Women empowerment and gender equality is one of the 17 sustainable development goals according to the United Nations Development program. The fact that gender equality is a sustainable goal in itself proves the dependence the overarching goal has on this one. Further, both research as well as experience suggest that it is only when women fully participate in the social, economic, political, and environmental spheres can the sustainable goals of development be achieved. While efforts by civil society and Governments across the globe are on to narrow and eliminate the gender gap, and to empower women, it is still a distant dream and a long road ahead. Appa Foundation has taken upon itself the task of empowering women and educating them in its small way.

At Appa Foundation, we have strong faith in the innate power of every women and that this power can be unleashed for the betterment of the society. Therefore, we transform shy, uneducated women into empowered individuals through:

• Trainings and development programs such as tailoring, computer skills, bag making in South India.
• Entrepreneurial development programs with training, technical and Financial Assistance.
• Support for women-headed families with monthly financial incentives.
• Formation of self-help groups

We, at Appa Foundation work for the under-served and under-privileged women across South India. Our work encompasses a wide range of activities across different locations in the state. We believe informed decision making by women in socio-economic situations can go a long way to not just benefit their immediate families but the society as a whole. It is therefore our quest to create awareness amongst our beneficiaries about women’s rights, impart education and awareness about their health issues and how best to prevent them, and how their ill-health can affect that of their family and lead to loss of productivity and income.

Further, we believe in creating an enabling environment where women can choose to educate themselves with vocational skills of their choice which are in alignment with the market demands. While we relentlessly pursue skill development and thus promote women empowerment in South India, we are open to collaborations with NGOs.