Self Help Groups (SHGs) of women in India have been recognized as an effective strategy for the empowerment of women in rural as well as urban areas: bringing women together from all spheres of life to fight for their rights or a cause. Since the overall empowerment of women is crucially dependent on economic empowerment, women through these SHGs work on a range of issues such as health, nutrition, agriculture, forestry, etc. besides income generation activities and seeking micro credit. Therefore, the main purpose of the Women Empowerment Project (WEP) is to organize women into effective Self Help Groups and through the medium of IGNOU's training Certificate Programme "Empowering Women through Self Help Groups" prepare a cadre/network of master trainers for the sustainability of these SHGs. For the purpose, the WEP has also established 150 programme centers all over the country with the satellite Direct Receiving System (DRS) to enable the women learners, at these programme centers, to interact directly through teleconferencing sessions with the experts at IGNOU headquarters. These teleconferencing sessions are available to the learners on the Doordarshan Educational Channel "Gyan Darshan" on the first and fourth Friday of every month from 3.00 -5.00 p.m. (i.e. for two hours each time). On all the other Fridays, we show programmes relevant to the course from 3.00 - 4.00 p.m. (i.e. one hour each time). Regular face-to-face counseling is also provided at the programme centers and interactive radio counseling over Akashvani's 'Gyan Vani'. The learner can also benefit from the other educational programmes telecast regularly over 'Gyan Darshan' which is a 24 hours channel. Details of all these programmes are sent to all IGNOU learners every month in the form of a booklet called "Gyan Darshan".

Objectives Of Certificate Programme

• Strengthen ongoing efforts to train facilitators/master trainers of SHGs

• Evolve an effective and sustainable in country training network and resource pool of such trainers

• Empower the change agents to function more effectively as trainers and community organizers in helping set up SHGs and to address gender issues.

•  Provide guidelines for the establishment of micro-enterprises.

• Provide basic legal literacy