EMPOWER Initiative Graduates Over 1,500 Women in Digital and Financial Literacy Across Karnataka

Lenovo India, the global technology powerhouse, supported by Motorola Mobility India Pvt. Ltd., in partnership with BharatCares, on June 01, 2026 successfully organised a graduation & felicitation ceremony for their ‘EMPOWER: Digital and Financial Literacy Program for Women’. The event celebrated the successful completion of training for over 1,500 women micro-entrepreneurs across Karnataka’s Bengaluru–Tumkuru–Mysore corridor, reinforcing the shared vision of Digital India and inclusive community development.

Technology That Goes the Last Mile

Project EMPOWER was designed around a simple but powerful conviction: that meaningful digital inclusion is not about hardware or connectivity alone. It is about confidence, knowledge, and the ability to act. Delivered through practical, mobile-first training sessions, the program brought digital payments, financial planning, budgeting, access to government welfare schemes, Artificial Intelligence tools, and cybersecurity literacy directly to women in underserved communities across three districts.

The FY 2025–26 curriculum marked a significant evolution, adding dedicated modules on AI, including hands-on introduction to AI tools, and cyber safety, equipping participants to navigate an increasingly complex digital landscape with both skill and confidence

Over the last two years, the program has directly trained more than 2,700 women while also creating a wider ripple effect through peer learning and community-level knowledge sharing.

Speaking on the initiative, Meenakshi Dagar, Chief Financial Officer, Lenovo India said, “We believe technology only fulfils its promise when it reaches everyone, especially women who stand to benefit most from greater digital access and opportunity. Through Project EMPOWER, a program by Lenovo and Motorola, we are equipping women with practical digital and financial skills that can create lasting impact across families and communities. This year, we further strengthened the program with AI literacy and cyber safety modules, because our goal is not just digital access, but enabling greater confidence and financial independence for these women.

Adding to this, Bhagavan Bidarakote, Associate Vice President - Impact and Growth, CSRBOX and BharatCares, said, “Digital literacy today is not just about access to technology, but about creating opportunities, confidence, and long-term independence for communities. Through the Empower initiative, we have witnessed women embrace digital tools and financial awareness in ways that are positively influencing their households and communities. Our partnership with Lenovo and Motorola reflects a shared commitment towards building a more inclusive and digitally empowered future for women.”

Impact That Speaks for Itself

The numbers from this year’s program reflect not just outputs, but genuine behavioural change:

●      Cyber and digital fraud awareness rose from 61% to 96.4%, near eliminating the unaware cohort.

●      Intent to save regularly climbed from 67.5% to 99.6% — a shift that signals a fundamental change in financial outlook.

●      Active digital usage increased by 18.4%, with the non-user group nearly eliminated.

●      96.2% of participants expressed active investment plans post-training.

●      Awareness of health, life, vehicle, and agriculture insurance types tripled or more among participants.

The graduation ceremony felicitated 200 women graduates in Bengaluru and witnessed enthusiastic participation from beneficiaries, community leaders, trainers, and program stakeholders, while also showcasing inspiring stories of women who have become more digitally aware, financially informed, and self-reliant through the program.

About Lenovo

Lenovo is a US$83 billion revenue global technology powerhouse, ranked #196 in the Fortune Global 500, and serving millions of customers every day in 180 markets. Guided by its vision of “Smarter Technology for All”, Lenovo is executing a Hybrid AI strategy that spans Personal AI – one personal AI, multiple devices; and Enterprise AI – helping customers turn data into insights and value. This strategy is delivered through the Group’s commitment to world-class innovation and a full-stack AI portfolio, including devices (PCs, workstations, smartphones, tablets, accessories), infrastructure solutions (server, storage, edge, high performance computing and software defined infrastructure), as well as software, solutions, and services. With a global footprint spanning 21 research and development locations in 11 markets, and a global supply chain including more than 30 manufacturing sites across 10 markets, Lenovo is widely recognised for its operational excellence, including ranking #8 in the Gartner Supply Chain Top 25. Lenovo is listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange under Lenovo Group Limited (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY). Motorola Mobility LLC was acquired by Lenovo Group Holdings in 2014. Motorola Mobility is a wholly owned subsidiary of Lenovo, and is responsible for designing and manufacturing all Moto and Motorola branded mobile handsets and solutions. To find out more visit https://www.lenovo.com and read about the latest news via our StoryHub and Motorola Global Blog.

About BharatCares

BharatCares is recognised among the Top 50 Social Impact Organisations in India. Operating under SMEC Trust, a group organisation of CSRBOX, BharatCares has been specifically established and curated for effective program delivery. Our work is guided by the principles of innovation, technology, and scalability, to comprehensively address societal challenges. Acting as a social solution bridge, BharatCares fosters collaboration among government bodies, communities, innovators, and funders to implement the most effective models.
https://bharatcares.org