Swashakti was implemented through a World Bank-IFAD assisted Women Empowerment Project implemented in collaboration with the Uttar Pradesh Land Development Corporation in five blocks of Unnao district. Covering a population of 2.35 lakh, the project was focused on sustainable holistic development and empowerment of women, particularly from the deprived sections of the society.

The main objectives of the project were:

• To organise women into small homogenous self help groups and promotion of SHG cluster and federation
• To increase self-confidence, self-esteem and autonomy of women
• To provide training to women to increase their ability and productivity to improve their quality of life
• To make demands and enforce rights both as an individual and in groups
• To increases access to and control over economic social resources and political process
• To equip women with enhanced skills to undertake more remunerative farm-based and non-farm activities
• To promote participation of women in planning and decision making process at family and community level

The major components of the project were:

• Institutional capacity for women's development
• Support to women managed income generation activities
• Development mechanism to access social programme and leverage funds for community asset creation
• Provision of effective project management systems

At the end of the project, 356 women self group, covering 4,623 members in 78 villages of Hassanganj, Nawabganj, Asoha, Hilauli and Bigapur blocks of Unnao district were formed. Fourteen cluster level federations for these groups were also formed.

The project continuously empowered and engaged women in various training programme, awareness raising programme, literacy promotion, information dissemination, agriculture development, health and family welfare activities and promotion of legal rights. In addition, regular exposure visits of group members was also ensured.

A view of training under Swashakti Project