VIZIANAGARAM: Undertaking a noble mission to of empowering women belonging to tribal and downtrodden communities, this 25-year-old law graduate has been giving her best in sensitising people on adoption of better sanitary practices, including menstrual hygiene and management. Launching a water sanitation and hygiene (WASH) programme, this young woman has been emphasising on safe drinking and sanitation habits in North Coastal Andhra Pradesh.
Ooha Mahanti, who completed her graduation in law, taking forward her grandfather Ganapathi Rao’s legacy of serving the needy in Srikakulam, Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam districts, under the NGO calleed Rural Development Welfare Society (RDWS).
She has been providing skill development training in tailoring, cell phone repairing, nature farming, electrical repairing and other self-employment trainings to the poor and needy through her RDWS campus established at Marupalli village in Gajapathinagaram. Moreover, Ooha has been creating awareness on menstrual hygiene among the adolescent girls by providing sanitary napkins at free of cost.
Through ‘Balika Vidya’, she began her fight against social evils like bonded and child labour, child marriages and human trafficking, among the tribal and rural pockets. Ooha was awarded with International Wonder Book of Records Award from Governor of Mizoram Dr Kamabhampati Hari Babu for her committed services to poor and needy especially tribal women and girls in north coastal Andhra Pradesh and some parts of south Odisha.
“I have distributed at least 3,665 sanitary napkins and 5,863 school bag kits to the school going adolescent girls. Fortunately, I am able to empower 360 women with vocational training in tailoring and provided 58 tailoring machines to the poor and needy women with the help of several corporate companies under CSR initiative,” Ooha said.
Speaking to TNIE, O Chinnamma of Lothugedda village said, “RDWS has given me a new life with the free vocational training. With that I have started tailoring business in my village and leading my family with my own earnings.”