Swanirbhar
DITO Social Welfare Association works towards women’s empowerment by ensuring financial inclusion of women in the country’s economy. Most rural women are uneducated and unaware of their true potential; they are made to believe that their role is bound within the four walls of their homes. DITO believes in enabling these women to an extent so they can walk shoulder-to-shoulder with men. Gender equity is only possible with financial inclusion and the first step towards inclusion is general awareness of the environment. We at DITO provide them with all the necessary information required for setting up a business and also capacitate them on the path from production to marketing.
Transforming Lives Through Water Hyacinth Craftsmanship
The DITO Social Welfare Association, under its SHANIRBHAR project, has taken a significant step toward empowering local communities and combating environmental challenges with a 12-day Water Hyacinth Training Program held in Barjora, Bankura. More than 25 women from local Self-Help Groups (SHGs) participated, learning innovative techniques to transform water hyacinth, an invasive aquatic weed, into valuable handcrafted products. The program was led by a certified trainer from Assam, accredited by the Indian Government, adding credibility to the initiative……….Read more!
Livelihood Programme (Tailoring unit):
“Today, I can proudly say that I pay the school fees for my daughter. I finish all my household chores in the morning and leave for work. My family members have started valuing my work and they don’t stop me from going out anymore”, said one of the residents of Patharpratima block in South 24 Paraganas. She has been a part of the tailoring unit organised by DITO for a year now and is very happy with the income she takes home. She says her value in the family has increased substantially and she is also contributing towards her daughter’s education. Her self-worth is seeing an upscale with every passing day and today she faces the world with confidence.
The tailoring unit in Patharpratima is run by 8 women, who are making good profit by selling garments in the local market. The tailoring unit was mobilised by Equidiversity Foundation and DITO helped these women to establish it by providing infrastructural support. This group of 8 women has not only broken the shackles of patriarchy but also has shown the over-engaging community people that women can do it all. This small village in Patharpratima used to criticize women, who went out of their houses and worked to earn an income but today these women act as an example motivating other women like them.
Why is it necessary to empower women?
The above statistics become even more dampening when it concerns only rural women. The gender gap in account ownership had dropped to 6% down from 20% in 2014 when the Central Government decided to launch its programme named Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana.
This central government initiative helped in the opening of 461 million PMJDY accounts among which 55.6% of the accounts belonged to women. However, 32% of the women never use their accounts. Among the total population of women, only 20% own a debit card or credit card. Women constitute 60% of the financial illiterates in the country.
If the women do not come forward, country will never develop its Human Development Index. DITO tries to empower women through:
- Coordination
- Collaboration
- Communication
- Convergence
- Customization
COVID 19 Co- morbidity tests
As one of DITO Social Welfare Association’s ongoing project, the organisation has been instrumental in harnessing the power of technology to conduct screening tests for 5 vital factors- Haemoglobin, Creatinine, Blood- Glucose, Hypertension, Oxygen saturation through non invasive method. The technology has been provided by the incubation cell of Kalinga Institute of Technology. The organisation conducted this screening programme with vulnerable population and an awareness drive on COVID 19 is continuously conducted on regular basis.
Our impact
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Our women’s group has consequentially contributed in their family income and has raised their status in the family and community.
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They have found their own identity and can proudly spend on their own terms.
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These women have realised that they are an important part of the country’s social, economic and political picture. Repeated counselling has helped them to realise their self-worth and lost dignity.
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They play a dependable role in their families and have started taking part in important decision-making of their family.
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They have learned to save money and invest judiciously to upscale their businesses. These women can now operate bank accounts.
