Smita Banerjee Sasmal, a philanthropist-entrepreneur, was recently awarded the Black Swan Award for her contribution to women empowerment. The prestigious award was given by Asia One, in association with the Global Compact Network UAE (United Nations). The award recognizes modern women’s achievements who use their passion, determination, and perseverance to draw attention to and resolve issues of the children & women in rural India. The award was presented to Smita by philanthropist, actress and Miss Diva Universe 2015 Urvashi Rautela & Sierra Leone Ambassador to UAE Rashid Sesay.
Smita expressed happiness on being honoured with the award, as she said, “I feel honoured and humbled on receiving this award. The award will motivate the coming generations of Indian women to continue working to promote the spirit of humanity.”
Smita has been promoting women empowerment, water conservation, child education and preservation of the environment through her NGO for the past few years. She has spent time in Africa as well as India & both countries have contributed to her understanding of public issues that often plague developing societies.
Her mission is to empower the women to be independent and counsel them regularly for making their physical and mental health better. For this, the organization keeps arranging charitable projects in rural areas. These projects range from distributing essential educational items and creating awareness among the society as a whole. Her recent initiatives are like plantation, donating plants to schools, conducting training for girl children for health & hygiene. Donated grains, raw materials, and shed for the poorest who lost their home during the flood in Purba Midnapur, West Bengal. Also started an initiative “be self-dependent”, programs and camps for women in rural India.
When asked what her plans regarding her life’s mission will be, Smita explains, “I am concerned about the plight of young girls in our country, especially those living in remote/rural areas. Such girls face many obstacles in life, ranging from patriarchy to abuse, inequality at home and outside, etc. Sampurti’s mission is to focus on the education of the girl child because we believe the way to a successful & bright future for these girls passes through the classroom. For this, we encourage the girls and their families to seek opportunities to educate. We provide financial help, counselling and every other help required putting these girls on to the way to a brighter future.”