PAHAL (Promotion and
Advancement of Health and Livelihood)
Project
PAHAL (Promotion and Advancement
of Health and Livelihood) is a
partnership project in
collaboration with NABARD
(National Bank for Rural and
Agricultural Development). The
uniqueness of the project lies
in its approach for it would
address the neglected health
needs of those rural women who
are in their reproductive age.
This is also first time that the
Moser Baer Trust has received
part funding from an external
resource i.e. NABARD under its
Rural Innovation Fund scheme.
This project aimed at promoting
hygiene and health amongst the
women in their reproductive age
by providing low cost sanitary
napkins and at the same time,
engaging the rural women for
production and marketing of
sanitary napkins for their
economic enhancement and
empowerment.
Under
the project, a low cost sanitary
napkin manufacturing unit has
been established in Aagar
village of Gautam Budh Nagar
(UP.) and the rural women,
hailing from lower economic
strata, are trained in the
manufacturing and packaging
processes of the low cost
sanitary napkins. These women
would also be trained to manage
and run the unit once it gets
stabilized. As of now, the unit
has been manned by seven full
time staffers. Additionally, it
will create opportunities for
thousands of SHG members belong
to the villages of Gautam Budh
Nagar. They would be directly
involved in awareness building,
marketing and sales of the
sanitary pads. Apart from this,
small Napkin vending machines
will be installed in girls’
schools with a view to provide
them access to sanitary napkins
in their reproductive age. With
a view to develop a sense
belongingness and as a part of
their capacity building, the
unit members are also involved
in day to day processes that
entail keeping the record of
production, marketing of the
products and developing systems
to ensure better functioning of
the unit. They have also
mutually decided to market the
products under the brand
“Umang”.
Disha “Ek Mouka” - Making Youth Employable Moser
Baer Trust in partnership with CAP Foundation and USAID
has initiated Disha
- a livelihoods programme that is aiming to create 1000
jobs annually in the region. Disha's vision is of
creating 'healthy productive young people in the
communities that we do business in with special focus on
disadvantaged groups.'
A stakeholder dialogue with the neighboring communities
and local authorities threw up livelihoods as the most
critical issue facing the region. With this in mind, we
first conducted market scans in the region to identify
entry level job opportunities and the requisite skill
sets required for those, designed curriculum to meet
that need which included not only the technical
component but also life skills training, basic computer
know-how and conversational English.
The
technical courses currently being offered are:
1) Customer Relation & sales
2) Office Assistant
3) Hospitality
4) Call Center Training
5) Computer Hardware
6) Desk top Publishing
7) Information Technology Enabled Service
8) Microsoft Unlimited Potential
The Project was started in September 2007 has already
trained and placed youth from the neighboring
communities with very encouraging results.
Disha
has proved to be a huge success with 85 per cent
placement record (1,250 placements out of the 1,523
trained youth) from 110 villages of NOIDA and Greater
NOIDA in various company outlets like McDonald, Pizza
Hut, Reliance, ICICI, HDFC, and Lifestyle, etc. in its
first phase. These youths have been employed at a salary
ranging from Rs3,500-6,500. Few of them have also
reached the upper rungs of the ladder with a salary of
Rs 7,500 and above, and been awarded as best employees
in their respective companies.
To recognize the success of the Phase I candidates of
Disha – Ek Mauka, Moser Baer Trust organised a final
convocation. MBT has also launched Phase II of Disha
– Ek Mauka.
“It is not just about numbers though, our biggest
achievement lies in the way we have been able to touch
lives and rehabilitate young people who came from the
most disadvantaged sections and who are now proud
contributors to the well being of their families and
respected members of the society.”
Moser
Baer Trust runs a vocational training centre at Kakrala
village near its manufacturing plant at NOIDA.` The
Centre currently provides training in tailoring
and dress making. Soon we are planning to start courses
like Beauty Culture,
Mehandi and Computer Training.
Self
Help Groups of Women
Moser Baer is committed towards
empowerment of women apart from providing them
opportunities for learning and vocational training. We
have facilitated formation of SHGs of women which are
being linked up with various Government Schemes and also
with garment export houses to generate business for
these groups.
Moser Baer follows ardently the principle of society
friendly and environment friendly approach in all its
endeavours. Aligning itself with the said principle, it
has recently set up a social and environmental
enterprise, called ‘Kriti Eco Papers Unit’, in Dehradun,
in collaboration with the organization Kriti. It is a
paper-recycling unit that is managed professionally and
is based on ethical principles of labour and protection
of environment with the professional vision of
generating work to the people. This unit is being run by
women hailing from socially and economically
disadvantaged groups, who were trained to operate and
run the unit, These women earn a decent income with
dignity and ensure fundamental sustenance of their
families. The unit is now into the mode of production of
paper and paper products from recycled waste
This project has emerged into a positive triple
bottom-line impact since it is addressing social,
environmental and economic concerns in its area of
operation.
Shaping lives…….
‘Aakar’
(the shape), the Livelihood centre, came into existence
with a view to shape up the lives of marginalized women
in the operational spheres of Moser Baer Trust & Moser
Baer Limited plants. This project evolved with a vision
to provide sustainable livelihood to women, as per their
capacities and need of the area, all together promoting
them towards economic empowerment and self-reliance.
To fulfill its vision, MBT established direct link with
the export houses and now acts as a link between them
and the workers, thereby, creating conducive work
environment by minimizing the involvement of contractors
and promoting fair trade. This centre is not confined to
providing work only to the women engaged at the centre,
but efforts are also for the development of skills of
the women engaged with centre. This entails capacity
building of the women through trainings on gender
sensitization, entrepreneurial skills development,
centre management and granting ownership of the centre
to them for making it sustainable.
First livelihood centre under the big umbrella of
“Aakar”, situated at village Nagla, Noida, was
inaugurated by Ms. Nita Puri Trustee and Director- Admin
& HR, MBIL on 22nd April 2010. The Gram Panchayat has
provided space to run this centre, thereby, making this
centre a community owned institution. MBT intends to
promote such centres at various locations as per the
need of the area in the years to come. MBT would also
make efforts for replicating the same model in other
areas as well.