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

Aspect	Details
Why in News?	MoRD and UNICEF YuWaah signed an SOI to empower rural women and youth.
Duration of Partnership	Three years (2025–2028)
Key Focus Areas	Livelihood opportunities, entrepreneurship, digital infrastructure
Pilot States	Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan
Digital Initiatives	Computer Didi Centers, Didi ki Dukan for digital literacy and e-commerce
Youth Empowerment	Youth Hub – A platform for job aggregation, skilling, and volunteering
Women Entrepreneurship	Lakhpati Didi initiative to promote self-reliant women entrepreneurs
Scalability Potential	Could expand to 35 lakh women in 7,000+ blocks if successful
Government Alignment	Supports the Rural Prosperity and Resilience Programme from Budget 2025-26