Hemlata Foundation Celebrates International Women Day

On the occasion of International Women's Day 2026, Hemlata Foundation organised a landmark celebration bringing together over 1,200 women from across Bihar and Jharkhand to recognise their achievements, reaffirm their rights, and chart a collective path to economic and social empowerment.

A Day for Every Woman

The celebration, themed "Strength in Solidarity," was held at a central community hall in Patna and attended by women from all walks of life — weavers, farmers, teachers, microentrepreneurs, domestic workers, and students. The Foundation also facilitated participation from tribal communities in Jharkhand, arranging transport and accommodation for women who had never before attended a city-based event.

Distinguished speakers included Dr. Meena Kumari, Additional Commissioner of Women and Child Development, and Ms. Priya Sinha, a Hemlata Foundation alumna who recently won a state award for her micro-enterprise manufacturing organic pickles — a business she started with a ₹15,000 foundation grant three years ago.

Honouring Change-Makers

The Foundation honoured 21 women with the "Shaktimaan Nari" award — recognising extraordinary courage, resilience, and community service. Among the awardees:

• Savita Devi, 52, who built a village women's cooperative from scratch with 8 members that now has 320 members and generates ₹40 lakh annually
• Asha Kumari, 28, who completed her LLB degree while raising two children and now provides free legal aid to domestic violence survivors
• Meena Oraon, 45, a tribal woman who has educated all 6 of her children up to graduation despite being widowed at 32

Women do not need to be saved. They need resources, rights, and recognition. Our job as an organisation is not charity — it is to remove the obstacles that were never theirs to face in the first place.

New Initiatives Announced

The Foundation announced three major new programs on the occasion. The Hemlata Digital Skill Academy will train 500 rural women in digital marketing, graphic design, and e-commerce over the next 12 months. The Legal Aid Rapid Response Desk will provide same-day legal counsel to women in distress. And the Sakhi Microfinance Expansion will extend zero-interest loans to 2,000 new women entrepreneurs in FY 2026-27.

Chief Minister's Representative also announced that the state government will partner with Hemlata Foundation to establish 15 new women's skill centres in underserved districts — a ₹5 crore co-investment that will directly benefit 3,000 women annually.