Women are the key driving force for society. They play a crucial role when it comes to community development. At home, women form the backbone of every family. However, since ages women across the world have been oppressed, their voices have been suppressed, their rights have been overlooked.
Thankfully, the picture has started changing for the better and women are learning to be vocal about their rights too! And not just women, men nowadays are also being vocal about the same.
Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives can play a significant role in empowering women in India. CSR can make a positive impact by providing vocational training, scholarships, and education programs to enhance employability and entrepreneurship skills. CSR initiatives support women-led businesses, promote self-help groups, and facilitate access to finance and markets. CSR is working to improve healthcare services, raise awareness about women’s health issues, and provide access to sanitation and hygiene facilities. CSR also supports initiatives that prevent violence against women, provide shelter and counseling services for survivors, and promote awareness about women’s rights. CSR also encourages women’s participation in governance and decision-making processes, and provide leadership training and mentorship programs.
Several companies and top corporates operating in India in collaboration with CSR foundations and non-profit organisations have focused a major chunk of their CSR initiatives for women and girl children.
They are working towards girl child education, menstrual hygiene awareness, maternal health, malnutrition, skilling, gender equality, bridging the gaps and financially empowering underprivileged and marginalised women.
The CSR Journal takes a look into some of the latest and recent Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives aimed at empowering women in India.
Top CSR Projects for Women
Xiaomi India and YouWeCan host Early Breast Cancer Screening for women
Xiaomi India, in partnership with the Yuvraj Singh Foundation (YouWeCan), in December 2025 announced the successful conclusion of Phase 1 of the Swasth Mahila Swasth Bharat (SMSB) campaign, a pioneering breast cancer screening initiative across 15 aspirational districts in 15 states of India. Over the past year, the programme screened 1.5 lakh women and educated more than 4 lakh women about breast health, early detection, and self-breast examination. Building on this transformative impact, Phase 2 of the Swasth Mahila Swasth Bharat initiative will further scale to reach an additional 60,000 women within the same districts over the next six months, reaffirming Xiaomi India’s enduring commitment to early detection and improved health access for women in underserved communities.
“With Swasth Mahila Swasth Bharat, our aim has been simple – to enable more women to access early screening, information, and timely support. The stories and outcomes emerging from the ground show the real difference this initiative is making. We appreciate Yuvraj Singh-led YouWeCan Foundation for being a steadfast partner in helping us bring this change to more communities,” said Sudhin Mathur, Chief Operating Officer, Xiaomi India.
“Partnerships like this are what turn awareness into action. Seeing Xiaomi India and the YouWeCan team lead the Swasth Mahila Swasth Bharat programme means more women in underserved communities can access early detection and timely care. We’re humbled to work with Xiaomi India and sincerely appreciate their efforts in driving such a meaningful impact. It’s inspiring to collaborate with partners who share our belief that real change happens when brands and foundations come together for a common purpose,” said Yuvraj Singh, Founder, YouWeCan Foundation.
Pearl Academy and SETU Foundation Empower Women with Industry-Ready Skills
Pearl Academy in partnership with SETU Foundation, a Noida-based NGO has announced that it has empowered 260+ students with technical, creative, and professional skills that strengthen their employability and economic independence, since the beginning of their partnership. Till date, more than 100 women have been employed in job roles across Fashion Designing and Beauty & Wellness. The collaboration was inspired by a shared vision, to close the widening skill gap faced by underprivileged youth. especially women, who are often unable to access quality, industry-ready education in fashion and beauty due to financial or social constraints.
Through the CSR initiative, specialised training programmes in Fashion Design, Garment Construction, Makeup, Hair, and Grooming were designed and delivered for SETU students and trainers. With a focus on long-term learning, academic teams created tailored curricula aligned with modern industry needs, supported by hands-on learning models and state-of-the-art training methods. This ensured students received contemporary, market-aligned training that helps them pursue employment or launch entrepreneurial ventures within their communities.
CSR of Malabar Group for elderly women
Malabar Group opened ‘Grandma Home,’ a destitute home in Bengaluru, Karnataka, for women in October 2023. Supported by Malabar Charitable Trust, the CSR arm of Malabar Group, and operationally managed by NGOs such as Thanal, Grandma Home offers free shelter, food, medical assistance, and mental and physical healthcare facilities to its inhabitants. Spread across a 14,780 sq. ft. area with a 3-story building, the home boasts a comfortable, safe, and hygienic living environment with a capacity to accommodate 104 women, as per an announcement.
The home is equipped to cater to the needs of elderly women, offering a range of amenities and services to enhance their quality of life. A dedicated medical team, coupled with trained social workers specialising in elderly care, has been deployed around the clock at the home. The ground floor of the home is dedicated to a dialysis centre, clinic, and pharmacy. A well-equipped kitchen to prepare clean and healthy food is also facilitated at the home.
Malabar Charitable Trust aims to open similar destitute homes in Hyderabad, Telangana, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, and other parts of India shortly, as per an announcement from the company.
Digital Skills: CSR of American Express
Laying a strong foundation to bridge the digital skill gap amongst women, NASSCOM Foundation and American Express announced partnership in September 2022 to train and upskill 700 women graduates through an employment-linked training project, ‘Women Empowerment Through Technology’. Under this project, American Express and NASSCOM Foundation are working with two training partners – FUEL (Friends Union for Energizing Lives) and RCED (Regional Centre for Entrepreneurship) to impart women with technology-based skill development and entrepreneurship training.
‘Women Empowerment Through Technology’ project focuses on training 700 women on various technical courses including Cloud and Data Analytics, Blockchain, Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence. The enrolled beneficiaries will also be groomed through non-technical courses including communication skills, holistic personality development and interview skills. On successful completion of the programme, the women beneficiaries will receive a validated professional certificate and job placements, as per the announcement.
CSR of BNP Paribas
In a move to bridge the digital skill gap among women, BNP Paribas has partnered with Nasscom Foundation to train over 300 engineering women graduates through an employment-linked training project called Skill Development for marginalised Young Women towards Employment.
This hybrid programme marked its first year in Febryary 2024. As per an announcement, the programme is designed for technical skilling of the next generation of women engineers in India from marginalised sections of society. The programme is currently working with women engineering graduates from tier two and tier three colleges in Bengaluru, Tumkur, Mumbai and Pune.
The programme trains students from select colleges on a range of technical skills. These include Python Developer and data analytics and soft skills including (verbal / non-verbal reasoning, numerical aptitude, logical reasoning, business etiquette, problem solving, time management, customer orientation and interview skills.
The women students are provided opportunities to secure job offers through placement drives and job fairs conducted by Nasscom foundation. Lot of these students, who are in the age group of 18-25 years, have already been placed with companies like IBM, CGI and Unisoft, as per a press statement.
CSR of Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages
Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages announced in August 2023 that it will provide financial and digital literacy training to 25,000 women across the country. The company has partnered with the Y4D foundation for this initiative, which will equip women from diverse backgrounds in different locations and bridge the skills gap in financial and technological knowledge.
The financial literacy training will cover fundamental concepts like Banking Basics, Account Opening procedures, Unified Payments Interface (UPI) training, Investment Guidance, Net Banking, and information on various Government Schemes for women such as Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, Sukanya Sam Riddhi Yojana Nari Shakti. On the other hand, the digital literacy component will encompass topics such as Mobile Banking, Digital Market Linkage, and Cyber Safety and Security to equip these women with the necessary tools to succeed in the digital era, as per an announcement by the company.
The training will be conducted in a classroom-based format in identified locations nationwide. The beneficiaries will be identified and trained in groups based on their interests, needs, and current digital and financial literacy levels.
On the occasion of International Women’s Day 2024, Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages announced the successful completion of its multi-state women’s empowerment initiative to provide financial and digital literacy training to 25,000 women.
The curriculum was designed to cover a broad spectrum of vital skills crucial for thriving in the new economy. From the fundamentals of banking and account setup to navigating the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), from savvy investment strategies to leveraging online banking, the program also spotlighted government initiatives aimed at supporting women such as Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, Sukanya Sam Riddhi Yojana, and Nari Shakti. The digital literacy component included Mobile Banking, Digital Market Linkage, and Cyber Security. Thus, paving the way for participants to secure a robust livelihood and contribute significantly to household economics.
The interactive sessions, conducted in local languages ensured an engaging learning experience, bolstered by the provision of summary booklets, pre-recorded lectures, and the awarding of completion certificates, as per an announcement by the company.
Financial Empowerment: CSR of VISA
American multinational payment card services corporation Visa announced in October 2022 that it has pledged US$ 1 million to United Way Mumbai, to empower women-owned and women-focused businesses over the next three years. The project is being implemented in a total of 170 villages/towns across four states – Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Maharashtra, and Karnataka will focus on creating sustainable, long-term skills for entrepreneurship among participants. The project aims to train over 8500 women and connect them with financial services relevant to their enterprises and communities. The CSR project will target three core impact areas: Access to knowledge and services for financial inclusion, Entrepreneurship development and formation of sustainable Self-Help Groups.
CSR of Standard Chartered Bank
Housing non-profit organisation Habitat for Humanity India announced in early 2023 that it has partnered with Standard Chartered Bank to provide 969 women with upskilling, alternative livelihood opportunities, and assistance in establishing micro-enterprises to generate additional income. The project is known as Empowering Women and Improving Life through Livelihood Interventions.
These women are from the states of Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, and Odisha. The aim of this project is to equip the women with leadership and technical skills, engage them in income generation activities and empower them to achieve strength, stability and self-reliance they need to build a better life for themselves and their families.
This initiative was accomplished by forming and strengthening 85 self-help groups (SHG) across the three states, through which women were brought together, trained in business development, marketing, and government scheme comprehension. The SHGs were assisted in establishing their own businesses through seed funding, hand-holding, and multi-level technical training from Habitat’s subject matter experts. In addition, SHGs members were encouraged to open bank accounts for their new businesses and keep financial records, as per the announcement.
CSR of AU Small Finance Bank
AU Small Finance Bank announced in January 2024 that it has empowered 787 women to become self-reliant entrepreneurs through its ‘AU Udyogini’ programme in Jaipur, Karauli, and Baran districts of Rajasthan. In January, 133 businesses owned by women entrepreneurs were inaugurated across the Jaipur, Karauli, and Baran districts.
The programme was launched in October 2022 as a pilot project by AU Small Finance Bank’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) wing, with 25 rural women. Now, AU Udyogini empowers women from distressed backgrounds in rural Rajasthan and enables them to improve their respective family incomes. AU Small Finance Bank trains them in establishing 24 kinds of businesses including spices business, craft, beauty parlour etc. The bank also helps them with market linkages to set up their individual businesses.
CSR of Hyundai
In March 2024, Hyundai Motor India Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Hyundai Motor India Ltd., announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between ‘Navjyoti Transforming Lives & Careers Society’ NGO and BluSmart, EV ride hailing service for providing employment to 250 trained women drivers who are the beneficiaries of the Foundation’s ‘Drive4Progress’ initiative.
‘Drive4Progress’ is a driver skill development initiative aimed at providing professional driver training and employment opportunities for youth. The project, launched in October 2023, aims to cover over 1500 youth including a minimum of 30% women, from Haryana, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and West Bengal, over the next 3 years. HMIF, in collaboration with Navjyoti NGO, the implementation agency for the programme, plan to a talent pool of trained drivers from Below Poverty Line (BPL) communities and equip them with the necessary skills to gain employment in the transportation sector.
HMIF and Navjyoti will support the participants to obtain a permanent driving license and the graduating students will be certified by National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) post successful completion of training and assessments. This initiative also focuses on facilitating wage employment for a minimum of 70% of the beneficiaries and self-employment opportunities for the rest.
Under the terms of the MoU, HMIF’s ‘Drive4Progress’ initiative will provide training to women interested in pursuing careers as professional drivers through Navjyoti. The comprehensive training program covers essential skills such as safe driving practices, soft skills, customer service, vehicle maintenance, and road safety in their respective regional languages. Upon successful completion of the 45-day training, 250 skilled women drivers will be eligible for employment opportunities within BluSmart’s dynamic workforce, as per an announcement.
Skill Training: CSR of Tata Motors
Tata Motors Samaj Vikas Kendra is helping women in rural Uttar Pradesh to master the craft of ‘Chikankari’ and organise themselves into groups to run business ventures. The project has witnessed engagement of more than 150 women to form SHGs and actively engage in credit and thrift activities over the past 16 years.
Samaj Vikas Kendra began work on this project in 2007 to revive the handicraft also linking it to social economic development of women. The centre established a dedicated training centre for women from 15 villages in and around, to equip them with the required skillset and apprise them of the market trends. In 2011, the scope of the SHG Federation programme was enhanced to include newer skillsets like production of jute bags, candles, herbal Gulal (colour), cloth bags, artificial jewellery, etc.
Tata Motors also helped these women leverage various women welfare schemes run by the Government of Uttar Pradesh to enhance their skills and tap into opportunities to generate income.
CSR of Diageo for women farmers in Nashik, Maharashtra
Beverage alcohol company Diageo India announced in February 2024 that it has launched a micro enterprise initiative to empower smallholder women farmers in Maharashtra’s Nashik. The initiative will initially enable 100 smallholder women farmers with the skills and resources to tackle crop loss, food waste and ensure sustainable livelihood.
In collaboration with Savitribai Phule Ekatma Samaj Mandal as the implementing partner and S4S Technologies as the technical partner, Diageo India will provide training, financial support and equipment to small holder women farmers to sun dry surplus produce and enable last mile connectivity to the consumers through the food supply chain.
This initiative is aligned to Diageo’s Society 2030: Spirit of Progress plan which provides support to local sourcing communities to build economic and environmental resilience. In addition, it will contribute towards United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal 12.3 which aims to halve per capita global food waste and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses.
The program focuses on skilling women with the right methodology to cut, air-dry, and solar-dry vegetables like tomatoes, onions and ginger. This produce will then be supplied to hotels, restaurants and ingredient manufacturers to enable consistent supply for the food industry and stable income for these women micro entrepreneurs by creating a complete value chain, as per an announcement.
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