A total of 125 women sanitation workers and members of Haritha Karma Sena from local bodies across Ernakulam district have completed the sixth batch of the Mother Schools India programme in Kochi, a training initiative focused on women’s empowerment, leadership and preventing substance abuse among children and adolescents.
The graduation ceremony was held at the Kochi Marriott Hotel on Sunday from 10 am to 12.30 pm. The participants were selected from Haritha Karma Sena units and sanitation workers employed through local institutions in the district.
The programme is being implemented in India by the Fourth Wave Foundation under Project Venda, in collaboration with Vienna-based Women Without Borders. The initiative brings mothers together through weekly workshops where they can share experiences, discuss concerns and develop leadership skills.
According to the programme organisers, the Mother Schools model is intended to support women living in vulnerable circumstances and strengthen their ability to respond to challenges affecting families and communities. Project Venda also works to prevent and control substance abuse among children and adolescents.
The latest batch takes the number of women who have completed the Mother Schools India programme since 2021 to approximately 750, the organisers said. The participants’ connection with local sanitation services gives the programme an added community dimension, as the women are already involved in neighbourhood-level civic work through local bodies.
The ceremony was attended by Edith Schaffler Raphael Kropiunig, founding director of the Fourth Wave Foundation from Vienna, and Smita Haridas, head of literature at 24 News. Fourth Wave Foundation founding director Diana Vincent, director C.C. Joseph, and catalyst and communications head Shalini George also participated.
Women Without Borders is a Vienna-based international non-profit organisation that works to empower women in vulnerable situations and develop their leadership abilities. The sixth-batch graduation marks the latest stage of its collaboration with the Fourth Wave Foundation in India.
