Women Empowerment

Gender Resource Centre:

Gender Resource Centre- Suvidha Kendra, also popularly known as Stree Shakti- Suvidha Kendra has been awarded to Natural’s Care  in the month of May 2011.

 We at GRC-SK  are operating arms of the Government to reach out to that section of the marginalized in Delhi who remain excluded and unidentified even in the BPL category, and include them in the mainstreaming society. Since women form the nucleus of the society, it is envisaged that by reaching out to them, the family and the community will be embraced in the inclusive development. 

The GRC-SKs are thus community level structures that act as the direct interface between the vulnerable groups and the Government by making the latter accessible, open and transparent and the former aware, enlightened and empowered. It is envisaged that though these community based structures, we can come closer to the realization of the Delhi Development Goals, drawn up on the lines of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for poverty alleviation and inclusive growth.

Activities at GRC:

·        Livelihood Training on trades like Stitching & tailoring and Beauti-culture.

·        Non Formal Education for Out of school children and adults.

·        Legal Aid through Legal counseling and Awareness camps.

·        Health Care activity through regular OPD and Health Camps.

·        Nutrition Camps.

·        Financial inclusion of women through Self Help Groups.

·        Help Desk to facilitate women to avail government schemes.

·        Water and Sanitation Program (WATSAN)

Project Awaaz Uthao : A project for Women safety

Department of women and child development, Govt. of NCT of Delhi has assigned the implementing part of the project “Awaaz Uthao” to Samajik Suvidha Sangam. It started through  GRCs. Naturals Care was recommended for implementing this project in September 2013. As per the guidelines for implementing the project, four Women’s collectives and one stake holder Committee has been formed in the catchment area of SSSK.

GOAL

·        Coordinate all activities related to enhancement of women’s safety and implementation of program.

·        Women’s Collective formed at grassroots level shall support the women in distress including situations of sexual harassment/assault and rape.

·        The Collective would not only support the victim but also work on the preventive measure for the crime of such nature.

Objectives

·        Identify and analyse key community safety issues

·        Develop strategies to address identified community safety problems

·        Develop a Community Safety Plan to inform local police action plans (as well as other participating agencies' plans)

·        Promote co-coordinated action by local agencies and organizations to influence community safety

·        Provide a forum for existing community groups or organisations to refer community safety issues for consideration and appropriate action

·        Monitor and seek to positively influence public perceptions of community safety.

Action Plan

·        To Organize Collective group meetings to be organized by the Women’s Collective groups .

·        To Organize  two Safety Walks at cluster level

·        To done Safety Audits of safety parameters in the allotted cluster

·        To organize bi-monthly Stake holder committee meeting to discuss issues women safety issues and get solution for them.

·        Installation of Wall Magazines to update women safety related issues at community level

·        To organize two Public Meetings( Mega Event for advocacy and networking)  in a year

Target and achievements:-

·        Separate desk of “Awaaz Uthao” is set up at GRC to make the project visible and to provide support to the women and girls in distress.

·        Total, 125 community meetings have been conducted with women’s collectives.

·        6 meetings have been conducted with stakeholders committees.

·        1 public meeting has been conducted to sensitize about Community members.  Public meetings are followed by rallies and ends with the pledge to end violence against women at public places.

·        20 Safety audits are conducted.

·        18 Safety walks are organized regularly to make the presence of collectives (as watch groups) visible in the area.

4 Quarterly wall magazines are displayed at 10 identified corners of community to interact and initiate open dialogue with the community on the issue

Formation of Self Help Groups

SGSY Scheme, DRDA, Pataudi, Gurgaon

With the help of District Rural Development Agency, Gurgaon, Natural’s Care started the project for formation of SHGs for BPL in Pataudi block.

Natural’s Care is involved in identifying the target families in the formation of SHG and creating awareness among them, organizing them into Women’s institution on sustainable basis through strengthening them about management skills, financial resources and linking them into financial institution.

Objective of SHG

1. To create appropriate awareness among the members from the around development in the society.

2. To provide cooperative self help attitude among the members and voluntary collectively working

3. To promote the saving attitude and habit among the members for good future through regular savings systems

4. To meet the credit needs of the members time for consumption, income generation asset creation and infrastructure development

5. To mobilize financial assistance from banks and other govt and non-govt agencies

6. To create awareness of health education and environment

Role of Natural’s Care for SHGs

• Motivated and organized the rural women into SHGs

• Inculcated and promoted thrift and savings leading to development of institutions and individuals

• Educated and trained the Group members in maintenance of accounts, conducting meetings, managing funds etc.

• Improved resource availability in initial stages by providing seed capital assistance

• Interfaced with line departments

• Act as a friend and guide to the SHGs

• Other areas of health and hygiene, literacy, immunization etc. were incorporated by SGs in to their weekly agenda. Some of the work done by SHG with the help of Natural’s Care are as follows:

Girl Child education, elimination of child marriage, capacity building of SHGs through training and exposure visit and Health and Hygiene

Benefit of nutritious and balanced diet were taught alongwith personal and community hygiene for example importance of cutting the nails having proper lavatories, washing hands importance of inoculations through SHG meeting and training course.

Rashtriya Mahila Kosh (RMK) Micro credit

In order to help women break the bonds of patriarchy and become financially independent, the RMK provides lons to women to start their own work and generate their own income. Becoming financially independent also gives a boost to the self-regard of these women who have suffered oppression at the hands of their male counterparts for ages. Natural’s car is trying to provide linkage of these SHGs to above above said agency.

MICRO FINANCE TRAINING

12 Days MEDP Dairy farming Workshop was organized for the bhutlaka village SHG members

from25thOct 2010 to 5th Nov 2010 with keeping their records of attendance and topics covered

An effort was t cover almost all the topics given in the proposal along with Knowledge and information

 of the issues asked by the trainees during the session …

Main topics covered Importance of animal farming & Haryana Govt Schemes Health of animals Almost

all the resources persons touched the issue in detail likes how the healthy animals can provide wealth to

the owner. Place of keeping animal to food & fodder even drinking water season wise discussed in

detail.

Deworming of animals with detail issues like time, period and precaution in giving informed repeatedly.

Breed of the animals:-  Efforts by Govt to change the breed of our traditional animals, Where, How and

Where information given by Doctor yadav

Diseases of animals:- with reference to common diseases to special, reasons and cure by both the

resources persons with demonstration and visit to their sick animals to give them information with

examples.

Care of Neo Natal/Post natal with special environment and seasons

Topics given in proposals no 7 to 12 covered by using simple and local dilect as the members are

illiterate but having experience of the dairy field.

Second part of the training about general knowledge of following issues

1)    Nabard and it ‘s schemes

2)    Cooperative especial woman cooperative and its benefits

3)    Mother Dairy and it’s product

4)    Marketing and entrepreneurship

5)    Social guidance for social issues

6)    Milk dairy it’s future in changing scenario

Special noteworthy Happening:-

( 1) Program was inaugurated by DDM Nabard  in the presence of Natural’s Care Head Office DD

Finance, Sr. Programme Manager along with Sarpanch of the Sahsola Patti Moh Hameed with his team.

Visitor of England (2) we are fortunate to have visitor from England educational tour team on 26th oct-

2010 who had a session about work among rural women with NABARD and also sharing session for

Learning and imparting in formation to our members

Monitoring visit by DDM Nabard:- Mr.V.S Bhatt nagar DDM Nabard also visit the MEDP dairy farming

training  session on 26th oct-2010.it was an opportunity to share problems of area with special reference

to dairy project and get his guidance on difference schemes which can unable  them to get rid of

problem and progress in the field. 

Exposure to co-operative : Total 10 members (2 from each) SHG taken for exposure to see the famous

cooperative of village Unchha Mazra and Bilaspur Milk Plant to get the information how they  can start

cooperative in their own village Bhutlaka

Distribution of Raw Material : Dr has suggested to give Deworming and Mineral to the members as or

under Raw material Head. Members were provided Minerals to see the result how the minerals play

role in increasing milk among the animals. It was found surprising that these members have never given

deworming in their life to animals 

Difficulties in organizing the Prog/feedback:- Though the idea of organizing training in the village itself is very much   encouraging to involve the rural community in the programmes yet it is also sometime difficult  to make them sit without getting calls from their family members which disturb the concentration of the members.

2) Resource person with special experiment are not very much comfortable with illiterate as they could not feel satisfaction if they couldn’t get the feedback in the same tempo (it is a learning for us)

3) 12 days training also a longer period for them (it is also as feedback from the members)

4) MEDP Prog should be not only for a village but should be for 3 to 4 villages nearby which can become more effective sharing too

5) Programmes should always conducted in seasons of not having any such work which hinders the attendance of the participants like Harvesting, Sowing, Marriages or even collection the firewood’s as it was also observed that lots of efforts need to change the habits of the people for example women collect firewood in particular season means they will collect in the same season not giving value to learning session.

Future Vision :- We have a plan to form a Dairy for exclusive for women so that they can earn and learn to become entrepreneurs in Milk production and can be free from the clutches of Milk Middle Man so called in Mewat Dhudiyas.

Thanks to NABARD especially to DDM who has taken keen interest to start and also monitored and guided the participants during the programme

Photograph of the MEDP enclosed