Disha: Creating Employment and Entrepreneurship Opportunities for Women in India
What the Project is About
Photo: UNDP IndiaDisha Evolves: A Note
In a short span of two years, Disha has emerged as a powerful collaboration between stakeholders demonstrating the potential for women to participate in greater numbers in India’s growth story. Xynteo’s participation in the Disha project has come to its scheduled completion. Xynteo’s role was to engage Indian and global businesses and link skilled women to business needs; Xynteo built private sector collaborations and adapted its project incubation methodology to an Indian context, catering to the diverse, regional, economic and industry specific context. We thank the Xynteo team for their continued commitment to fostering a greater consciousness amongst businesses of the benefits of having more women in the workforce. Moving forward, Disha partners, UNDP and IDF, supported by IKEA Foundation, will continue to deliver the project to ensure that more and more women learn marketable skills and connect with income opportunities.
About Disha
Disha is a partnership between UNDP and the India Development Foundation, supported by IKEA Foundation, that aims to support one million underprivileged women in India learn marketable skills and connect with income opportunities. The Disha project helps women become economically self-sufficient through training, employment and entrepreneurial skill development; it tests innovative models of public-private partnership for scalability; and establishes a continuum that connects education with skills, jobs and growth.
Objectives
Photo: Vivek India/UNDP India-Disha- Touch the lives of 1 million women over a period of three years and establish a model for broad-based replication.
- Provide women and girls with the skills and knowledge that will help them secure employment or start their own businesses.
- Support the Government of India’s flagship skill development initiatives through policy, research and development support services.
Funding Support by
| Donor Name | Amount Contributed |
| IKEA Foundation | US$ 12,253,883 |
Expenditure in Previous Fiscal Year
| Year | Amount |
| 2016 | US$ 3,089,167 |
| 2015 | US$ 773,435.18 |
Videos
| Helping women farmers transition from traditional to organic farming Organic farming presents an opportunity for women farmers to cultivate with fewer inputs, generate higher profits and contribute to the sustainability of land and its ecosystems. Watch to find out how. |
Connecting women artisans to new markets and consumers Disha partnered with Industree Foundation to support over 2,000 women artisans. Watch how training and mentoring is helping them connect directly with markets and consumers. |
Stories of Change
How women in rural Haryana are cultivating oysters, growing pearls – and becoming entrepreneurs
From Soil to Shelves
How switching to organic methods is helping women farmers in India
Photo Essays
Disha on IWD 2018
This International Women's Day, Disha brought together several thousand women from Haryana, Maharashtra, Telangana and Karnataka to address pressing issues around self-employment and entrepreneurship. Find out more!
Stories of Aspiration, Stories of Direction: ‘Disha’ in Action
Disha aims to improve the lives of one million women in India by helping them learn marketable skills, connecting them with income opportunities and assisting women to become economically self-sufficient. It was a busy year for us with over 40 pilots in the National Capital Region of Delhi, Haryana, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Telangana. Take a look at our year!
Press Releases
UNDP partners with Larsen and Toubro Infotech and FUEL to skill and empower 2000 women artisans in Mumbai and Thane
27 December 2018: The United Nations Development Programme in India (UNDP India) announced its partnership with Larsen and Toubro Infotech (LTI)’s CSR initiative, and Friend's Union for Energizing Lives (FUEL), an Indian not-profit organization, to provide skill training to 2000 women artisans in Mumbai and Thane. The partnership will provide them with sustainable and viable livelihoods opportunities. The initiative, Women Artisan Skill Enhancement project, aims to skill, empower and create income opportunities – through employment or entrepreneurship - for women artisans, most of whom come from marginalized communities.
Career Guidance Counselling Centres launched in Delhi-NCR to improve employment opportunities for young women
14 March 2016: Career guidance counselling centres set up in Delhi-NCR will provide dedicated career services to young women seeking employment in the region. The Counselling Centres, a first of its kind for women, builds on the findings of a UNDP commissioned study which revealed that almost 80 percent of young women in Delhi did not have access to accurate and timely information on educational and job opportunities.
Government of Maharashtra and the United Nations Development Programme Strengthen Partnership on Development
17 February 2016 - Shri Devendra Fadvanis, Honourable Chief Minister of Maharashtra met with Jaco Cilliers, Country Director, UNDP in Mumbai today. The two discussed ways to deepen collaboration on key development issues facing the state. The collaboration will focus on bridging the information gap amongst women and girls on skill development, creating employment and entrepreneurship opportunities; enhancing the role of the private sector in skill development and employment; promoting women’s entrepreneuship in key areas such as small retail; and supporting community-managed resource centres for women.
IKEA Foundation Commits EUR 16 Million for Programme to Improve the Lives of One Million Underprivileged Women and Girls in India
12 October 2015 - To celebrate the Day of the Girl Child, IKEA Foundation announced a new partnership that aims to provide employment and entrepreneurship opportunities to one million underprivileged women across India. The unique three-year programme will be implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Xyntéo and the India Development Foundation (IDF). The programme is approved by India’s Ministry of Finance.
In the News
- UNDP, LTI to train 2,000 women artisans
[Date: 26 December 2018, The Hindu]
- Why India needs more women in the workforce
[Date: 21 December 2018, Source: Indian Express]
- Collaborative training for Telangana women weavers
[Date: 27 March 2018, Source: The Hindu]
- Magnetic Maharashtra: Sweden signs MoU with state government to skill train women
[Date: 18 February 2018, Source: DNA]
- Steel and Social Change: Redefining Women's Work in Rural India
[Date: 16 February 2018, Source: NewsDeeply]
- Hyderabad police inks pact with UNDP
[Date: 14 November 2017, Source: Business Today]
- 'Project Disha' making a difference to the lives of two lakh underprivileged women in India: UNDP
[Date: 14 November 2017, Source: Business Today]
- If India Increases Momentum On Gender Parity, $700 Billion Can Be Added To GDP By 2025: Marina Walter, Country Director, UNDP
[Date: 14 November 2017, Source: BusinessWorld]
- IKEA Foundation to train Telangana women in retail skills
[Date: 1 November 2017, Source: Daily World]
- IKEA takes to skill building women for retail through Disha
[Date: 1 November 2017, Source: The Hindu Business Line]
- IKEA Foundation to train Telangana women in retail skills
[Date: 1 November 2017, Source: Business Standard]
- 350 women from Telangana to be employed by Ikea
[Date: 30 October 2017, Source: The Economic Times]
- Bringing women farmers and their produce online
[Date: 24 August 2017, Source: The Hindu]
- Aspirations clash with tradition for women workers in this Haryana factory
[Date: 22 August 2017, Source: Hindustan Times]
- India needs more women in leadership roles: Here is a look at shocking reality
[Date: 14 August 2017, Source: The Financial Express]
- Women@work: In A Haryana Factory, Tradition Clashes With Aspiration
[Date: 12 August 2017, Source: IndiaSpend]
- Why Indian Workplaces Are Losing Women: Our Nationwide Investigation Begins
[Date: 5 August 2017, Source: IndiaSpend]
- Maharashtra SCW to ink deal with UNDP to help victims of sex trafficking, violence
[Date: 29 July 2017, Source: First Post]
- Maharashtra’s women commission to ink pact with UNDP
[Date: 29 July 2017, Source: The Free Press Journal]
- Maharashtra’s women commission to ink pact with UNDP
[Date: 29 July 2017, Source: Pune Mirror]
- Maharashtra's women commission to ink pact with UNDP
[Date: 29 July 2017, Source: Business Standard]
- Interview with Clément Chauvet: Chief, Skills and Business Development, United Nations Development Programme [Date: June 2017, Source: Biz@India]
- Reaching out to grassroots key to building a digitally literate society in India [Date: 19 June 2017, Source: Business today]
- Unleashing the Potential of Women Social Entrepreneurs in India
[Date: 20 December 2016, Source: Charity World]
- Job portal to aid STs
[Date: 28 November 2016, Source: The New Indian Express]
- India’s image has improved due to PM's initiatives: Vijay Rupani
[Date: 24 November 2016, Source: The Times of India]
- Maharashtra most preferred hiring destination: Survey
[Date: 24 November 2016, Source: The Times of India]
- Maharashtra lags in imparting skill training to youths
[Date: 15 November 2016, Source: The Indian Express]
- India Skills Report, a joint initiative of Wheebox, PeopleStrong, CII in association with LinkedIn , UNDP and AICTE
[Date: 14 November 2016, Source: Business Standard]
- Gaping gender gap in workforce a concern
[Date: 14 November 2016, Source: Business Standard]
- In 2 yrs, Maharashtra to impart skills to 7 lakh youths
[Date: 07 September 2016, Source: The Times of India]
- This skill centre is turning out world-class careers
[Date: 24 August 2016, Source: The Times of India]
- Ikea to chalk out €600-mn sourcing plan for India
[Date: 12 August 2016, Source: The Hans India]
- Maharashtra CM inaugurates Maharojgar Melava
[Date: 28 May 2016, Source: Zee News]
- UNDP offers to work with Haryana Govt
[Date: 01 April 2016, Source: India Today]
- Government of Maharashtra and the United Nations Development Programme Strengthen Partnership on Development
[Date: 18 February 2016, Source: Public.]
- IKEA commits euro 16 mn to empower women in India
[Date: 12 October 2015, Source: The Statesman]
- IKEA Foundation pledges Rs 117.76 crore to empower 1 million women in India
[Date: 12 October 2015, Source: The Economic Times]
- IKEA commits euro 16 million to empower women in India
[Date: 12 October 2015, Source: The Hindustan Times]
- IKEA commits around Rs 117.76 crore to empower 1 million women in India
[Date: 12 October 2015, Source: DNA]
- IKEA commits euro 16 mn to empower 1 million women in India
[Date: 12 October 2015, Source: Business Standard]
- IKEA Foundation to partner employment project for women
[Date: 12 October 2015, Source: The Times of India]
Around the world
You are at UNDP India
Go to UNDP Global