Accenture and READ India Partner to Empower Women

To improve the employability and livelihood of more than 150 underprivileged women and young girls, Accenture and READ India are launching a rural community development center in Bagepalli in Karnataka. The initiative will provide life and work-skills training in areas such as self-confidence, gender sensitization, sewing and stitching, computer skills, local crafts and reading and writing.

The new center will include a multimedia and communications room, an IT area for ICT-based learning, a library and places where women can attend classes, participate in trainings and receive medical examinations. Sarva Dharma Samanvaya Trust, which has been running a school for children at Bagepalli since 2001, is providing the space for the center. More than 850 village households lie within a five kilometer radius of it; several of the villages offer limited professional and vocational options, and they lack basic healthcare, sanitation and education facilities.