10000 females Sensitized
Enhancing Economic Status of Women of Rural and Urban Areas
LEADS took initiative to enhance economic and social status of women in rural and urban area through different skill development activities and awareness programme. It enables women to know their inner potential and establish themselves as a support pillar for their families.
Though some women from the urban areas have succeeded to mark their presence count, the rest are still struggling to find their deserved place. A larger percentage of women of Jharkhand belong to the tribal community residing in remote rural pockets where the intensity of insurgency is high.
While working with women, LEADS observed that they have potential to play significant roles in the rural and urban economy as farmers, business women, wage earners and entrepreneurs. Still, they face constraints in engaging in economic activities because of gender-based discrimination and social norms. Most of the time they are involve in unpaid work. Women have unequal access to education, healthcare, property, financial power and their right and entitlement.
LEADS ensures sustained livelihood, gender equality and empowering women through respectable work like farming, Kitchen garden and productive employment. It promotes inclusive and sustainable economic growth of women which leads to poverty reduction. SHG members are engaged in different income generation activities like vegetable cultivation, duck farming, goatary, piggery, poultry farming, processing of non timber forest products, rice husking, small business etc. They are earning INR 25000 to 50000 per year as incremental income of the family.
In this process LEADS is working with 10000 SHG women across its Intervention areas. Apart from being economically empowered, now they are raising their voice against different social issues like witch crafting, domestic violence, dowry system etc.
Promoting Girl Child Education
Education is the right of all children – girls and boys, rich or poor. In Jharkhand, a lot of parents are not motivated towards sending their girl child to school. LEADS has taken number of steps like enrolment drives and retention of girl child through awareness campaign, training programmes, jagrukta chaupal etc.
LEADS regularly tracks the factors that push girls out of school, which may include harassment, safety norms, sanitation (lack of dedicated toilets for girls during periods is a known factor in girls drop out)
Through SHG members, Kishori-Youth groups, and SMC members, LEADS has initiated a dialogue about the benefits of girl child education, and how they can benefit the community at large. This message is reinforced through cultural events, contact opportunities and discussions.
Various project team members of LEADS have identified out-of-school girl, and facilitated of their way back to mainstream education. More than 3000 girl child have been enrolled throughout our different intervention areas. Many girls have emerged as their family’s first generation learners and have made their villages proud as well.
No to Early Child Marriage
Early child marriage is the key contributor to women’ poor health and illiteracy. Marriage at the tender years of development is a hindrance in overall development, prosperity and stability of a girl. Burden of family and child at early age & facing sexual and physical violence have negative impacts on their tender minds as well. Often child marriage disrupts their chances of getting an education. Poverty and lack of awareness are the most common factors in context of Jharkhand. Poor families always believe that early marriage save social and economic worries. LEADS make community aware on negative impacts of child marriage like loss of education and career opportunities, hazards of teenage pregnancy, sexual abuse, economic insecurity and continued poverty. LEADS also tries to bring awareness through SHG groups, Kishori-Youth groups, SHG groups to encourage behavior change related to child marriage. LEADS has organized more than 400 campaign (involved games, competitions, debates and short plays) in Government schools on delay marriage, keeping girls in school, girls safety and security, child and maternal health services through involving communities, PRIs, Sahiya, SHG, including religious and traditional leaders.
Equity in School Education
Equity in school education means that personal or social circumstances such as gender, ethnic origin or family background, are not obstacles to achieving educational potential and that all individuals should reach at least a basic minimum level of skills. It ensures a basic minimum standard of education for all.
LEADS used group education activities (GEA) and campaign to engage students in the school setting. GEA used participatory methodologies such as role plays, games, debates and discussions to engage students in meaningful and relevant interactions and reflection about key issues of gender and violence. These sessions were conducted during regular school days.
LEADS has been working with more than 32000 children from 200 Govt. schools across its intervention areas. It is involved in improving their quality of education, attitudes and behaviors of school teachers and staffs, gender-friendly school environment for all students. We take initiative to strengthen SMC members for parental involvement and community participation in schools.
LEADS uses group education activities (GEA) and campaign to engage students in the school setting. GEA used participatory methodologies such as role plays, games, debates, pictorial tools and discussions to engage students in meaningful and relevant interactions and reflection about key issues of gender and violence. These sessions were conducted during regular school days. These methodologis are very helpful to orient students on gender equality, equity and gender based violence. It has been very useful in behaviral change of students after understanding actual meaning of different indicators of gender. LEADS also sensitised teachers, SMC Members, Balsansad, parents and PRIs on gender based issues through manual, meetings, trainings and workshop.
Advocacy for Implementation of Violence Against Women
Violence against women and girls (VAW) is one of the most widespread human rights violations known to mankind. Violence is a major obstacle to women and girls’ development, and to the welfare and development of their communities and society as a whole.
LEADS has taken initiative to work on Violence against Women in different communities to generate awareness. With support of organisations like Oxfam, LEADS organises campaign like Run for violence against Women, nukkad natak and workshops. Run for violence against Women is a 16 day campaign which was organised with different stakeholders in our intervention areas. Under this action, LEADS has organised oath taking programmes in intervention area to stop violence against women. On every 25th of November LEADS organises candle march to support and unite women to fight against this burning issue of Jharkhand. With support of our networking partners from 24 districts of Jharkhand we conducts workshop on this issue and make an annual action plan to engage each and every partners to regularly raise voice on this issue.
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