The Flipkart Foundation, the charitable arm of the Flipkart Group, has collaborated with Swades Foundation, a leading grassroots organization in rural development, to launch a transformative initiative aimed at uplifting the rural youth in Raigad district of Maharashtra. The project, named 'Rural Prosperity: Empowering Rural Youth through Targeted Skill Development for Sustainable Incomes,' is set to enhance livelihoods by skilling 200 youth with the goal of increasing household incomes by approx. INR 80,000 annually.

The program will focus on providing vocational training to youth between the age of 18 and 35, with an extended age limit of up to 10 years for select community-based self-employment courses like masonry and painting. This initiative seeks to elevate individual incomes and improve employability in the region, indirectly benefiting over 660 family members, thereby, positively impacting approximately 860 individuals overall.

By addressing industry-specific skill gaps, the program aligns the training with the needs of today’s job market. It aims to tackle youth unemployment by providing essential skills for meaningful careers and advancing social inclusion by offering equal opportunities to marginalized groups. Additionally, the program fosters a culture of lifelong learning, ensuring that participants are well-prepared for continuous career growth and are adaptable to future trends.

The program includes several key phases: mobilizing and engaging the youth, counseling and assessment, enrollment, training, post-training evaluation, and ongoing tracking of employment outcomes. Each skilling batch will span approximately 55 days, with participants receiving certification upon successful completion.

Commenting on the partnership, Puja Trisal, Director, Flipkart Foundation, said, “At the Flipkart Foundation, we believe in leveraging our resources and expertise to drive substantial and sustainable change. This partnership with the Swades Foundation represents a pivotal step in contributing towards transforming the economic landscape of Raigad’s rural communities. By focusing on skill development, we are not just providing vocational training; we are igniting opportunities for financial independence and long-term prosperity. We are committed to empowering these young individuals to become catalysts for positive change within their communities, and we are excited to see the profound impact this initiative will have on their lives.”

Zarina Screwvala,Co-founder, Swades Foundation, added, "Skilling, when correctly done, not only impacts the confidence of the young person, but helps them lift their entire family out of poverty. This brings a much needed sense of pride and many young people inspire others in their villages to take part. We are pleased to partner with Flipkart Foundation to expand this high impact programme."

This collaboration which aims to equip the youth with specialized vocational skills and versatile abilities will not only enhance the employability of beneficiaries but also open pathways to self-employment.

In the past year, Flipkart Foundation has worked with underserved communities on various developmental issues across Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Maharashtra,Telangana, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal to serve, support, and empower unskilled and underprivileged sections of society to ensure maximum reach and sustainable impact.

About the Flipkart Group

The Flipkart Group is one of India’s leading digital commerce entities and includes group companies Flipkart, Myntra, Flipkart Wholesale, Flipkart Health+, and Cleartrip.

Established in 2007, Flipkart has enabled Millions of sellers, merchants, and small businesses to participate in India's digital commerce revolution. With a registered user base of more than 500 Million, Flipkart's marketplace offers over 150 Million products across 80+ categories. Today, there are over 1.4 Million sellers on the platform, including Shopsy sellers. With a focus on empowering and delighting every Indian by delivering value through technology and innovation, Flipkart has created thousands of jobs in the ecosystem while empowering generations of entrepreneurs and MSMEs. Flipkart has pioneered services such as Cash on Delivery, No Cost EMI, Easy Returns, and UPI. These customer-centric innovations focus on enhancing digital payment offerings for all customers while making online shopping more accessible and affordable for Millions of Indians.

For more information, please write to media@flipkart.com

About Swades Foundation

Swades Foundation, founded by Ronnie and Zarina Screwvala, stands as a grassroots implementation organization dedicated to fostering empowered and sustainable lives in rural India. Our unwavering mission centers around empowering rural communities through the application of best practices, modern technology, and core values.

This transformative journey commenced in 1983 with the inception of SHARE (Society to Heal Aid Restore Educate), fueled by the conviction that the true growth of India hinges on empowering its rural sector. Evolving in 2013 into the Swades Foundation, our commitment solidified towards comprehensive rural empowerment through a holistic 360-degree development model.

Our visionary outlook transcends borders, aiming to replicate this transformative model not only across India but globally. We underscore the indispensable role of partnerships with corporates, the youth in urban India, the Government, and other Foundations in effecting enduring positive change.

At the heart of Swades's initiatives are the communities themselves, with impactful interventions in Nutrition, Education, Water, Sanitation, and a robust emphasis on Livelihoods. Envisioning a future of empowered, poverty-free rural India, we strive for communities equipped with the tools to independently transform their own lives.