International Women’s Day: In Hyderabad, Shilpa Reddy launches skill development initiatives for women

Shilpa Reddy, Hyderabad-based former Mrs India winner, fashion designer, fitness enthusiast and an advocate of sustainable living practices formally launched the non-profit organisation Raising Shakthi Foundation (RSF), ahead of International Women’s Day. A curtain raiser event was held on Thursday at Gajularamaram, on the outskirts of Hyderabad.

The Foundation aims to empower women in skill development and train them for employment and entrepreneurship opportunities. “It feels like I have come full circle in life and it is my time to give back. Through my foundation, I look forward to helping women learn new skill sets and empower them,” states Shilpa Reddy.

A skill centre at Ring Basthi in Jagathgirigutta, Hyderabad, will offer complimentary three-month training programmes for girls and women living in urban slums, particularly those facing economic constraints and lacking academic qualifications. On the rationale behind setting up the skill centre at Ring Basthi, a statement from the Foundation explains that based on a recent report, the combined population of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh consists of approximately 1.74 crore individuals aged between 18 and 35. However, only 65% of this population falls within the working age bracket. “Based on demographic assessment, we found that this area has a fairly large number of unemployed people. This location provides ample scope for creating a change in the lives of our beneficiary groups.”

Three-month training programs will be offered for beautician, tailoring and IT skills for 3000 girls and women between the ages of 18 and 40. Faculty and trainers will engage with batches of 30 candidates for each skill. The IT skills module will teach women the foundations of computer science, basic coding, database management, and understanding the internet for networking and app development.

As part of its non-profit activities, the RSF also donated gym equipment worth ₹12 lakh to SRD (Society for Rural Development) for a sports complex in Musheerabad on February 26.