- APL Apollo Foundation launches Phase-II Project Aarohi, providing vocational training in beautician trade to 70+ women in East Delhi slum areas, supported by Apollo Metalex Pvt Ltd.
- Project Aarohi extends training of 6 months, offering basic and advanced beauty courses for wage and self-employment; Inauguration of ‘Aarohi Center’ provides practical experience and client engagement in a professional work environment
DELHI (India CSR): APL Apollo Foundation, the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) arm of APL Apollo Group, launched Project Aarohi under its flagship programme for women empowerment, Tejaswini last year. Supported by Apollo Metalex Pvt Ltd this year as Phase-II, Project Aarohi (derived from Aarohan meaning ascent) will provide vocational training in beautician trade and beauty parlour management to 70+ girls/women from underserved communities in East Delhi slum areas to help them become self-reliant.
There is a batch-wise extension in the training period from 4.5 to 6 months as the curriculum of Project Aarohi has been upgraded with additional trainings at basic level and several new advance courses curated basis the growth in the beauty & wellness industry*, need assessment done at the community level, specific requirements of women who were looking at both wage & self-employment and market demand. A new, ‘Aarohi Center’ was inaugurated with more space including a professional beauty parlour set-up to provide exposure to an actual work environment every day.
Since its inception in mid-last year, Tejaswini Program has benefited 52 underprivileged women. The foundation aims to extend support to a larger cohort of beneficiaries, ranging between 70-80 individuals, in the same area. Furthermore, APL Apollo aims to enhance its organizational capacity to establish vocational training institutes, particularly in regions where the group companies are situated, with a special focus on rural areas.
According to Mrs Neera Gupta, Director, APL Apollo Foundation, “Promoting inclusive growth via development initiatives and community outreach efforts has been a key priority for APL Apollo Foundation with women empowerment taking the centrestage.
Under Phase-I, there was 100% employment achieved with respect to the women beneficiaries of Project Aarohi. Our focus on providing skill training to them has not only enabled them to earn a livelihood but has provided them with a sense of identity, financial inclusivity and social empowerment. With new interventions to strengthen the project even further this year, we are absolutely confident that these women beneficiaries too will achieve economic independence and contribute to the greater good of the society.”
Apart from the intensive basic course, the beneficiaries of Project Aarohi will be provided advance training in Bridal Make-up, Nail Art, Mehndi Application, Hairstyling, Aromatherapy, preparation of oils for treatments, use of kitchen items to make natural skin/hair care products etc by industry experts. The beneficiaries will also be coached for employability and mock interview sessions will be conducted to help them in wage employment.
Along with these, soft skills, personal hygiene, client handling, entrepreneurship, inventory management, customer engagement, social media management, digital & financial literacy, social media presence for freelancing opportunities and internships/on-the-job training will also be provided with regular experience sharing and guidance on upskilling via alumni network groups for information exchange, updates through apps and physical meetings.
