Of the 18 new projects that Alstom Foundation has announced it will
support worldwide, one of the flagship projects is ‘Skill development for a
better life’ in India. Being implemented by Pankh
Handicrafts, the project aims to impart skills to a group of 20
women in rural Karnataka. Beneficiaries will be trained in skills to cut, sew,
and embroider material to produce handcrafted goods.

 

Broadly, the scope of the project is to empower underprivileged women in
rural communities to become entrepreneurs and earn an independent income by
procuring and setting up machinery for the training and serial production unit,
enabling them to manufacture goods using jute material. These products will be
sold by the partner NGO and profits will be used to train more women.

 

Established in 2007 with an annual budget of a million euros, the Alstom
Foundation supports and funds projects proposed by Alstom’s employees, who
decide to team up with local partners and not-for-profit organisations
to carry out initiatives aimed at improving living conditions in
communities located near the Group’s facilities and project sites around the
world.