Currently ongoing projects that we support financially

(Stand: May 2024)

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1. Literacy Programs
 

Implementing partner: Institution of Culture and Rural Development (I-CARD), Johrat, Assam, India, https://i-cardjorhat.org

Funded since: 2019

 

The mission of Institution of Culture and Rural Development (I-CARD) is to put the tribals on the development map of Assam through a time-bound program of systematic and intensive sustainable development strategies at all levels. The community is to be educated to develop cumulatively on its own with the help of indigenous resources. I-CARD ensures a successful future for the community through strong youth projects and conducts a holistic campaign to promote health awareness among women and children. The NGO helps to protect and preserve the cultural identity and traditional values, language and literature of the Mising tribes from disappearing. FrauenPower e.V. has been supporting I-CARD in its literacy initiatives for women since 2019. The aim of this project is to empower up to 700 Mising women annually by teaching them basic reading and writing skills over a period of one year. Instructors and volunteers conduct classes in up to 28 different villages. Classes are held in the evenings so as not to interfere with the women's daily work. In addition to these courses, women's development and empowerment courses are also held. These include sessions on women's rights, social justice, health care, family planning, preservation of Mising culture, girls' education, and so on. Women are divided into self-help groups, taught business development skills and encouraged to become financially independent. (Photos of the Project)

 

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2. Tailoring Courses

 

Implementing partner: Institution of Culture and Rural Development (I-Card), Johrat, Assam, India, https://i-cardjorhat.org
Funded since: 2021

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We are implementing a second project with I-CARD in which we train up to 50 women a year to become tailors, so that they can earn an income with these skills by starting their own business or finding employment in this field. Many women in this part of India are illiterate or have limited education. There are also few job opportunities for women in these regions other than agricultural work. Poverty is a major problem and many men have migrated to find work in other parts of the country. Tailoring is one of the few employment opportunities for women as they can do the work in their spare time. In addition, many women in these regions weave their own fabrics, which also need to be sewn. FrauenPower supports two tailors who travel from remote village to village with sewing machines every few months. They spend a few months in the villages to teach the women the necessary tailoring and sewing skills and test them at the end.​ (Photos of the Project)

 

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3. Health Camps

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Implementing partner: Kevin Rohan Memorial Eco Foundation (KRMEF), Kathmandu, Nepal, http://www.krmef.org
Supported since: 2019

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Kevin Rohan Memorial Eco Foundation (KRMEF) creates a healthy, sustainable environment that embodies eco-friendly practices for the wellbeing of local communities in and around Kathmandu, Nepal. Their main objective is to promote health and well-being in the poorest communities by bringing about sustainable change through eco-friendly programs. FrauenPower e.V. supports KRMEF in their health check-up initiative with the aim of improving the health of women and their communities. Between 300 and 400 women take part in health check-ups at health camps that take place 3 to 4 times a year in rural areas. Women are screened for cancer, thyroid problems, gynaecological problems and a range of other issues. After the first camps, health education and awareness of various common women's diseases increased in the community. It is hoped that by improving the health of the women, the standard of living of their families and communities can also be improved. Another aim of the health camps is to create awareness among the women about the environment and healthy living. (Photos of the Project)

 

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4. The Zuri Initiative Women’s Empowerment Program

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Implementing partner: The Zuri Initiative Trust, Nairobi, Kenya, www.zuri-initiative.com
Funded since: 2019

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The Zuri Initiative Trust (Zuri) was founded in 2018 to help economically disadvantaged, unemployed, poorly educated women to improve their financial situation. Zuri's vision is to create a sustainable future in which women and communities are socially and economically empowered. The initiative aims to empower women, promote entrepreneurship, alleviate poverty and transform communities with social capital. FrauenPower supports 60 women per year to complete various training courses with Zuri. Women must first complete a three-month training program - ZIWEP 1 - which covers topics such as group structure, financial literacy, entrepreneurship, personal confidence, and more. Many of these women then participate in the more advanced 3-month ZIWEP II training program, where they receive further training in sales, marketing, bookkeeping, confidence, and more. The women who want to become self-employed then take part in a 3-month business training course in which they are supported in implementing their business idea. The focus here is on business planning, finance and accounting. Around 30 women per year then receive a microloan to set up a small business. FrauenPower supports both the ZIWEP training and Zuri's Social Capital Credits (SoCCs) initiative (a concept developed by Asia Initiatives, www.asiainitiatives.org). SoCCs is a virtual community currency for social welfare. It is a bottom-up initiative that gives communities the power and freedom of choice to share in its success. People engage socially to earn SoCCs, which they can then redeem to improve their lives. Women earn SoCCs by recycling, upcycling, cleaning up their neighbourhoods, volunteering and helping their neighbours. They then redeem the SoCCs they earn for items that are important to them or for microcredits. (Photos of the Project)

 

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5. KADAM Girls' Empowerment Program

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Implementing partner: Center for Development (CfD), Ahmadabad, India, https://www.cfdngo.org
Funded since: 2020

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Center for Development (CfD) was founded in 1996 to combat the problem of child labour in the poorer areas of the city of Ahmadabad. It started with formal education for poor children and addressed the rights and problems of vulnerable groups (girls, women, early marriage, violence, etc.) and tried to empower the oppressed, exploited and disadvantaged groups (mainly women and girls from the lower castes or Muslim women). CfD has established the “Kadam Resource Center for Girls (KADAM)” where traumatized or neglected girls (either Muslim or from the untouchable class, daughters of single mothers or abused girls) are provided with a safe space. There are rooms where they can participate in therapy sessions and attend training, literacy classes and educational programs and workshops (computer and internet skills, self-defence courses, training as health workers or beauticians, etc.). The centre also helps girls to find work after they complete their education. Since 2020, FrauenPower has been supporting KADAM and with the education of 30 girls per year. We pay for their school/college fees, for their extra tuition, provide books and hygiene articles, as well as food items when their families cannot afford any. Despite the problems associated with Covid-19, some girls have completed their school education in the last three years and secured a place at university. Two of the girls have managed to get admission at the prestigious St. Xavier's College in Ahmadabad and two others have received a Master's degree. A handful of girls have managed to find a job. (Photos of the Project)

 

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6. Udaan

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Implementing partner: Shohratgarh Environmental Society, SES, Lucknow, India, www.sesindia.org
Funded since: 2020

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Shohratgarh Environmental Society (SES) has been in operation for more than 34 years and has contributed immensely to the empowerment of women and girls. They bring about social change through knowledge sharing, capacity building, experiential learning and entrepreneurial development in a sustainable, ecological way. FrauenPower e.V. funds their digital empowerment program with the aim of equipping girls with skills, confidence and life options so that they can have a better future. Nearly 300 girls a year benefit from this program. The project addresses the vulnerabilities of young girls living in the social, cultural and economic environment of a slum (which can be very challenging). According to SES, 51% of girls growing up in the slums of Lucknow will marry before the age of 18, 56% are anaemic, 72% of early marriages were not educated and 14% became pregnant as teenagers. The project focuses on empowering hundreds of young girls, aged 15 to 21 year, through 13 girls' resource centres in 20 slums of Lucknow. The girls have access to teachers, computers and literature at the centres where they can improve their English and computer skills. The problems of young girls are regularly identified to provide them with the appropriate support, including that of parents, community leaders and service providers. The girls are also given access to basic services such as health, education, nutrition and hygiene. (Photos of the Project)

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​7. Organic Agriculture Project

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Implementing partner: Voluntary Integration for Education and Welfare of Society, VIEWS, Odisha, India, www.viewsindia.org.in
Funded since: 2020

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Voluntary Integration for Education and Welfare of Society (VIEWS) is a youth-centric grass-roots organization working to improve the nutrition and livelihoods of marginalized and landless farmers in Odisha, India. They have been in operation since 2008. FrauenPower e.V. works with VIEWS to support the social and economic empowerment of 600 tribal women a year. The women are taught, through women's self-help groups, how to set up organic vegetable/kitchen gardens and adopt sustainable agricultural practices in tribal communities. The women also perform good deeds (e.g. keeping their environment clean and planting trees) and earn social capital as a result. Men from this area have migrated to work in larger cities, leaving women behind to farm (or rent) their own limited land. However, many of these women lack knowledge of improved farming methods and stick to their primitive, time-consuming farming ways (which include the use of high-priced chemical fertilizers). This project, which operates in 28 villages, empowers and trains women in organic farming, promotes organic vegetable gardens at household level, trains women to start organic composting, encourages them to plant trees (over 300 have been planted per year), supports cleanliness campaigns and insists on the establishment of seed banks for seed conservation. (Photos of the Project)

 

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8. Courses in Hairdressing, Beauty and Tailoring

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Implementing partner: Hawkers Market Girls Center (HMGC), Nairobi, Kenya, www.hawkersmarketgirlscentre.com/
Supported since: 2021

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​Hawkers Market Girls Center (HMGC) is a community-based organization that enables girls and young women to develop their full potential by teaching them both vocational and life skills. The girls who come to the centre are mainly from slums around Nairobi, where there is usually no fresh/tap water, limited space and no sanitary facilities. HMGC provides the girls with clean water, free food and free education. FrauenPower supports HMGC in running a combined course which serves as a full-time hairdressing, beauty therapy, tailoring and baking courses for one year, for 40 girls. The girls decide after a few months in which area they want to specialize. They are also taught life skills and household management so that they could work as maids. These training courses, run by professionals, give vulnerable girls and young women (aged 15 to 22) a perspective to learn new skills so that they can later find employment and earn a living or start their own small business. Many of these girls have not completed their secondary education, have been abused in some way, are teenage mothers or have had problems with drugs. The centre offers these girls and women therapy, coaching and a safe environment in which they can improve their situation and strive for a better future. The girls are also provided with two meals a day and hygiene products, both of which encourage the girls to attend classes. (Photos of the Project)

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9. Hairdressing and Cosmetics Course

 

Implementing partner: YMCA National Training Institute (YMCA NTI), Nairobi, Kenya
Supported since: 2021

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YMCA National Training Institute (YMCA) was founded in 2005 to provide technical training to youngsters. Their programs are regularly updated to meet the current and emerging needs of students, businesses and industry. FrauenPower is funding another hairdressing course in Kenya, this time a certified course, at the YMCA. This one-year course gives 40 girls and young women the opportunity to improve their access to the job market by acquiring a skill that is in high demand. Hair, hairstyles and beauty play an important role in women's appearance in Kenya (as elsewhere) and people spend a lot of time and money getting their hair done, for instance. The women and girls who register at YMCA mainly come from “difficult backgrounds”, such as having experienced violence, having become mothers at a young age, having no school-leaving qualifications or having limited financial or future prospects. This training (which they would not have been able to afford on their own) gives them a chance to improve their future and that of their families. In addition, the women and girls are supported in building up their often weak self-confidence and are taught communication and conflict management techniques, as well as other soft and business skills. All girls also take part in the social capital credit initiative, where they do good and earn credits that they can exchange for hair-related items. (Photos of the Project)

 

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10. Urumala

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Implementing partner: Action for Community Organization, Rehabilitation and Development (ACCORD), Gudalur, Nilgiris, India, https://www.accordweb.in/
Funded since: 2023

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In 2021, Action for Community Organization, Rehabilitation and Development (ACCORD) supported the establishment of Urumala, a micro-enterprise run by Adivasi women in south India. Women who joined Urumala have received training in business, commercial and technical skills, with the aim of Adivasi women running Urumala business over time or eventually become self-employed. The first product line for which the women were trained was the production of reusable sanitary napkins for an organization called Ecofemme. FrauenPower supports 30 women a year, to undergo training in tailoring so that they can make products such as sanitary napkins, bags, aprons, patchwork blankets, etc. The women have to make 3,000 reusable sanitary napkins first which are then distributed free of charge to 750 Adivasi women. They also organize menstrual health education sessions for girls and women of menstrual age and also hold sessions on sexual and reproductive health and rights. (Photos of the Project)

Our successfully completed projects

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1. Eco-preneurship Program for Women

 

Implementing partner: M.S Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF), Chennai, India, https://www.mssrf.org

 

M.S Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) is a non-profit foundation that aims to accelerate the use of modern science for sustainable agricultural and rural development. The Foundation focuses specifically on tribal and rural communities with an emphasis on the poor, women and environment. The foundation applies appropriate scientific and technological capabilities to solve practical agricultural and nutritional problems of the rural population. FrauenPower e.V. supported a project to strengthen the skills and knowledge of indigenous women to become “Eco-Preneurs” as part of the “eco-project” in Kolli Hills, Tamil Nadu. It was recognized that tribal women had limited access to training and development of organic precursors, lacked market awareness and were unable to utilize local plant resources to their advantage. The objective of this training program was to create awareness on conservation and sustainable use of local resources, expand value chain oriented training on primary and secondary processing of locally available plant genetic resources, build financial linkages for tribal women and create market linkages for their products. Some tribal women were developed as trainer of trainers to lead the further development of rural “Eco-Preneurs”. This project aimed to empower women - especially in the age group between 20 and 35 years - and enable them to utilize their natural environment and available resources for sustainable and mutual benefit. This project was successfully completed in 2019 and 30 women have received training. (Photos of the Project)

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2. Zuri Vertical Gardens (VGs) Initiative

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Implementing partner: The Zuri Initiative Trust, Nairobi, Kenya www.zuri-initiative.com

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​This is a second project FrauenPower e.V. has initiated together with The Zuri Initiative Trust. In this initiative, 200 women from informal settlements (Kibera and Mathare) were provided with vertical gardens (VGs) between 2020 and 2022. VGs are basically large planting bags that take up little space and make it possible to grow kale, spinach and spring onions in a small space. Such a bag has the capacity to feed a household of 6 people, produces vegetables all year round and is strong enough to last 3 years. Such gardens also require less water and improve land productivity as the space required is minimal. The women had to first earn Social Capital Credits (SoCCs) through good deeds (recycling, composting, neighbourhood cleaning, etc.) and the accumulated SoCCs were then redeemed for the VGs. Each woman received a planting bag, wire to stabilize the bag, compost, seeds and training on how to create and maintain her garden. The introduction of these gardens is not only innovative, but also addresses the principles of good nutrition. They also provide the necessary solutions to space problems, the women can earn an income by selling the surplus produce, and they and their families get healthy vegetables. (Photos of the Project)

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3. Menstrual Hygiene Management and Production of Sanitary Towels

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Implementing partner: Divya Jyoti Mahila Vikash (DJMV), Odisha, India, http://djmv.cfsites.org

 

Divya Jyoti Mahila Vikash (DJMV), a non-governmental organization, is committed to the improvement and development of neglected communities in Odisha. It focuses on women empowerment, livelihood support, organic farming, education and menstrual hygiene management. It works through community-based initiatives, participation and awareness raising, mainly through women's self-help groups (SHGs) that serve over 1250 women. The coastal fishing communities in Odisha continue to view menstrual blood as unclean and shameful and women tend to neglect the importance of proper menstrual management, leading to a number of infections. Problems are that families cannot (often) afford sanitary pads, the pads available are not biodegradable and disposal is a real problem (waste is not collected). In 2019, FrauenPower supported 40 women from different SHGs to set up a small production facility for reusable sanitary pads. These pads are cheap, reusable and easily accessible. Many women now also make a living selling the pads door to door. In addition to making sanitary pads, over 200 girls were trained in Adolescents and Sexual Reproductive Health and Menstrual Hygiene Management; skills that they are meant to pass on to others. (Photos of the Project)

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4. Teen Talk Program

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Implementing partner: Amani Kibera, Nairobi, Kenya, https://amanikibera.co.ke/

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Amani Kibera is a non-profit, non-governmental, youth-led, community-based organization that is dedicated to and involved in running and imparting knowledge to the disadvantaged segment of the Kibera slum, especially women and children. In 2021, FrauenPower enabled up to 70 teenage girls to visit Amani Kibera every Saturday to participate in their Teen Talk Program. Most of these girls, aged between 11 and 18 years, live in the slum and have suffered some form of abuse and/or trauma. Amani offers them counselling and therapy that is conducted by professionals employed by the centre. The latter offers the girls a place where they can relax, forget their problems, get professional help and unwind. Dance and music therapy is mostly used to address some of these issues. The girls were also provided with two hot meals on Saturdays, as well as hygiene items (e.g. reusable sanitary pads) if needed. They were also educated about their changing bodies, menstrual hygiene management, contraception (a serious issue in these communities) and much more. Many of these are taboo subjects that are not normally addressed by schools or families at home. One can already see some positive changes in the girls who have been at the centre for a year; they have great ambitions to become lawyers, musicians, actresses, nanotechnologists or fight for justice in the slums, among other things! We wish them the best of luck. (Photos of the Project)

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5. Period Poverty

 

Implementing partner: Together for Better Foundation, (t4b), Nairobi, Kenya, https://t4bfoundation.org/

 

The Together For Better Foundation (t4b) was established with the aim of providing better life opportunities to less privileged communities by improving access to learning resources and educational materials. Their purpose is also to create solutions for effective menstrual health management by providing education, training and adequate information on menstrual health hygiene. They aim to effectively decimate and demystify menstrual health myths through information education, thereby also curbing the alarmingly growing number of early and adolescent girl pregnancies. FrauenPower partnered with t4b to tackle the serious problem of period poverty in the country. Studies show that over 65% of girls and women in poor countries cannot afford sanitary pads or tampons. This means that girls and women often use a piece of cloth (often shared by other family members), bark or paper. This often results in them missing an average of 4 days a month of school or work when they have their period. t4b has employed tailors to make reusable sanitary pads which they then distribute as kits to schoolgirls across the country. Each kit contains 6 washable pads and information on menstrual hygiene management. t4b also trains women from our other programs on how to make such pads from old T-shirts or fabric scraps. Some of these trained women are inspired to start their own small businesses making such pads. These pads can be sewn either by hand or with a sewing machine. With our support, 300 kits were distributed to girls in 2021 and 30 women were trained to sew reusable sanitary pads. (Photos of the Project)

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