The loss of livelihood in vulnerable communities has a profound impact on individuals, families and the overall socio-economic fabric of society. When individuals lose their sources of income, it can lead to a vicious cycle of poverty, increased vulnerability, and reduced access to basic needs such as food, healthcare and education. Therefore, having a sustainable livelihood not only provides individuals with stable incomes and economic opportunities, but also helps vulnerable communities to become more resilient to natural disasters and economic disruptions.
PwCIF has been prioritising the tasks that are aimed towards creating and maintaining sustainable livelihood opportunities, particularly for vulnerable communities, to promote their social and economic well-being, and build thriving and resilient societies.
Supporting bamboo artisans with livelihood interventions in Dang, Gujarat, FY22-23
PwCIF partnered with its NGO partner BAIF Sustainable Livelihoods & Development in Dang, Gujarat to establish a Common Facility Centre (CFC) to support Bamboo artisans in bulk production, quality, and standardisation of bamboo products using modern tools. 200 artisans were sensitised and provided exposure on technology and new product designs through this intervention.
Empowering women through financial inclusion, Pune, FY22-23 Beneficiaries reached: 155
PwCIF supported NGO Purnkuti in providing sustainable livelihood opportunities to underprivileged women with the focus to improve their living conditions. The programme facilitated economic development of female sex workers, HIV-infected/affected women, transgenders, and socially and economically disadvantaged women as the focus beneficiary group.
Vocational training programme (nursing assistant) for youth from Mumbai slum areas, FY22-23 Beneficiaries reached: 52
PwCIF supported its NGO partner Kherwadi Social Welfare Association (KSWA) in training young persons from the slums of Mumbai to be nursing assistants through a vocational training programme at the existing Livelihood Development Centres (LDC) in Thane and Bandra. The programme not only equipped young people from underserved communities with necessary skills to be employable but created a healthcare workforce closer to the community.
Cultivating entrepreneurship among women, Rajasthan, FY22-23
PwCIF supported NGO partner FINISH society in initiating a transformative journey to cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset among women of Jawahar Nagar Kachi Basti, Rajasthan. Leaders were identified, and the women underwent a structured six-month learning intervention, effectively honing their skills and emphasising the importance of teamwork within self-help groups (SHGs).
Financial inclusion was the key focus of the initiative, with participants delving into aspects of business planning. In effect, Hamari Hunarshala was established as a private limited company. Additionally, the zero-waste, sustainable business repurposes waste generated during manufacturing.
Livelihood opportunities in healthcare for the Youth in Nikori Village, Assam, FY22-23 Beneficiaries reached: 10
PwCIF collaborated with its NGO partner KSWA to support the tribal youth of Nikori village by providing them with vocational training in the health sector. The National Skill Development Centre-certified nursing assistant training course was conducted in ‘Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Hospital’ at Shibsagar. The impact of the project has been significant, with many beneficiaries having successfully completed their vocational courses and becoming employed, earning a livelihood and contributing to the healthcare sector around their area. This intervention has not only addressed the immediate need for skilled healthcare professionals but has also laid the foundation for sustainable, long-term benefits by providing training and certification. The initiative also empowered the local community by fostering self-sufficiency in healthcare, reducing dependency on external resources.
Advanced skill development (advanced tailoring) and setting up a community centre for livelihood support in Tamil Nadu, FY22-23
In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, many women had a challenging time finding work. PwCIF partnered with the Desai Foundation Trust to help establish a skill development centre for women and adolescent girls. Women from the local communities were interested in tailoring and were taught advanced tailoring courses as a part of this programme to enable them to take up stitching commercially and earn a living. This intervention helped generate income for the participants and support their families financially.
Supporting farmers in Sirohi to increase their income through cash crops and pro-organic vegetable, Rajasthan Beneficiaries reached: 568
Due to the recurrent droughts and insufficient irrigation infrastructure, the soil in two villages – Amli and Thandi Beri of Sirohi area – has low moisture levels. Since rainfall is usually unpredictable, rain-fed agriculture yields little in exchange for the farmers’ efforts.
PwCIF collaborated with Rajasthan Bal Kalyan Samithi by training the farmers in Rabi and Kharif crop production, vegetable growing and using organic manure. The intervention hopes to enable an increase in the annual earnings of the farmers, provide improved nutritional status of the farmers’ families and make the farmers proficient in new techniques of farming.
Building community resilience through nutri-garden farming for tribal families, Birbhum, Kolkata, FY22-23 Beneficiaries reached: 1,937
PwCIF collaborated with Tomorrow’s Foundation to support farmers of Birbhum to create nutri-gardens in their own lands and connect them to Farmers’ Producers Organisation. PwCIF is working for the upliftment of tribal households for their dignified livelihood and sustenance by providing them opportunities for alternative livelihood through goat rearing.
This project focuses on a specific kind of organic manure preparation and nutri-gardens managed by farmers for year-round vegetable cultivation. It is focused on training farmers on the preparation of the manure and using it to prepare vegetable gardens in their own lands.
Livelihood through tailoring for women from urban slums, Chennai, FY22-23 Beneficiaries reached: 34
Acid Survivors and Women Welfare Foundation (ASWWF), in collaboration with PwCIF, through the ‘Skill development cum rehabilitation of women from urban slums’ project, provided comprehensive training in foundation, basic, advanced and commercial tailoring, as well as product creation. This initiative saw women getting trained sewing using laminated natural and coloured jute materials, zips, runners, handle ribbons, inside ropes and threads to create large multipurpose jute bags. These bags, a product of the beneficiaries’ acquired skills, were distributed to Government schools. This initiative not only transformed the lives of underprivileged women through skill development but also contributed to creating a sustainable social impact by bridging the gap between economic empowerment and education.
Creating safety nets and employment linkage support for migrant and daily workers, Mumbai, FY22-23 Beneficiaries reached: 1,115
As a response to the debilitating losses experienced during the nationwide lockdowns, PwCIF supported United Way Mumbai (UWM) in helping migrant workers and daily-wage earners leverage existing Government services and social security schemes by providing them with the necessary information and creating linkages to employment opportunities in their vicinity by identifying such opportunities and assisting workers of the unorganised sector and daily-wage earners in applying for the same.
Livelihood support for youth and forest dwellers, Gadchiroli, Maharashtra, FY22-23 Beneficiaries reached: 132
PwCIF supported NGO partner Srishti in instilling awareness and providing training for building capacity among the residents of Gadchiroli on unique fishing technology and sustainable and scientific ways of honey collection. PwC India Foundation procured honey bottles to facilitate sampling and help generate demand from end consumers.
In addition to the training programme, PwCIF supported the residents in increasing the production of fishes by providing them fish kits (fish seeds, fish feed, fish collection material etc.). Among other things, exposure visits for the members of fishery cooperatives, fish-rearing training and promotion of indigenous fishes was conducted.
Supporting budding entrepreneurs from West Bengal and the Northeast, FY22-23, (Beneficiaries reached: 23 )
Budding social entrepreneurs were supported as part of School of Social Entrepreneurship India’s (SSE India) flagship ‘Social Start-Up Fellowship Programme’ with PwC India Foundation. PwC India experts came together during a nine-month long journey to help develop the ideas and visions of social entrepreneurs through study sessions and action planning. PwCIF has been working with SSE India for a number of years to bring together private and social sector resources to support the community. Moreover, it brought together leaders and volunteers within the firm to provide mentorship to these leaders of tomorrow, as its commitment to reach out to communities by going beyond simply providing funding.
Sustainable ways of NTFP collection in Madhya Pradesh
PwCIF partnered with its NGO partner The Corbett Foundation in Madhya Pradesh to support residents of the Kanha Tiger Reserve to restore the landscape of the Reserve. The local communities are being trained on sustainable ways of procuring NTFPs. In addition, we helped the communities grow Napier Grass which serves as fodder for their cattle while also reducing human-animal conflict by keeping the cattle from venturing into the forest. The residents have been trained on growing saplings in their backyard nurseries.
The community members were also trained on sustainable ways to harvest honey and the flower of Mahua. For harvesting of honey, training and honey extraction kits were provided. 60 bee boxes were given out to 60 households for sustainable honey cultivation. The beneficiaries were also supported with marketing of the honey. Additionally, 5 hectares of land was undertaken for plantation, where 2800 saplings were planted. Lantana was de-weeded from the area.
