EDII partners with SBI Foundation for skill development of 750 people with disabilities under Project Swavlamban

Ahmedabad: The Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII) has partnered with the State Bank of India Foundation (SBIF) for the skill development and training of 750 persons with disabilities (PwDs) under SBI’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) project – Swavlamban. EDII will implement the project in Anand, Kheda, Gandhinagar, Ahmedabad, and Aravalli districts of Gujarat.

The main objective of the project is to help PwD entrepreneurs expand their market reach and ensure an increase in their incomes.

Under the project, EDII will provide enterprise promotion training to 750 differently-abled people which includes 500 individual entrepreneurs and 250 Member Based Organisations (MBOs) entrepreneurs. Ten MBOs will be formed for 250 differently-abled entrepreneurs as a cooperative or Self Help Group (SHG). These MBOs will be provided mentoring and support for network-building, increasing market reach and finance.

As part of the project, a research will also be conducted to draw the attention of government, start-ups, industrial associations, and CSR bodies towards empowerment of people with disabilities.

Mr Shashi Bhushan, Vice President – CoE for PwDs, SBI Foundation (SBIF) said, “SBI Foundation has been engaging with communities and one of the focus areas is empowerment of PwDs. To make them self-reliant, we are working hard to sensitize and empower Divyangjan across the country through a large canvas of activities such as awareness creation interventions, skill development, capacity building for self-employment, product development, business financing, and many more. By collaborating with EDII, we aim to achieve those goals. “

Speaking about the partnership, Dr Sunil Shukla, Director General, EDII, said, “Through Centre for Empowerment of Differently Abled (CEDA), EDII has been successfully promoting entrepreneurship, employability, and livelihood activities among the differently-abled. Inclusive growth and development has always remained a key focus for EDII and with this collaboration, we aim to empower differently-abled entrepreneurs and turn them into role models for the society.”

EDII partners with governments and corporates to implement innovation-led projects for inclusive growth. So far, the institute has worked in over 23 states and 138 districts and impacted 68, 950 lives through various projects and initiatives.