WHAT WE DO
ACT is a non-profit organisation based in Mumbai, India. We pledge to ‘Act to make a difference’ to marginalised children, youth, women and vulnerable communities whose lives are bogged down by poverty or distress and who lack the opportunity to access their full potential, get education or generate income. In India, women and children constitute more than 70% of the total population but they remain marginalised, poor and socially excluded, especially the weaker sections of our society. Our role as a civil society is to help fulfill their dreams of education, livelihood, inclusion, well-being and social justice.
WOMEN AND YOUTH PROJECTS
Launched in October 2016 in partnership with IDFC First Bank, as part of its CSR initiative, project Saksham is an advanced tailoring internship to facilitate the transition of underprivileged women to entrepreneurs or major livelihood earners. At the end of their training, women are connected with garment manufacturing companies to use their expertise to fulfill orders from home or in factories. ACT and IDFC First Bank have also dedicated parts of their Saksham centres in Jogeshwari West, Mahakali Caves and Vashi Village to graduates of Saksham, so that those without the space or facilities at home can generate livelihoods through garment partnerships facilitated by ACT.
On November 2018, ACT launched Project Donna sponsored by Fondazione Beta (previously known as Fondazione Pianoterra) focusing on creating income generation opportunities through Stitching, Handwork and Embroidery for women trained in tailoring . This is an innovative approach to link artisans to various garment manufacturers and is based on the partnership between ACT and 2nd Innings Handicrafts Pvt Ltd, a social enterprise that owns and runs the lifestyle brand I was a Sari. The objective of this project is to upgrade the lives of female artisans from the underserved communities and to make them financially self-reliant. They now lead their lives with dignity and take pride in the work they do within Project Donna.
Project Madonna focuses on providing skills and infrastructure for embroidery and related activities for livelihood generation, capacity building, and stipend payment to the artisans for training and on-the-job work related to embroidery and other activities. Project Madonna is situated in Mumbai’s urban slums and facilitates their earning opportunities.
ACT joined hands with Water.org as implementation partner for WASH Awareness program in August 2019. Water.org is a global non-profit organization working to bring water and sanitation to the world. It helps people get access to safe water and sanitation through affordable financing, such as small loans. The partnership aims to empower people in need with these life-changing resources – giving women hope, children health and families a bright future.
ACT'S IMPACT
71,045 WOMEN AND YOUTH IMPACTED TILL DATE
