Enlightening Lives through Education - Case Studies - Reliance Group India

Increasing literacy levels in the country is one of the prime CSR mandates across Reliance Group. Our education programmesaim to address the needs of many, from infants to adults and even senior citizens in a community.

We identified the need for adult literacy in slum-dwelling areas of metropolitan regions and through the mandate at our central government-partnered group company BSES Rajdhani Pvt. Ltd (BRPL), we run adult literacy centres for on women in New Delhi.

BRPL’s Adult Literacy Programme empowers women to learn to read and write and increases their self-confidence and dignity in the community, through an engagingand vibrant coursehosted at MahilaShikshaKendras (MSK). To do so, BRPL has set up 160 MahilaShikshaKendras (MSK) in partnership with two NGOs – Sahyog Care For You and Virmani Education Trust, covering slums at South and West Delhi namely at Alaknanda, Badarpur, R K Puram, Punjabi Bagh, Nangloi, Tagore Garden and Vikaspuri.

Each MSK instructor is tasked with imparting computer based functional literacy course that lasts six months, with each batch comprising at least 30 women. Theprogramme also generates awareness about safety, hygiene, health, environment and community service. The objective of theprogramme is to help women to improve the standard of living of their families and further also of their communities.

Shakuntala Devi’s Story

Name: Smt Shakuntala Devi
Age: 97 Years
Village: Nangloi village, Delhi
Education Status: Illiterate
Economical Status: Below Poverty Line

The Challenge - Empowering women with education is the key to development and enhancement of society at large.There is a dearth of learning opportunities for women in India, due to whichmany women remain illiterate and unable to do routine transactions like banking, shopping,travelling on their own etc.Shakuntala Devi was one such woman who was deprived of an education in her childhood; despite being interested in studies. Her lack of education and family background led to her only doing household chores; thus rendering her illiterate.

Intervention - There is no limit to learning. BSES alongwith the NGO Sahyog Care for You approached the women at the slum areas of Nagloi village near Delhi to convince them to participate in an Adult Literacy Programme at their MSKs.97year old Shakuntala Deviwho lives with her son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren took this opportunity and immediately enrolled herself into one of the MSKs. She attended classes regularly, was attentive and inquisitive and has completed the programme.successfully; today she can read and write.

Beneficiary quote - “I am grateful to BSES Reliance and the NGO Sahyog Care for You for arranging these Adult Literacy Programmes for women.My motivation to learn was to be able to read religious books and lyrics of religious songs. I am happy I achieved this."