October 07, 2026
Quarterly Newsletter
Edition 3
Welcome to the third edition of the Empower Foundation quarterly newsletter!
A training session ends, the certificates are handed out, and the day moves on. But for the people we work with, that is often where something new begins.
A mechanic starts using a tool that helps him find faults faster. A truck driver learns how to recognise fatigue, respond in an emergency and make safer choices on the road. A community member takes a health concern seriously and gets a check-up. Young girls pick up new skills, take their first orders and start thinking about what they could do next.
These are some of the things we saw this quarter. People are learning something new, trying it out, asking questions, taking small steps and finding ways to use what they have learnt. Alongside these stories, we also marked 13 years of Empower Foundation, welcomed new colleagues and celebrated a few occasions together at the office.
Here’s what the quarter looked like at Empower!
This quarter we reached:
Updates from the Field
Taking Learning to the Road
For truck drivers and attendants, a day on the road can mean long hours behind the wheel, tight delivery schedules and very little time to stop. Rest and meals can become irregular, and health concerns are often pushed aside when there is a delivery to finish or another journey waiting. With so much of their time spent on the road, knowing how to stay safe, look after their health and deal with emergencies can be important in getting through these challenges.
To support drivers with these challenges, our truck driver road safety programme brings training closer to where they work. More than 400 truck drivers took part in a series of workshops and sessions on road safety, financial and digital literacy, and first-aid.
The training gave drivers practical information they could use on the job. They learnt how to recognise fatigue before it affects their driving, follow safer tanker loading and unloading practices, and respond if an emergency occurs on the road. The health sessions encouraged them to pay attention to concerns they might otherwise ignore, while the financial and cyber security sessions helped them make safer digital transactions and understand government schemes that they and their families can access.
Strengthening Health and Literacy in the Community
For many of the tribal communities we work with in Silvassa, getting a health check-up is not always easy. There are two Community Health Centres, a Primary Health Centre, a Civil Hospital and a Sub-District Hospital in the district, but for people living farther away, reaching a healthy facility can still mean taking time off work and spending money on travel. Because of this, routine check-ups or getting medical advice when something feels wrong can often get pushed aside.
To address some of these difficulties and make healthcare more accessible, health awareness sessions and preventive health camps were organised across Silvassa, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and Kolhapur, Maharashtra. More than 900 people took part in awareness sessions, where they learnt about preventive care, when to seek medical help and childhood cancer awareness. At the health camps, over 500 people received health check-ups, and consulted with doctors to get advice about their health and medical issues. The camps were held at schools and community locations, so people could access these services closer to where they live.
Celebrating a Milestone for Mechanics
For the mechanics undergoing training, completing a programme is an important milestone in their learning journey. Most of them have learnt their trade on the job, building their experience through years of hands-on work without any formal training. This programme gave them an opportunity to strengthen what they already knew, learn new areas and receive formal recognition for their skills for the first time.
The training covered technical skills, business and customer management, financial literacy, and health and wellness.
We upskilled more than 4000 mechanics, out of which more than 50 two-wheeler mechanics received certificates for successfully completing the training during the ceremony. The certificate marked an important achievement for mechanics who had built their careers through practical experience. The knowledge from the training can help them improve the way they run their workshops, serve customers and manage their finances, with the potential to increase their earnings as they put these learnings into practice.
Journeys of change
From Training to Putting a New Tool to Work
“जो सीखा, उसे काम में उतारा, और काम करने का तरीका बदल गया।” - Mithlesh
For Mithlesh Kumar, a mechanic in Faridabad, finding better ways to do his work has always been part of the job. He was used to diagnosing vehicle problems through familiar methods, but he wanted to make the process quicker and more accurate. During his training, he was introduced to an OBD tool, a new technology for him at the time, that could help identify vehicle faults through electronic diagnostics.
Mithlesh had never used an OBD tool before, so it took some time to understand how it worked and become comfortable using it. Once he saw how it could help with his everyday work, he decided to buy one and started using it regularly. With practice, the tool became a part of his routine and helped him diagnose vehicle issues more quickly and accurately.
Today, the OBD tool saves Mithlesh time and helps him serve his customers more efficiently. The improvement in his work has also contributed to an increase in his earnings.
Starting Small, Dreaming of a Boutique
“सीखने का मौका मिला, तो अपने पैरों पर खड़े होने का रास्ता भी दिखा।” - Satu
At 22, Satu Mohanlal Chaudhary is already thinking about having something of her own. Originally from Rajasthan, she moved with her family to Mehda Pada, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, where her father works as a helper. After studying till Class 9, Satu wanted to learn a skill that could help her earn. She joined a stitching training programme at the Community Resource Centre, where she learnt the basics of tailoring and slowly became more confident with her work.
After the training, Satu started taking small orders for blouses and children’s clothes. She also began making laptop sleeves, handbags, lunch bags and pencil pouches. Her first few orders have helped her earn around ₹1,500. More than the earnings, these early orders have given her the confidence to take on more work and experiment with different products.
Satu now hopes to open a boutique of her own and expand what she makes. She is still at the beginning, but she has already taken the first step, learning a skill, finding customers and starting to earn from her own work.
Inside Empower
New team Members
Lokesh Kushwah
Kashish Singh
Pradnyesh Arun Gadhe
Arun Holya Vartha
Town Hall: Marking 13 Years of Empower Foundation
On 10 July 2026, the Empower team came together for a town hall to mark 13 years of the Foundation. The session brought together updates from across the organisation, from programme progress and project highlights to new initiatives and organisational developments. It was also a chance for teams to share what they have been working on and look at how the organisation can build on this progress.
One of the key updates was the introduction of Empower ImpactHub, which brings project information together and gives teams a clearer view of programme performance. It will make it easier to track progress, identify gaps and use data during project reviews and planning. The town hall also highlighted the organisation’s growing team, with new colleagues joining across projects and functions.
Looking ahead, the discussion focused on strengthening programme delivery and continuing to learn from our work across skilling, upskilling and community programmes.
Festival Celebrations at Empower
Being a multicultural team means there is always an opportunity to learn about and celebrate different traditions. This quarter, Independence Day, Onam, Janmashtami and Ganesh Chaturthi gave us just that, reasons to come together, celebrate our diversity and spend some time with colleagues beyond meetings and deadlines.
There were colours, decorations, festive traditions and plenty of time spent together. From Independence Day to Onam and Janmashtami, and later Ganesh Chaturthi, each occasion brought colleagues together in its own way. For a little while, work took a back seat and the office became a place to share, laugh and enjoy the day together.
These moments may seem like small moments in a busy quarter, but they are often the ones that stay with us. They give us time to know the people we work with a little better and make the everyday workplace feel more like a community.
