Disha
Disha project was launched in 2015 in partnership with the United Nation Development Programme (UNDP), Xynteo, and India Development Foundation supported by IKEA Foundation. The project aimed to address the emerging paradox between India’s high growth rates and abysmally low and declining female labor force participation rate (FLFPR). It explored the needs and aspirations of highly challenged socio-economic sections of women and girls. Disha was rolled out across five major states of India – Delhi, Haryana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Telangana through 2015-2019 in a ‘proof of concept’ mode. Its ambitious scope included: 1. Provision of One Million women with marketable skills and livelihood opportunities 2. Develop innovative and scalable public-private partnership models 3. Establish a continuum connecting education to skills, jobs, and growth. The project can be categorised into the following four themes or models: Model 1 – Education to Work Transition; Model 2 – Employment Marketplace; Model 3 – Fostering Women-Entrepreneurship through the Community Mentorship; Model 4 – Enhancing Gender Equality in Value Chains.
Overview
| Project Name | Disha |
|---|---|
| Project Status | Completed |
| Project Location | Haryana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, New Delhi, Telangana |
| Project Start Date | 01-Jan-2015 |
| Estimated End Date | 31-Dec-2020 |
| Implementing Partner(s) | Xynteo, India Development Foundation |
| Funding Supported by | IKEA Foundation |
Objectives
- To economically empower one million women by 2019 through skilling and education, job placement, and entrepreneurial activity
- To create linkages between education and skills with employment and growth in India
- To create and test new models of public-private partnership which can have a scalable and transformational impact for women and skilling ecosystem in India
Achievements
By the end of 2019, Disha supported the economic empowerment of 1,023,020 women from marginalized communities across five partner states, thereby meeting its ambitious target of One Million women. Disha was able to create a convergence between the Ministry of Skills, NITI Aayog, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI), and UNDP and constituted a task force to create a policy-level document on education to work transition and promotion of career guidance and counselling. Disha also promoted gender transformation in value chains in three critical ways: 1. by engaging women in traditionally male-dominated market-facing roles; 2. mitigating the effects of restricted mobility by bringing markets closer to women through locally centered aggregation centers and 3. by strengthening organic farming.
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