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In collaboration with DOW ERG, Smile Foundation has undertaken a significant initiative to empower women through the Reproductive Health Awareness Programme in Sriperumbudur, Chennai. This programme aims to enable women and girls to lead lives of dignity and become catalysts for positive change in their communities by improving health-seeking behavior, economic participation, and decision-making.
The overarching goal of this programme is to enhance the self-esteem and inner strength of marginalized and socially excluded women and adolescent girls through innovative community practices. By focusing on reproductive health awareness, the project empowers women and girls to make informed choices and take control of their own health.
One of the key aspects of this program is the active engagement of various stakeholders within the community, including men, service providers, and local leaders. By addressing women’s health-related issues and fostering attitudinal shifts, the project promotes positive health-seeking practices and encourages a supportive environment for women’s well-being.
The impact of this initiative has been remarkable, directly benefiting approximately 5000 women in the reproductive age group (15-49 years) from underprivileged communities. Additionally, the project extends its reach to engage men, frontline health workers, and other stakeholders, ensuring a comprehensive approach to address reproductive health issues.
Through the collaborative efforts of Smile Foundation and DOW ERG, women in Sriperumbudur are empowered to prioritize their health and well-being. By equipping them with knowledge, skills, and support, this programme is driving positive change and enabling women to shape their own futures.
Dow Chemicals International Private Limit has partnered with Smile Foundation for the integrated community development projects in Navi Mumbai, Sriperumbudur; and women’s empowerment as well as remedial education and quality improvement in education project at Saidapet, Tamil Nadu.
At Navi Mumbai:
The project is focussed on children. It provides an engaging, participatory and child-centered learning environment by providing blended learning avenues to the children and simultaneously introducing awareness on water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) for better practices amongst them.
It also aids women in capacity building on entrepreneurship development and mobilizing support to enhance the access to existing government schemes to start their own business. In addition, the program also promotes the well-being of adolescent girls by Adolescent Reproductive and Sexual Health (ARSH) initiatives.
The project will focus in achieving the Third, Fourth, Fifth, and Eleventh Goals of the Sustainable Development Goals-2015 for ‘Good Health and Well Being’, ‘Quality Education’, ‘Gender Equality’ and ‘Sustainable Cities and Communities’.
At Saidapet:
Smile Foundation’s intervention aims to transform traditional classrooms into engaging and participatory ones. It will create a child-centered learning environment by integrating technology and supporting slow learners through remedial classes. The project also enables capacity building and handholding of the teachers in transacting through digital content in the classrooms. Through the digital and innovative interventions, approximately 515 children will be benefitted. Among these, 200 children will be identified and provided with remedial education support. This project will focus in achieving the Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Goals of the Sustainable Development Goals.
