Who we are Read our Story
Our story starts more than 80 years ago with the birth of empowHER India's founder trustee Mr. Nirbhay Jain, who grew up watching his mother Sardar Kumari go out of her way to help people in need despite not having enough for her own family.
Years later, inspired by his mother and with an innate passion to give back to society he, along with his wife, brother and two friends, established Mould, a trust that was dedicated to helping underprivileged people in Indian villages. Years later in 1993, empowHER India was established under the nomenclature SKS Chakshu Foundation with a healthy grant from Rotary International.
As empowHER India worked relentlessly in the villages conducting eye check-up camps, they realised that the villages were suffering from more than just cataracts. Change was desperately needed if there was to be any progress in the region. And it would have to begin with the women of the villages.
empowHER India believes that when you empower one woman, you empower an entire family. When you empower several women from several families, you empower a community. With this core belief, empowHer India has driven community development — social, economic and educational — for over two decades in the villages and underdeveloped rural areas of Panvel in the state of Maharashtra.
Since its inception in 1993, empowHer India has been working persistently to engineer positive and sustainable change to holistically provide women access to economic opportunities and social justice through Self-Help Groups (SHGs) so they lead a life of dignity and well-being through better health, hygiene, sanitation and education.
SKS Chakshu Foundation becomes empowHER India.
Launch of the Micro-entrepreneur programs and Let's Build Toilets movement
150 Self Help Groups' federation grows to a membership of more than 2000 women
Establishment of the Chaitanya Kendra in association with Kotak Education Foundation at Akurli near Panvel.
Launch of vocational and special skills training
Medical Centre established at Usarli village
Economic Empowerment of Women initiated with Women's Self-Help Groups at Nere village
Foray into Education with the Rakesh Jain Secondary School and Balwadis (play schools)
An ophthalmic centre is established
Foundation grows to cover 65 villages, impacting more than 40,000 people
empowHER India takes birth as SKS Chakshu Foundation
You can help lots of people by donating little. See our causes
Women in rural India have a long history of being suppressed by an unjust patriarchal order. The lack of financial access severely hinders their path to self-reliance and empowerment.READ MORE
empowHER India enables rural women to become micro-entrepreneurs through skill training, mentor support, access to financial credit and industry-related workshops.READ MORE
WaSH — Water, Sanitation & Hygiene
Our focus is not only to build toilets, but also to strongly engage with the communities to make them understand the importance of sanitation, hygiene and ensure they use toilets.READ MORE
empowHER India provides low-cost legal support services to women for issues such as domestic violence, marital issues, property disputes, gender discrimination and more.READ MORE
empowHER India runs a state-of-the-art school in rural Panvel, educating rural students till grade 10 with commendable success rate of over 90 per cent in the Secondary School Certificate Board exams.READ MORE
empowHER India enables women to become micro-entrepreneurs through skills training, mentoring support, access to credit and vocational training with the help of Self-Help Group networks that we have created in the villages we serve. Today we are proud of our 160+ women entrepreneurs who have returned some of the sweetest smiles and 1500+ women on the road to entrepreneurship.