Education
EMPOWERING LOW INCOME WOMEN & CHILDREN
We provide free quality education. As well as liberal arts, Hindi, English, and Bengali, we teach ecological resilience, self-discipline, appreciation for all religions and points of view, problem-solving skills, music, culture, and taking responsibility to create positive change for good.
Transforming Hope into Opportunity
Our students come from some of the most socio-economically disadvantaged families in the region. Yet they are among the brightest, most generous young minds you will ever meet. For most, theirs is the first generation in their family to become literate. Many study not only for themselves, but to teach their parents and siblings what they learn each day — extending education into their homes and communities.
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Breaking the Cycle of Poverty
Although government schools are available to all, low-income students often struggle. Shakti Regeneration Institute’s SEEschool works to support students and families, to be able to integrate into mainstream high schools and colleges, and maintains a dropout rate of less than 1%. This remarkable success comes from addressing the root causes that prevent children from staying in school:
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Poverty and child labor: Many children have to leave school to help feed their families. Shakti works holistically with parents, to provide long-term value via education and offering alternative livelihoods through free vocational training for mothers and community income programs.
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Child marriage and women's rights: SEEschool teaches students and families the rights and benefits of girls to complete their education, while also engaging families and community leaders in dialogue to protect and empower women. Our education programs also protect students from child-trafficking.
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Malnutrition: Hunger makes learning difficult. Shakti provides daily breakfast, ensuring each student begins the day nourished and ready to learn, and during pandemics provides food to families.
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Health crises: Illness in families often keeps children home. Our community dispensary offers free homeopathic medicine and health education, supporting students and families.
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Educational costs: Shakti provides education free of charge, as well as uniforms and books, which are often required but not provided by government schools, leveling the playing field for every child.
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Private tutoring barriers: In many schools, students must pay for extra tutoring to pass. Shakti provides free tutoring and library access through the high school years, helping students reintegrate successfully into the government system and prepare for college.
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Education with Heart
At Shakti, we believe that education is not just about classrooms — it is about care. Every child receives personalized attention, mentorship, and encouragement, so that those who need education the most can truly access it, regardless of circumstance.
Our mission is simple yet profound: to nurture hope into ability, and ability into leadership.
EMPOWERING WOMEN
Creating a cycle of positivity for women, families, communities, and ecosystems.
Literacy and Vocational Training Programs
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Shakti provides literacy and regenerative vocational training programs to provide economic equality and protection for women.
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Many are mothers of the children at the school, and many had to work as children themselves. These women show great courage, in spite of the most challenging conditions — most live without plumbing and electricity, and food security, yet they walk several miles each day to attend the school.
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Shakti provides microfinancing for 50-100 village women. Women qualify by taking 7 months of literacy classes and training, after which they can apply to become part of the finance groups.
After graduating from our programs, equipped with knowledge, confidence, and business skills, many of these extraordinary women are then able to build new lives for themselves and their families, and even employ other women as their enterprises grow.
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Women’s Exercise and Cultural Programs
Shakti provides Women’s Exercise and Yoga, as well as regular cultural programs to help build community and networking opportunities for women, who are often increasingly vulnerable due to their isolation, in a culture that often encourages women to stay home and avoid physical exertion.
Krishna and Ajay Pal-Chaudhuri lead a Women’s Literacy & Sewing Class at SEEschool, as Indrani films for on-line classes.
The importance of empowering women
Women’s Economic Empowerment
Building Regenerative Economies through Equality, Education, and Enterprise
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The Challenge
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Women in India continue to face deep structural barriers that limit their full participation in the economy.
According to the latest Periodic Labour Force Survey (2025), women’s labour-force participation rate stands at around 33.7 percent, up from 31 percent a few years ago. Yet the majority of women’s work remains unpaid, informal, or unprotected.
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Women make up nearly 40 percent of India’s agricultural labour force but control only 9 percent of agricultural land. Across industries, they remain under-represented in leadership roles and formal employment.
Although India’s financial-inclusion drive has expanded rapidly, millions of women still lack bank accounts, access to credit, or ownership of productive assets.
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As a result, women’s contribution to India’s GDP remains only around 18 percent—less than half the global average. Beyond economics, women also face persistent threats to physical safety and mobility: in cities such as Delhi, a large majority report experiences of harassment or violence in public spaces.
These realities underscore a systemic challenge: the potential of half the population remains constrained not by capability, but by unequal opportunity.
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The Opportunity
Women’s economic participation is one of the most powerful levers for India’s growth, resilience, and regeneration.
The United Nations in India estimates that closing gender gaps in employment and entrepreneurship could raise national GDP by up to 16 percent, unlocking hundreds of billions of dollars in new value each year.
The International Monetary Fund further notes that if women participated in the workforce at the same rate as men, India’s GDP could rise by nearly 25 percent—a transformation already visible in states and sectors where women’s workforce participation has expanded.
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Digital and financial divides remain key barriers: women are still less likely to own smartphones, access the internet, or receive formal credit. Bridging these divides would not only advance equality but also expand markets, drive innovation, and increase productivity across every sector.
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Globally, women influence or control up to 80 percent of household spending, guiding decisions that shape education, health, and community well-being. In India, empowering women entrepreneurs and professionals strengthens local supply chains, generates employment, and multiplies household income.
Beyond economics, the impact is generational: women reinvest most of their income into families and communities—improving health, nutrition, and educational outcomes, especially for girls. Empowering women is therefore not only a moral imperative but a strategic pathway to national prosperity and planetary regeneration.
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Women’s Economic Empowerment
Women’s economic empowerment is central to realizing gender equality, human rights, and collective resilience.
It means more than employment — it is about agency, ownership, and dignity: the power of women to shape economies, lead communities, and direct resources toward shared well-being.
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At its core, empowerment means ensuring women can:
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Participate equally in labour markets and entrepreneurship.
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Access and control productive assets such as land, credit, and technology.
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Secure decent work with safety, fair pay, and protections.
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Exercise autonomy over their time, bodies, and choices.
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Hold voice and representation in decision-making at every level — from households to parliaments, boardrooms, and global institutions.
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When women have equitable access to education, finance, and technology, they catalyze systemic change.
They become innovators, employers, policymakers, and stewards of community regeneration — ensuring that growth is inclusive and sustainable.
Why More Women Working Matters
Economies grow when more women work.
Each percentage-point increase in female labour participation adds measurable gains to GDP, productivity, and innovation. Studies across India and other emerging economies show that greater gender inclusion correlates with stronger economic diversification and social stability.
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Conversely, the cost of exclusion is enormous: the World Bank and UNDP estimate that gender gaps can reduce potential national output by up to 15 percent.
Removing barriers—such as lack of childcare, unsafe workplaces, and limited credit access—directly increases national prosperity.
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At the community level, the impact is even more profound.
When women earn and lead, they reinvest in families, prioritize education, support elders, and create safety nets that strengthen resilience against climate and economic shocks.
Every woman’s empowerment becomes a multiplier for intergenerational progress.
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Why Women’s Economic Equality Is Good for Business
Gender equality is not just social policy — it is smart economics and sound governance.
Companies with women in leadership consistently show higher profitability, greater innovation, and stronger environmental and social performance.
A 2024 McKinsey study found that firms with three or more women in senior management outperform peers across nearly every measure of organizational health and financial return.
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In India’s rapidly transforming economy, women-owned businesses represent an expanding yet under-supported engine of growth. Increasing access to capital, mentorship, and markets for these entrepreneurs can unlock millions of jobs and accelerate inclusive growth.
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Workplaces that embrace gender equality report higher employee satisfaction, lower turnover, and improved public trust—essential qualities for thriving in an era of global transparency and climate accountability.
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At Shakti Regeneration Institute, we see women’s empowerment as the foundation of regenerative economies—where profit aligns with purpose, and where the advancement of women uplifts entire ecosystems of life, community, and culture.
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The Way Forward
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At Shakti Regeneration Institute, we believe that empowering women is not simply an act of justice — it is an act of regeneration.
When women rise, families flourish, economies strengthen, and ecosystems heal.
Every girl given an education, every woman leading an enterprise, every mother owning her land or her story — each is a seed of transformation for generations to come.
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Through our programs in education, enterprise, and equity, SRI works to dismantle structural barriers, amplify women’s voices, and co-create systems that honour dignity, creativity, and care.
We partner with communities, investors, and policymakers to build a future where women’s leadership is recognized as a cornerstone of social, economic, and ecological renewal.
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Join us — as a partner, supporter, or ally — in advancing women-led regeneration for a more inclusive, resilient, and thriving planet.
2 Centers:
Children's School at Ramakrishna Vedanta Vidyapith provides a well-rounded education,
including English language education, to children aged 3 to 9.
Secondary School at Gupinath House and Gardens provides free tuition for students aged 10 to 16 (Class 5 - Class 10). We also have games, singing and gardening classes on the premises.
We provide all books, materials and uniforms.
Lending library provides textbooks and other materials for 400+ student members, for school and college.
COMMUNITY OUTREACH
We provide for the community:
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Safe, walled school grounds for use by students, Women’s Exercise and Yoga Club, a local sports club, the Veteran Club Volleyball Team, and the Women’s Karate and Men’s Karate clubs.
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A free Homeopathic clinic and an MD doctor, who serves more than 70 people from the community each weekend.
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A Free Library of English language books and textbooks.
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Literacy and vocational training for women.
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Microfinancing for women. Cultural Programs with music and meals to support community education initiatives.
