100+
beneficiaries
₹1000
average salary
1
girl scholars
Overview
Diverse groups including women, as well as groups identified on the basis of ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, physical ability or attributes make up only about 20% of the workforce. Â Negative stereotypes, lack of suitable opportunities and infrastructure and unavailability of resources perpetuates low inclusion. Efforts towards inclusion ensure that minority communities are not excluded from progress. Also, research clearly demonstrates the abundant social and economic benefits of diversity inclusion. Â
The Foundation’s efforts towards inclusion started in 2010. Special skill development training program for people with disabilities with accessible centres and sign-language trainers was initiated. In 2023, aligning with our strategy to promote the financial independence of persons with disabilities, GROW PwD launched a self-employment intervention. Disability entrepreneurs are supported with seed grants, loan assistance and know-how about entrepreneurial skills.
While the efforts to support people with disabilities gain meaningful employment opportunities continue, from 2018, the foundation also started offering scholarships and mentorship to women pursuing careers in sciences. Â
Key Issues
Only 1%
of PwD in the workforce, with only 1% out of 5 million youth with disability currently employed.
Due to poor policy implementation, despite the Government mandate of 3%, the current employment of PwD is
less than 1%
Alignment with UN SDGs
All our work in the area of inclusion aligns with the following United Nations Sustainable Development Goals:
SDG 4: Quality Education
SDG 5: Gender Equality
SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
Our Initiatives
GROW PwD is a 2-month ‘Core Employability Skills’ training program on communication, soft skills, aptitude, computer operations, sector readiness and interview skills for people with disabilities (18-35 years). The program covers 11 different disabilities including People with physical, speech and hearing disabilities, vision impairment and intellectual disability. The training is complimented by robust job matchmaking appropriate for persons with disabilities.
In 2023, aligning with our strategy to promote the financial independence of persons with disabilities, GROW PwD launched a self-employment intervention. This intervention provides support to individuals facing barriers to traditional employment opportunities, often stemming from obstacles in accessing mainstream education, skill development programs, and geographical constraints. Beyond offering financial assistance through seed grants and loan assistance, our comprehensive approach involves equipping beneficiaries with essential entrepreneurial skills like procurement, marketing, and sales.
The project aims to support young, academically bright girls, especially from rural India and low socio-economic backgrounds, to pursue a career in science by offering them financial support to cover their graduation expenses in some of India’s premier science institutions. In addition, Sashakt links the scholars with senior women scientists to mentor them at every stage. The scholarship covers all three years of study for B.Sc. degree in the best colleges in the country.