Deadline: July 28, 2024.

Women’s leadership in India is pivotal to drive social and economic progress. From grassroots to governance, women are catalysts for change. Embracing their leadership fosters inclusivity, equity, and sustainability, crucial for India’s prosperity. India’s G20 presidency marked a significant shift in the global conversation on gender equality placing a strong emphasis on “women-led development” rather than just “women’s development”, prioritizing areas like digital access and entrepreneurship to empower women as agents of global progress.

In line with this vision, the WomenLeaders India Fellowship powered by Reliance Foundation and Vital Voices invests in extraordinary social sector women leaders and social entrepreneurs to drive an ambitious, urgent agenda for women’s leadership in India. Launched in 2022, the Fellowship aims to empower women leaders in the social sector with the knowledge, skills, and network necessary to spearhead transformational changes in society. Through leadership development workshops, mentorship opportunities, and industry exposure, the programme helps social sector leaders and social entrepeneurs to refine their vision, build their capacity and accelerate their impact.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

• Identify as a woman 
• Are an Indian national, currently residing and working in India 
• Have a minimum of 5 years of work experience in working to enact social change in one or more of the following thematic areas:
  • Climate Resilience, by enhancing the resilience of communities to adapt to climate change impacts and reducing vulnerability to disaster risks through measures such as sustainable resource management, resilience infrastructure development, community capacity building, developing innovative solutions to address climate vulnerabilities, promoting sustainable agriculture practices and policies, environmental conservation, early warning systems and the use of technology to create new approaches to strengthen climate resilience at the grassroots.  
  • Education, by strengthening early childhood care and educate (ECCE) and addressing foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) skills for children between 3 to 8 years old, including through interventions such as curriculum enhancements, teacher professional development, parental engagement programs, integrating technology to design and deliver programs, making them accessible even in remote geographies and fostering a sense of inclusivity. 
  • Sports for development, by designing and implementing sports programs that advocate for or facilitate increased access to sports facilities and resources for marginalized communities, or build partnerships with stakeholders in the sports ecosystem to harness the potential of sports to promote gender equity, foster leadership skills, instill values such as teamwork, resilience, and fair play, and maximize the impact of sports for development initiatives. 
  • Livelihoods Generation by developing, implementing and facilitating innovative programs and/or running social enterprises across farm or non-farm sectors, that equip women with essential skills and resources through various interventions such to increase their incomes or establish and grow their business, foster digital and financial inclusion and access to micro-credit for women entrepreneurs, and/or developing policies and practices that promote women’s economic participation in building thriving communities. 
• Demonstrate a minimum of an intermediate level of English speaking, writing, and listening skills 
• Have a commitment towards making a positive social impact    
• Have a demonstrated commitment to the following core principles: innovation, collaboration, and driven by a clear sense of mission; engaged in and leading social change in her community; committed to advancing the status of women and girls; and committed to transparency and good governance  
• Have a desire to engage with a global network of women leaders  
• Employees of the Reliance group of companies, Reliance Foundation and Vital Voices Global Partnership are not eligible for this Fellowship. 

BENEFITS

• Three (3) webinars per month extending over an 8-month period, focused on leadership development, core content areas, and track-specific customized training sessions   
• Five (5) community gatherings, focused on peer learning   
• Five (5) 1-on-1 mentoring sessions spread across the 8-month period   
• One (1) Mentoring Circle Meeting (grouped based on similar SDG/social impact projects and thematic areas) per month, 
• Eight (8) domain specific/thematic sessions 
• 2 in-person gatherings at the beginning and end of the Fellowship in India, including a pitching competition where fellows can win funding for their SDG/social impact projects 
• Access to supportive services such as visibility and mentorship opportunities through the Vital Voices Leadership Network and the Reliance Foundation ecosystem
• Access to the Vital Voices Community Hub, a global online leadership and networking platform, for leaders in Vital Voices to share and obtain resources and support, and effectively collaborate and communicate with one another. 

Find more information on the OFFICIAL LINK