About Sakti

A little bit more

About Sakti

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Background

Sakti was founded in 1982 by Mrs. Jacintha S. Kumarswamy, a social researcher exploring employment opportunities for underprivileged women living in Tilak Nagar, a slum near Jayanagar in Bangalore. The women she interviewed insisted on having jobs and other income sources. They consented to participate in the study, provided they were assisted in learning skills that might lead to employment.

As a result of this engagement and input, Sakti was born. It became a society under the Karnataka Societies Registration Act of 1960.


Sakti Now

Sakti is a professionally managed organisation that receives assistance from technocrats, bureaucrats (state and central), corporate specialists, HR specialists, finance experts, and legal advisors committed to and supportive of the organisation's objectives. Transparency and accountability are evident in all aspects of its operation.

The organisation has been a driving factor in rural and semi-urban women's empowerment in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. It is dedicated to aiding and enabling underprivileged women and children to find a place in society where they can live in dignity.

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Working together

Our Milestones

Organised over 1,200 women Self-Help Groups in villages and urban slums of Bangalore, Ramanagaram, and Ginge Taluk in Tamil Nadu.

Organised 11 Community Organiser Training Programmes with women and men. It was a one-year programme. Each batch had 15 to 20 participants from different States in India.

Conducted Gender Awareness Training Programmes and sessions for NGOs, Government Training Institutions, and the Corporate Sector.

Arranged for old-age pensions, hostels for homeless children to attend school, widowed and disabled people's pensions, and registration of construction workers and domestic workers with the labour department.

Arranged to distribute dry food rations for families of tuition children, construction worker families and other low-income families, migrant labour, and senior citizens during the recent Covid-19 pandemic.

Set up a Short Stay Home for women and children and counselling for distressed women.

Working to enrich lives

Our Board

Lalitha Matthew

President

Mrs. Matthew has an MA in Psychology and is a counsellor and trainer. She was instrumental in setting up Parivartan and Sparsh Foundation, both counselling centres in Bangalore.

Jacintha S. Kumarswamy

Secretary

Mrs. Kumarswamy is the founder of Sakti. For over 40 years, she has been actively involved in Sakti's projects and programmes to empower underprivileged women and improve gender relations.

Jeevan D. D'Souza

Treasurer

Mr. D’Souza is a business, education, and software consultant with over 20 years of experience in these areas. He was actively involved in ‘Prem Chaaya’, an animal welfare trust in Mangalore.

Dr. Elizabeth Vallikad

Member

Dr. Vallikad (MBBS, MD) is a doctor consulting for St. Martha's Hospital, Bangalore. She also has a Ph.D. and has attended and presented papers at various seminars and workshops.

Philomena Vincent

Member

Ms. Vincent is a teacher and consultant for herbal and natural healthcare and social work. She also volunteers at a women's welfare institution in Puducherry.

G. Nagarajan

Member

Mr. Nagarajan is a development specialist and has been a development consultant for over 42 years. He is currently the director of IRDT (Integrated Rural Development Trust) in Dharmapuri.

Shanti Ramesh

Member

Ms. Shanti Ramesh runs an NGO for women and teenage girls in Dindivanam, Tamil Nadu. She is also a lawyer by profession and advocates for women's rights.