October 3, 2024: The Flipkart Foundation, the charitable arm of the Flipkart Group, has collaborated with Swades Foundation, a leading grassroots organization in rural development, to launch a transformative initiative aimed at uplifting the rural youth in Raigad district of Maharashtra. The project, named ‘Rural Prosperity: Empowering Rural Youth through Targeted Skill Development for Sustainable Incomes,’ is set to enhance livelihoods by skilling 200 youth with the goal of increasing household incomes by approx. INR 80,000 annually.
The program will focus on providing vocational training to youth between the age of 18 and 35, with an extended age limit of up to 10 years for select community-based self-employment courses like masonry and painting. This initiative seeks to elevate individual incomes and improve employability in the region, indirectly benefiting over 660 family members, thereby, positively impacting approximately 860 individuals overall.
By addressing industry-specific skill gaps, the program aligns the training with the needs of today’s job market. It aims to tackle youth unemployment by providing essential skills for meaningful careers and advancing social inclusion by offering equal opportunities to marginalized groups. Additionally, the program fosters a culture of lifelong learning, ensuring that participants are well-prepared for continuous career growth and are adaptable to future trends.
The program includes several key phases: mobilizing and engaging the youth, counseling and assessment, enrollment, training, post-training evaluation, and ongoing tracking of employment outcomes. Each skilling batch will span approximately 55 days, with participants receiving certification upon successful completion.
Commenting on the partnership, Puja Trisal, Director, Flipkart Foundation, said, “At the Flipkart Foundation, we believe in leveraging our resources and expertise to drive substantial and sustainable change. This partnership with the Swades Foundation represents a pivotal step in contributing towards transforming the economic landscape of Raigad’s rural communities. By focusing on skill development, we are not just providing vocational training; we are igniting opportunities for financial independence and long-term prosperity. We are committed to empowering these young individuals to become catalysts for positive change within their communities, and we are excited to see the profound impact this initiative will have on their lives.”
Zarina Screwvala, Co-founder, Swades Foundation, added, “Skilling, when correctly done, not only impacts the confidence of the young person, but helps them lift their entire family out of poverty. This brings a much-needed sense of pride and many young people inspire others in their villages to take part. We are pleased to partner with Flipkart Foundation to expand this high impact programme.”
This collaboration which aims to equip the youth with specialized vocational skills and versatile abilities will not only enhance the employability of beneficiaries but also open pathways to self- employment.
In the past year, Flipkart Foundation has worked with underserved communities on various developmental issues across Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Maharashtra,Telangana, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal to serve, support, and empower unskilled and underprivileged sections of society to ensure maximum reach and sustainable impact.
