An Indian NGO has been selected for the U.S.' first Innovation Award for the Empowerment of Women and Girls for training and organising waste-pickers and eliminating child labour from recycling.
The State Department said the Secretary's Innovation Award has been given to Chintan in support of its work to reduce ecological footprints and increase environmental justice among the informal sector through green jobs, advocacy and organising.
The awardees were chosen by a panel of experts including Mohammed Yunus (Grameen Bank), Cherie Blair (Cherie Blair Foundation), Sheryl Sandberg (Facebook), Beth Brook (Ernst and Young) and Noeleen Heyzer (United Nations).
The award, funded by the Rockefeller Foundation through the Secretary's International Fund for Women and Girls, would be formally announced by the Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and foundation President Judith Rodin on Saturday.
Chintan's founder Bharati Chaturvedi “has been part of several national and global projects, such as the UNHABITAT's 2010 report on Solid Waste in the Worlds Cities and the European Union's ISSOWAMA project”, said the State Department.
Ms. Bharati is part of various Indian government committees for policy making. She writes a column for the Hindustan Times .
