MoRD and UNICEF YuWaah Sign Statement of Intent to Empower Rural Women and Youth

The Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) YuWaah have signed a Statement of Intent (SOI) to empower rural women and youth across India. The three-year partnership focuses on creating livelihood opportunities, promoting entrepreneurship, and enhancing digital infrastructure for rural communities.

Objectives of the Partnership

The MoRD and UNICEF YuWaah collaboration is designed to:

• Strengthen livelihood opportunities for Self-Help Group (SHG) women through jobs, self-employment, and entrepreneurship.
• Enhance female labor force participation in rural India.
• Develop digital infrastructure through initiatives like Computer Didi Centers and Didi ki Dukan.
• Expand youth skilling and job aggregation through innovative platforms like Youth Hub.
• Support the government’s Lakhpati Didi initiative, enabling women to become successful entrepreneurs.

Key Initiatives Under the Collaboration

1. Digital Empowerment through “Computer Didi Centers” and “Didi ki Dukan”

• These centers will provide digital literacy training and help women establish online businesses.
• The initiative will begin as a pilot project in five blocks across five states: Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and Rajasthan.
• If successful, it will scale up to benefit 35 lakh women across 7,000+ blocks in India.

2. “Youth Hub” – A Platform for Job Opportunities and Skilling

• Youth Hub will serve as an aggregator for jobs, skilling programs, and volunteering opportunities.
• It aims to connect rural youth with employment avenues through public-private partnerships.

3. Creation of “Lakhpati Didis” – Women Entrepreneurs Initiative

• Aims to develop scalable models to support SHG women in starting and scaling businesses.
• Aligns with the government’s vision to increase women entrepreneurs in rural India.

Summary of the News