and employability, but also encourage the beneficiaries to innovate, collaborate and explore entrepreneurial development.
Savithramma Skill is seeking to not only help women break the mould and inspire many others but also develop a new model that can be adapted and replicated across India.
Since inception, Savithramma has transformed the lives of women through skill training and empowering them for better and secure livelihoods.
These innovative programmes are carried out in collaboration with various industry experts who not only support in training but have pledged to absorb some of the trained and assist with job placements. Short-term and long-term courses have been introduced in fashion design, textile design, embroidery, agriculture, and solar. Areas different from the normal activities have also been taken up like jewelry making and design, carpentry, and others. Further, post completion of training, beneficiaries are provided with certificates and guided with market linkages for goods developed. The overarching objectives of these courses are to impart skills for employability and develop entrepreneurship among women.
Jewellery Making & Design
Agri Business
Renewable Electric (EV) & Solar
Carpentry
Fashion Design
Embroidery Making
Textile Design
Some of the women-centric projects are also centered around integrating tribal populations towards the mainstream by reviving and upskilling jewellery and embroideries crafted by tribal women.
Women who are economically empowered have the ability to change society from the inside out, including ensuring education, nutrition and overall well-being of their children, the future of our country.
We only move forward
In order to address the issue at hand in a fundamental way, overcoming gender disparity would require a holistic approach including different sectors and stakeholders, rather than separate programmes.
First and foremost, it is critical to empower women to realise their full potential as well as the potential of their families and society. Every woman who is safe, educated, healthy and empowered has the ability to change her family, community, economy and society for the better. They require opportunities that will allow them to overcome economic, cultural and gender divides. To break down economic, social and technical obstacles, multi-sectoral collaboration is required to develop breakthrough ideas and solutions.
Women must be in the centre of the development process, from planning to execution, according to the bigger vision. Moving towards such a future would not only drive India toward gender parity but will also see India thrive in all areas that contribute to a better society and nation-building.
