About us

Vikalp is a non-profit, organisation registered under the B.P.T Act 1950, working in the sector of Health, Education and Livelihood. It operates in Mumbai and Gujarat. The organisation works towards socio-economic upliftment of the underprivileged population. It provides vocational training to women and youth, imparts non formal education to the children and also provides medical assistance to the underprivileged.

Core Problem 

Status of women in Indian economy

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• The participation of Indian women in the workforce fell 10% in the past decade as India recorded the lowest female labour force participation rate.
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• There is an urgent need tocreate more jobs and entrepreneurship opportunities to promote women empowerment thereby making them economically independent as female labour force participation (FLFP) rate in India has fallen significantly by 10% during the last decade.

• Though there was a spurt in the number of working women in India during 2000-2005, increasing from 34% to 37%, the female labour force participation rate has reduced continuously thereafter and reached 27% in 2014, the study said citing World Bank data, of the period when India's economy was experiencing unprecedented growth.

There are certain primary reasons for low participation of women in the labour force like lack of access to higher education among women, dearth of opportunities to work. Even lack of flexibility in working conditions tends to dissuade women from joining the labour force as they turn to their domestic duties. 

Environmental Issues 

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• Every year, around 500 billion (500,000,000,000) plastic bags are used worldwide. So many that over one million bags are being used every minute and they're damaging our environment. India's plastics consumption is one of the highest in the world.
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• World consumption of paper has grown 400% in the last 40 years. Now nearly 4 billion trees or 35% of the total trees cut around the world are used in paper industries on every continent.

Solutions 

Recycling one ton of paper can save 17 trees, 7,000 gallons of water, 380 gallons of oil, 3.3 cubic yards of landfill space and 4,000 kilowatts of energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by one metric ton of carbon equivalent (MTCE).

What?

Main Idea behind this project is to create livelihood opportunities for women belonging to the low income communities by providing them skill training on paper bag making.  We wish to produce all the paper bags made from recycled papers instead of fresh papers. We also aim to provide an alternative to the plastic bag users, so the large number of bags made from plastics and fresh papers will reduce.

Where?

Mandala, Surrounded by Deonar Dumping ground (Asia’s biggest dumping ground), Mankhurd, Mumbai.

Key objectives of the project:

1. 1. Building a self-sustainable project.
2. 2. Provide livelihood opportunity to 50 underprivileged women in 2017-18 by providing them      skill training  on paper bag making.
3. 3. Women should at-least earn their minimum wages as prescribed by the Government of                Maharashtra.
4. 4. Producing around 7 lakhs paper bags in 2017-18 made from recycled paper.
5. 5. Forming self-help groups for the involved women.
6. 6. Reducing Water consumption and saving trees, also reducing unnecessary transportation          by avoiding  usage of fresh paper.
7. 7. Reducing plastic bags from the society by providing paper bags made from recycled papers        and newspapers.
8. 8. Profits will be utilized to provide educational support to the underprivileged children.
9. 9. Medical assistance would also be provided to the needy people from the profits.  
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Rewards and updates to the donors

Kindly mail us for any query regarding this project: [email protected]