Women-Up: First-Ever Action Oriented Initiative to Empower Women in the state of Tamil Nadu
Empowering a woman is equivalent to empowering a society.
With a belief that action is more important than words when it comes to solving the long-standing socio-economic gender equality issues, a few strong women from diverse occupational backgrounds came together to form an action-oriented women empowerment network, Women-Up Tamil Nadu.
Their vision and mission are not only limited to empowering women and girls in their home state Tamil Nadu but also aim to inspire Women-up movements in all the states across India through their actions and accomplishments. By forming powerful networks of women dedicated to a common cause, and by learning from each other and collaborating with each other, they believe that they can accelerate change. Their premise is that for every positive action, there is a chain reaction that will unleash the latent power of women and girls to build a stronger and more sustainable Indian economy and society.
The movement was kickstarted with a roundtable on women’s empowerment, truly an important discussion. Dr. Valli Arunachalam, a Nuclear scientist with a successful career spanning well over 3 decades in Semiconductor Technology and a passionate women’s right advocate, ideated this discussion on women empowerment with strong women who came together to support the cause under one roof. Along with Apogee Research Forum, a Chennai-based non-profit policy think tank, Dr. Valli hosted the discussion at the inaugural ceremony of Women-Up Tamil Nadu. The event was held on the 24th & 25th of February 2023 at Raintree, Anna Salai.
Dr. Nappinai Seran was the keynote speaker for the networking reception on the 24th of February while the U.S Consul General Ms. Judith Ravin delivered the opening address to the cohort on the 25th of February.
“Dr. Nappinnai’s address to the cohort implored them to lend support to one another and also, the less fortunate. She emphasized the importance of mental health and elaborated on how mental health care will pave the path to empowerment in its truest sense. She was hopeful that the initiative by these empowered women will serve as a platform for the voiceless and the marginalized.”
“Ms. Judith Ravin spoke on how the idea that every woman and girl child should be able to reach her full potential is key to the diplomatic ideals of the US State Department. She went on to list the wide range of opportunities available to women in the form of grants, exchange programs, and locally generated programs. She was confident that the group will rise to the challenge of solution-oriented discourse.”
The host, Dr. Valli Arunachalam set the context for the roundtable and stated that this event is just the beginning. They have many milestones on the way to achieve and are highly motivated to make efforts and stand up for themselves and other women. She further highlighted that we have to work together each day to support the cause to bring about a change.
This inaugural event featured a cohort of 20 eminent women from diverse fields such as artists, academicians, entrepreneurs, financial experts, scientists, healthcare professionals, journalists, social workers, policymakers, sports professionals, etc.
These successful women from diverse occupational backgrounds engaged in conversations that steered around gender equality in education, health, leadership, and social & economic empowerment of women.
The day-long sessions were designed to identify gaps and address them in an effective and time-bound manner. An efficient and concrete measurement framework to evaluate the social & economic empowerment of women is also in the pipeline. The discourse & ideation over two days resulted in the creation of “Womanifesto” – a working document listing out the action items for the Cohort.
The Womanifesto will commence the functioning of this women empowerment network and planned to release it, what better day to do so than Women’s Day.
Women-Up, TN looks forward to supporting women on their journeys and empowering them to stand tall against all odds.
