International Women’s day is finally here and the theme for this year is ChooseToChallenge.
We can all choose to challenge and call out gender bias and inequality. We can all choose to seek out and celebrate the accomplishments of women. In this regard, Nippon Paint has always been at the forefront when it comes to challenging the stereotypes and empowering rural women to be financially independent.
Nippon Paint started the ‘nshakti’ initiative two years ago and has aided in 400+ women become self-sufficient. The aim of this initiative is to skill rural women in the art of professional wall painting. Although it is a profession that is dominated by men, women are known to have the perfect blend of aesthetics, an eye for colour, and the patience that’s required for being an expert in the field.
The training is for 15 days and at the end of the program, the women painters are awarded a certificate as well. They are further connected with Nippon Paint’s dealers and other decision-makers like Interior designers and architects who can provide painting jobs for the trainees.
When asked about the impact of nshakti initiative on one of the women painters who has undergone the program, Durga, a 38-year-old mother said, “I joined the nshakti initiative 2 years ago and was a part of the first batch. I am proud to say that I have come a long way and I can now support my family’s financial needs. Becoming a wall painter has been a professionally enriching experience for me and I am also motivating other women to join the nshakti initiative.”
Speaking on the upcoming International Women’s Day, Mahesh Anand, President, Nippon Paint India (Decorative Division) said, “We started the nshakti initiative with the sole objective of tapping into the huge skills and resource of rural women, a population deprived of necessary skill training. Nippon Paint is now able to penetrate to various village panchayats across Tamil Nadu and encourage more women to be independent. We plan to empower 1000 women painters by the end of this year. This International Women's day, Nippon Paint salutes the women changemakers from across India.”
This initiative by Nippon Paint also received a great deal of support and appreciation from the 2018 Skill India mission.
View this video to know about how nshakti has changed their lives:
https://www.facebook.com/NipponPaintIndia/videos/2798587173749143
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