Fair & Lovely Launches Foundation To Promote Economic Empowerment Of Women

The advisors to the Foundation are Dr Snehalata Deshmukh, Ex-Vice Chancellor, Mumbai University; Dr Malika Sarabhai, Director- Darpana Academy and Dr Rekha Sheth, President, Cosmetologist Society of India. The Foundation has already launched programmes in the areas of careers and enterprise with partners like Andhra Pradesh Government and Dr Reddy’s Foundation amongst others.

The series of projects that have been drawn up to achieve the vision include the following:

Careers:

• Project Disha aims at providing career guidance by organising career fairs in over 20 cities across the country, offering counselling in as many as 110 careers. So far, over 45,000 students have benefited from these career fairs.

• Project Jagruti aims at providing guidance to women in Gujarat through innovative live television broadcast and interactive learning sessions.
  

Education:

• Project Saraswati aims to provide women with scholarships for education such that it opens career avenues for them. There will be 100 rural scholarships for women students passing their 10th grade, given across 5 districts with the lowest HDI (Human Development Index) in select States.

• In the urban phase of this project, the Foundation will give 20 scholarships for postgraduate studies. It offers scholarships to deserving women in rural & urban India.
  

Enterprise:

• Project Sanjeevani is a three month Home Healthcare Nursing Assistant’s Course in partnership with Dr. Reddy's Foundation. It will cater to young women between the ages 18 and 30 who have formal educational backgrounds ranging from the 8th grade to intermediate levels. The programme will run under the aegis of The Fair and Lovely Academy for Home Care Nursing Assistants and will provide a unique training opportunity for young women who possess no entry level skills and, therefore, are not employable in the new economy job market.

• Project Kaladarshan is a pioneering effort towards skill development in the areas of embroidery and garment designing for the DWCRA Self Help Groups of Andhra Pradesh. This is being done in collaboration with the Commissionerate of Women Empowerment & Self Employment and Employment Generation Mission, Government of Andhra Pradesh.

• Project Sneha is a unique initiative that attempts to provide young women, who have been unable to complete formal education, with the opportunity to obtain training in various aspects of home care. This training will equip them with the requisite skills to gain employment in households and thus provide them with economic independence.

• Project Saundarya in association with CSI (Cosmetology Society of India), is a first of its kind professional course for aspiring beauticians.

Speaking at the launch,Sangeeta Pendurkar, Marketing Manager, Skincare – Hindustan Lever Limited, said, “Fair & Lovely Foundation will serve as a catalyst for the economic empowerment for women across India. We believe that there are lakhs and lakhs of women, who though immensely talented and capable, need a guiding hand to help them take the leap forward. At the same time, achievers need to be acknowledged, to further boost their confidence and help serve as role models for countless others. Through the Fair & Lovely Foundation we want to make a difference to the lives of women by providing guidance and recognition; thereby helping them achieve their potential.”

Pendurkar further added, “Our association with leading women and organisations who have done credible work in the area of economic empowerment of women will help us achieve this objective. We will continue to identify and work on several such initiatives that will help us ignite this spark in other women and make a difference to their lives.”

Said Dr Malika Sarabhai, “Speaking on behalf of all members on this foundation, we are very happy and proud to join hands with the Fair &Lovely Foundation. The projects this foundation has already committed itself to are definitely steps in the right direction and we look forward to identifying and working on many more such intitiatives. In the long run we are confident that the Fair and Lovely Foundation will make a difference to the lives of many women.”

About the Fair & Lovely Foundation

The Fair and Lovely Foundation is a non-profit foundation set up under the aegis of the Hindustan Lever Educational and Welfare Trust. This foundation seeks to encourage economic empowerment of Indian women through information and resources in the areas of education, career and enterprise. Comprising an advisory body of leading individuals, this foundation will undertake various projects and initiatives in keeping with its vision of taking women to a brighter future.

For more information on the Fair & Lovely Foundation, please send an email to fairandlovely.fdn@unilever.com or write to:-