Jesmina Zeliang, founder of Heirloom Naga, talks about her entrepreneurial journey, challenges and how she empowered the artisans in Nagaland.
Union Minister for Women & Child Development Smriti Irani on why it is important to carefully use words on social media, the success story of campaigns like #NariSeKharidari when she was Union Minister, Textiles, the impact of technology in empowering women and on maintaining privacy in the online world. The session was moderated by Celebrity Chef Suvir Saran for HER Stories of Strength by The Indian Express and Meta.
Gujarat has a high burden of malnutrition, which necessitates swift action to prevent millions of children and adolescents from suffering the consequences of poor diets.
There was a high rate of vaccine hesitancy in the community, over fears of the vaccine reacting badly with sex change hormones, and of humiliation at the vaccination centres.
With Reels, live streams and 1-minute videos, entrepreneurs increase social media visibility, see revenues go up
Project SAAHAS, a public-private collaboration, is working to empower anganwadi workers in Gujarat's Hansot.
When Covid struck, the only thing selling well was masks. By innovating, adapting and helping each other out, these Madhubani painters in Bihar rose to the challenge and earned a steady income, even during the lockdowns.
Small, informal self-help groups in Gujarat’s Bharuch district provide funds, training and support, empower women to start and run their own businesses.
To help communities during that period, Gravis started active relief measures, supporting about 150,000 people. The organisation distributed food and hygiene kits to nearly 40,000 families (around 3,20,000 people).
“When my husband was in ICU during the third wave, I got a lot of strength and inner peace only because of this group and the hymns we learnt. In difficult times, we had each other.”
Meera Devi Titanwala knew they would have to carry on with their Bagru family business, if only for the sake of artisans dependent on them. That is when she turned to WhatsApp to reach out to the 'community' of their long-time customers.
The challenge was to keep the services on for the community without putting them at an increased risk of getting infected.
Confined to her home, Johanna decided to film a few sit-down videos, where she spoke about her experiences in India, interspersed with a few snippets of her everyday life with her husband Vinod, a government official, and their one-year-old daughter Annika.
Dr Champaneria returned from overseas to live and work in the region, and contribute significantly to bring sustainable development to healthcare at the grassroots.
“We need women to be strong to build a strong nation. And that concept made me realise that we should do something about dropout mothers."
During the lockdown, while balancing a full-time job, Krystal enrolled for a certification course on nutrition and has since been able to build a tight-knit fitness community through group workout classes and one-on-one coaching.
Dr Nivedita Gupta, the Head of Virology at Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), had to take on responsibilities that did not really fit into her "designated work profile".
With little knowledge about musical notes, Priya and Chumki did face initial hiccups but their grit and determination soon helped them learn a couple of songs.
When Delhi-based Diksha Juneja found out that her husband, Sandeep Juneja, was laid off during the pandemic, she decided to start her own business.
It is routine for these islands to sink every monsoon, only to emerge in another place when the waters abate. Yet, these women have taken troubles in their stride.
“She didn't have any fears even when she was wading through neck-deep water. She held my hand and said, 'Sajesh etta, vaa polam (Brother Sajesh, come on, let's go)' and crossed the river."
Covid and the lockdown closed their schools and snatched away their parents' incomes. But a food walk guide training programme taught the girls they can earn their own money, and that they belong to a community and the community to them.
As a woman panchayat president in her debut term, did Jini face obstacles? “No, I don’t think so. A woman can lead just as well as a man. But the important thing here is we need cooperation from everyone..."
Venilla was awarded the ‘Covid Women Warriors, The Real Heroes’ award by the National Commission for Women on January 31, 2021, for her exceptional work during the pandemic.