Project Saksham

IDFC FIRST Bank in partnership with Animedh Charitable Trust runs an income generation program to train women from low income groups residing in slums of Mumbai in advance tailoring courses to help them become financially independent by enabling them to start earning from home. We have trained 650 women across our three tailoring centers located in Jogeshwari, Andheri and Vashi till date.

Kartika who has difficulty hearing in both her ears, started training at IDFC FIRST Bank supported Project Saksham. She was always very keen in getting to know how clothes were made. Due to her hearing impairment she was delivered instructions in written form and here is what she has to say about our support - "I never thought I would be able to work in an environment like this, but now I no longer look at my inability to hear as something that will stop me. Thank you IDFC FIRST Bank for supporting me to become self-reliant."

- Kratika,
Trainee at Saksham

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Beauty Entrepreneurship Program

IDFC FIRST Bank in partnership with Pratham Training Institute helps women from low-income groups with holistic support to establish and manage their beauty enterprises. This program not only supports technical training in enterprise management but also extends credit facilities and legal advice to sustain their business in beauty industry successfully. We have supported 63 first time women entrepreneurs since the commencement of this program in 2017.

"My family conditions were such that I could not afford higher education and was married off at a very early age. My husband was not employed and I had two children to take care of and this only worsened as the responsibilities grew. After years of struggling, I sought a job in a beauty parlour hoping to make ends meet. I was the sole breadwinner of the family and gradually started providing for my in-laws too. With two years of experience to my credit, I realised that the only path to financial stability was through starting my own parlour. Considering the risk, I set up my own parlour. Operating out of a single room, the equipment was basic and I worked long hours as I could not afford appointing an assistant. I would even offer door-to-door services just to make enough to match the expenditure incurred. The business was not always stable and I would often lose clients because I could not offer more advanced or high-end services.

In early in 2018, Pratham's coordinator met me and briefed me about the Entrepreneurship program supported by IDFC FIRST Bank. Recognising this as an opportunity for growth, I immediately availed a grant of 30,000 INR and went through Pratham’s beauty and enterprise management training which was immensely helpful. The money allowed me to purchase advanced equipment, mirrors and shelves and a large set of cosmetics and consumables. With my revamped setup and improved skill set, I feel a new kind of confidence. This program has helped me get closer to my dreams, helped me stand on my own feet. Every woman should get this opportunity to make something of their lives and become independent.

Thank you IDFC FIRST Bank for helping me regain my confidence."

- Maya Jadhav,
Women entrepreneur and owner of Sangita Beauty Parlour

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Social Entrepreneurship Program

IDFC FIRST Bank in partnership with Social Alpha, a technology business incubator supports women-led social enterprise - Tactopus Learning Solution Private Limited that develops tactile kits and interaction tools for students with visual impairment. The support is currently being used to develop proprietary interaction content that would be worth five years of curriculum and will be deployed in at least 180 blind schools, while making 3900 Schools inclusive.

"At Tactopus we have spent the past two years working closely with a wide community of teachers and parents of children with vision loss and learning disabilities. The funding support from IDFC FIRST Bank, has helped us refine the prototypes and produce the first batch of books for launch. With continued support, we're now able to focus on creating more of the content that the community has expressed need for. The faith and confidence of IDFC First Bank team has helped us turn a promising idea into the fully functional product that many blind and sighted children actively use today."

- Chandni Rajendran,
Co-Founder, Tactopus Learning Solution Private Limited

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