Take A Pledge on World Population Day

July 25, 2008 - PRLog -- Smile Foundation celebrates World Population Day in different communities of Delhi where more than 200 community girls and Swabhiman Leaders display their negotiation skills, knowledge about reproductive health measures, family planning initiatives, importance of vaccination and how they have been empowered and informed about their rights and life saving skills.

Swabhiman is a national programme from Smile Foundation focusing on healthcare and empowerment of underprivileged women covering 80,000 populations across the slum communities of Delhi alone.

Community girls and Swabhiman leaders from the communities will also spread awareness and display their empowerment skills through making posters, wall painting, sign boards etc.  

Speaking on the occasion the Programme Director of Swabhiman Ms Meena Batra said, “World Population Day is an occasion for our community girls to sensitize their own communities and neighbourhood. We believe if we enable our girls, transforming the society as a better place would be the easy.”

What is the need of such a programme? Mr Naresh Chaudhary, Chief Operating Officer, Smile Foundation, averred, “India is a land having distinction of boasting the world’s largest number of professionally qualified women. Yet, our girl children and women are discriminated right from womb to the tomb – be it female foeticide, gender discrimination at home outside, access to healthcare or simply living a life with dignity. Swabhiman is an intervention to realise the full potential of the girl child”.

Swabhiman, launched in 2005, has taken its first step towards becoming a national phenomenon. After its successful implementation in Delhi, where it is reaching out to around 80,000 populations, the intervention has been launched in rural Haryana - a state which is in the urgent need for improving sex ratio quotient and incidence of female feticide. Swabhiman is already covering a population of 60,000 in Haryana.

Swabhiman: for Health & Empowerment of the Girl Child

Swabhiman, an initiative of Smile Foundation, is a health and empowerment programme focusing on underprivileged girls and women, achieving pride and dignity. The programme is reaching out to 80,000 beneficiaries across the slum communities of Delhi.  

Swabhiman, meaning self-respect in Hindi, is a programme designed to enable women to realize their full potential in every sphere of life. The programme helps in enhancing the skills and information relevant to make them realize their rights and self-esteem.

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Smile Foundation is a national level development organisation working for the welfare of over one lakh underprivileged children and youth direct through various education, healthcare, skills building and advocacy programmes across India.