Kochi Corporation’s "She Shops" Are Empowering Women And How!

Friday, March 25 2016, 12:12:16

Himanshu Roy

JWB Blogger

Kochi Corporation’s “She Shops” Are Empowering Women And How!

JWB Post

March 21, 2016

If you happen to visit Kerala anytime soon, then the chances are that you will stumble upon the sight of outlets of healthy food, sold by women driving auto rickshaws in different parts of Kochi. These are the ‘She Shops’ an initiative taken by the Kochi Corporation to empower and make women from low-income and underprivileged families economically self-sufficient.

For this, a centralized kitchen will be set up to cook food that along with being tasty, is also rich in nutrients. What’s interesting about this initiative is that women are at the helm of the entire process. Right from cooking in this centralized kitchen to packing and selling the healthful food, all the responsibilities will be with women.

The contents of the list are quite mouthwatering and are bound to tickle your taste buds. Snacks made from raagi, banana, aval, rice and bamboo rice will be sold in these She Shops. Another advantage of these shops is their mobility, letting women cover large distances through the auto rickshaws.

Under the project, the emphasis has also been given to prepare the food in a healthy way, and that is why whole flour (maida) or added colours which may reduce its food value won’t be used. Oil, too, will be used sparingly.

What more? The waste generated will be used to create biogas, an alternative form of renewable energy, the use of which will help save our natural resources.

Kudos to this great initiative undertaken by the Kochi Corporation and we fervently hope that it will put women in the ‘driver’s seat’ of their finances.