CSR Initiatives towards Community Development through Women Empowerment Programs

Empowerment means having choices, opportunities and access to resources – all of which improve an individual’s sense of self-worth and their ability to influence society and the economy. It is proven that empowering a woman leads to a ‘multiplier effect’ which benefits many people: “Lift one woman out of poverty and she’ll bring four more people with her” (CARE International).

 10 things to know about women:

1.  70% of the poorest people on the planet are women
2.  Women do 2/3 of the world’s work but earn 10% of the world’s income
3.  Half of the world’s farmers are women yet they own less than 2% of the available land
4. One billion women will enter the global economy during the coming decade
5.  In countries where the gender gap is smallest, there is greater productivity and economic growth
6.  Women reinvest 90% of their income into their family; men reinvest 30-40%
7.  Lift one woman out of poverty and she’ll bring four more people with her
8.  Educating women provides the highest return on investment for those seeking to create stronger communities in the developing world
9.  Asia-Pacific is the worst region for women’s health and survival relative to that of men, but the best in terms of relative political empowerment
10. Overall, Asia-Pacific is ranked 5th out of six regions in the world in terms of women’s empowerment

Corporates in India have moved a long way from mere philanthropy to offering deliberately planned, comprehensive programs with far reaching impact on the target Communities. Most of the corporates in India, are involved in sectors like Education, Health, Environment, Infrastructure and Women Empowerment via their CSR programs. A large number of companies do believe that development could be instrumented through women’s empowerment. The developmental programs with an element of Empowerment have liberated women to an extent, easing their mobility, decision making in their house steads, awareness of political, civil rights and Government Welfare Schemes. These programs have helped women give better education, medical facilities, to their children and participation in common action towards obtaining Community Services.