2015

NGO Partner Pragat Shikshan Sanstha (10K)

Pragat Shikshan Sanstha (PSS), founded by Dr. Maxine Berntsen is an ongoing intellectual endeavor, attempting to implement the best in educational thought and practice and to carry on a dialogue with researchers on one hand and government officials and general public on the other. In Phaltan it runs a multi-faceted educational program in the under-privileged locality and a Marathi medium innovative school called Kamala Nimbkar Balbhavan (KNB). “Potli project” highlights are early childhood care and education, home education for 0-3 yrs, Early Child Education school for 3-6yrs, support group for 6-12yrs. The project will reach 120 children in 0-3 age group. 6 sakhis will perform the work.

NGO Partner Nari Samata Manch ($8K)

Nari Samata is an autonomous group of women, formed in 1982.They are one of the groups, independent of political parties but believe that empowering women is a political process, and therefore working on the issues arising of subordination of women, also ally with the various class and castes struggles in Maharashtra. They believe in “women and men together for equality” and men always have participated actively in Nari Samata Manch (NSM) This is extension of 2013 project. It provides counseling services for men. Scope of the project includes training the adolescent trainers (15) and initiate sessions in schools. Conduct workshops for 25 counselors.

Men Against Violence & Abuse (MAVA) (3-year project, $35K – $12K for first year)

MAVA is the first men’s organization in India directly intervening against gender-based violence on women. Established in 1993, MAVA is working towards building a movement that explores the role of men as ‘partners’ and ‘stakeholders’ – addressing gender issues (including women’s empowerment) through cultural advocacy, direct intervention and youth education initiatives. In this project, young adult trainers will conduct gender sensitization workshops largely focused on youth between 18-25 years of age. Workshops include interactive sessions, experimental learning and personal dialog, leveraging youth-friendly media e.g. film-screenings, skits, youth “melavas”, awareness songs etc. Expected outcomes include – youth talking comfortably about gender and masculinity issues. Project will develop action plans to address issues of gender based violence through networking and tie ups. External monitoring is in place to ensure successful delivery and completion of the program.

NGO Partner Shree Amrut Vahini Gramvikas Mandal (3-year project, $35K, $10K for first year)

The mission of Shree Amrutvahini Gramvikas Mandal is to help needy people improve their lives in terms of health and hygiene, food, shelter, education, and employment through awareness and participative social work. They currently provide services to 300 children in three villages of Newasa town. They provide services like quality education, health, nutrition support, recreations and shelter facility to deprived children through Balvikas Kendra. The patients roam on the streets and are in a dangerous situation of mental state. This project will provide for intervention on the level of identification, counselling treatment and reunion and to some extent rehabilitation of such patients in Ahmednagar city and district. The project will prove to be a catalyst in the union of the abandoned and dislocated patients and parents for their permanent union on human level.

NGO partner Khel Planet/Unique Vikas Sanstha ($5K)

Khel Planet is a non-profit organization that nurtures life skills in children through play so that they are prepared to succeed in the 21st century” Khel Planet is a not-for- profit venture to teach 21st century life-skills to children through games. Based in India, Khel Planet aims to create a fun, self-motivating environment through board and card games. Key target skills include Creativity, Leadership, Collaboration, Communication, Civic and Ethics. The science rests on that these life skills will prevent poor children from becoming poor adults. Individual products are being created to be sold in market through various distribution channels. Also, workshops are being conducted in schools across India. “Khel-shaala” project will conduct 30 (thirty) play workshops in low-income schools in Mumbai (over a duration of one year). It is expected to touch lives of more than 300 children and expose them to life skills learning. “Khel-time” project will setup two toy libraries over next 6 months in Mumbai and Satara. These toy libraries would involve creating playful learning spaces for children through teacher champion identification and creating a repository of learning games available in the market. “Khel-journey” will carry out a ‘Right to Play’ awareness road trip across Maharashtra on a mobile toy library. The mobile bus would travel from village to village for duration of two weeks and conduct play workshops with children.”

NGO partner Prayas ($10K) This is a research project

The health group of Prayas has been concentrating on issues of HIV/AIDS and sexuality since 1994.Prayas and HCJMRI in Pune are collaborating on a research study for prevention of cervical cancer in HIV-infected women with guidance and technical support from the International Agency for Research on Cancer of WHO. In this study, they have enrolled 1153 HIV-infected women and the results of the study are published in the journal ‘AIDS’. Partial funding for this project will support maintaining one of the largest cohorts of HIV-infected women so that this project can be continued.

NGO Partner Adarsh Mahila Gruha Udyog ($10K)

AMGU was established in 1976 with the objective of making women self-reliant. Most of their work is done at the grass-roots level in 152 villages in Latur. They work for the holistic empowerment of women across their entire life span. AMGU offers vocational training and organizes social awareness programs about women’s issues, gender sensitization, and adolescence. Under “Family Counselling Center” project women and girls who are victims of violence will get justice. They will be empowered legally which will reduce the cases of violence and more women will register the cases of sexual harassment instead of hiding and tolerating it. The awareness among adolescents through CDs and DVDs will bring attitudinal change among boys towards girls.

NGO partner HALO Medical Foundation ($6K)

HALO Medical Foundation (HMF) is the conceptualization of a dream among a group of socially aware medical students and practitioners who wanted to change health perceptions and improve the delivery of basic health services at the grassroots level. It is not just another NGO, but a commitment to create happiness on the face of the villager who had previously been neglected medical services. They provide Medico-social activities in rural and backward areas, medical services to victims in emergency cases, epidemics and accidents. HMF also runs blood banks, pathology labs and ambulance services if necessary. Project objectives are to understand, sensitize, and motivate youths on gender issues with a focus on gender based violence, to study the determinants of gender based violence and its impact on adolescent and women health, to facilitate a process and enable youths to seek job opportunities and to establish a youth emergency service center to provide emergency support and counseling to victims of gender based violence.