The term “SEFALI” stands for Society’s Empowerment for Assuring Livelihood. Through this initiative, we are giving back to society through Community Strengthening, Livelihood Generation, Education and Women Empowerment.
Our efforts of organizing and mobilizing Women-Self Help Groups into a formal group named ‘Sefali’ in our Nayagarh Division is a unique experiment of meaningful action of working directly with Rural Women and encouraging them to overcome family and other social taboos to step out of the confines of homes for work and be economically inclusive. Overcoming initial reluctance on the part of village communities, FEDCO has been able to organize close to 150 Women-Self Help Groups (each having 4 members on an average). Legally formalized and binding framework gives each of our Women-Self Help Groups renewed confidence and encourages them to go back to the families and demonstrating gains because of the engagement. This Confederation of Women-Self Help Groups is a rare opportunity for them to organize themselves better not only economically but socially too. Since, the Women-Self Help Groups work front-end as Meter Readers and Payment Collectors, they give FEDCO immediate opportunities to present itself to the larger community of the Nayagarh Division areas.
Following a stupendous success, we are now privileged to replicate the same model to Puri District. In the first phase, around 30,000 consumers will be served by 33 Women-Self Help Groups in the district.
FEDCO has been felicitated with “EXCON WOMEN BUILDING INDIA AWARDS-Special Initiative” for successfully engaging Women-Self Help Groups for Revenue Management Activities in Power Distribution Sector at Nayagarh, Odisha. The award was presented by Hon. Minister Sh. Nitin Gadkari, Hon. CM of Karnataka Sh. B. S. Yediyurappa, & Sh. Azim Premji in an event organised by CII Foundation.
One Partner (Women-Self Help Groups ) Mrs. Sanjukta Dasgupta of Nayagarh has been conferred with an award from Hon. Minister of WCD, Odisha for their successful engagement in Revenue Management Activity of Power Distribution. The event was organized by Mission Shakti at Bhubaneswar.