Background
Nearly 20 years ago, the 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami destroyed homes, shattered lives and ruined livelihoods. As one of the many responses to the crisis, Amma and the MA Math started the AmritaSREE program, a community-based Self-Help Groups initiative, to help the women impacted rebuild their lives. Three years ago, the Covid pandemic struck. While the Tsunami locked us out, the Covid pandemic locked us in. Memories of its trail of loss are still fresh in our minds. The pandemic hit hard rural women and transgender individuals in India. Apart from the tragic health impacts, job opportunities dwindled, pushing them further into economic uncertainty. The transgender community, already marginalized, faced heightened discrimination, making it even harder to secure employment or access social services.
To help them bide the storm, Amma supported over 250,000 women through the pandemic by providing cash support, food and clothing, and ration supplies, twice a year. It was Amma’s desire to build resilience and preparedness in these communities, addressing the challenges revealed by Covid, to strengthen the women’s Self-Help Group structures through diversification of livelihoods. Under her guidance and as part of an initiative led by the Government of India’s Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, called “Avsar SANKALP – Skill Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion,” Amrita University provided vocational training to 4,500 women and transgender individuals.
The “Empowering Women & Communities through the Art of Beekeeping” project, for the promotion of beekeeping as a means of sustainable livelihood for villagers, was started in April 2023. The initiative targeted the 3 villages of Nala, Bhiri and Giriya, in Uttarakhand, reaching 65 women villagers in Self-Help Groups SHG to provide them training, and set up an apiary in each of the villages. It came as a step towards sustainable development and a better tomorrow for the people of Uttarakhand.The project was in partnership with Maruti Overseas and supported by ESRI India.
The project included:
Courses and practical trainings on various aspects of beekeeping. Post-training business development workshops to increase the potential for business success: enhancing the effective functioning of SHGs, digital literacy.Amrita Overall Approach and States of Implementation Industry exposure field visits. Participation in trade-shows and exhibitions to sell beekeeping-based products. Help in capital funding to Self-Help Group (SHG) members. As the project kicked off, the participating trainees were provided with the needed new beehive boxes, tools, equipment and materials.
Mizoram, one of the seven states of the North East Region of India, is a beautiful land of rolling hills, rivers, and lakes. While literacy rates are high, Mizoram also has a high number of unemployed, and the rugged land makes ease of doing business a major challenge. Substance abuse has been identified as a rising concern among young people here. Health indicators highlight the high prevalence of anaemia in children, adolescent girls and women, and growing non-communicable diseases [NCD] including various types of cancers.
Under a grant from the Department of Science and Technology, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, in collaboration with Mizoram University, plans to build Science, Technology & Innovation Hubs in the districts of Aizawl and Serchhip to promote sustainable livelihoods through Capacity Building and Skill Development for tribal communities.
The STI Hub is a collaborative initiative taken by the government and private sectors to address key challenges, provide sustainable solutions and create a thriving ecosystem in the state of Mizoram, paving the way for a brighter future.
Livelihood Empowerment
Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS)
Knowledge Resource and Databank