NGO’s WORKING FOR WOMEN’S RIGHTS IN INDIA

Women’s movements in India have been going on since pre-independence days. It has moved from demands of social reforms to equality in the post independence period. Sadly, even after independence women in India are still facing violation of their human rights and do not enjoy or get equal treatment as men. India is still a male dominating country. From rape and domestic violence to forced labor and denial of educational and employment opportunities, the struggle for rights and empowerment is a disheartening one for Indian women.

As per Census 2011, the population of India is 1210.19 million comprising 586.47 million (48.5%) females. Females have a share of 48.1% in the urban population and of 48.6% in the rural population. The sex ratio is 943 as per the census of 2011. The literacy rate of females is 64.63%.  In the adult category the literacy rate is reduced to 59.3% compared to 78.8% for males.  Thus education for women has always been a problem over the years. Also, about 68% of the girls drop out from school even before they reach 8 grade.

Education is one aspect of economic development. Involvement of women in the workforce also enhances the economic development of the country. According to the census of 2011, the workforce participation rate shows that 25.51% were females and 53.26% males.

The crime against women is growing day by day at an alarming rate. In order to empower women government has come up with several laws and policies to safeguard and empower women in the society. A National Commission for Women was also set up in 1992 with the same objective to empower women and safeguard them.

In order to speed up the women empowerment process it is not on the government who is coming up with laws and polices but several NGO’s are working collaboratively to make the society a better place for women to live in. Some of the NGO’s include CREA, CARE India, Snehalaya, Swayam and Lakshyam.

LAKSHYAM which came into existence in 2004 is a non-governmental organization, established itself for the welfare of the society, and mankind at large.  It is engaged in a number of social welfare activities like child welfare, health, education and women empowerment.

One such program is TOY LIBRARY where Lakshyam had set up its toy library with thousands of toys books from various schools in Delhi. These toys and books were put up in the toy boxes installed and were free for children to play with. As a result, children have access to toys and story books which were read by teachers to the students present at the centers. They longer had to long for toys and no longer missed a major part of their childhood.

The other program is BUTTERFLY - Child Welfare Program where children are taught Hindi, English, Math and Computer Sciences, in purview of methodically filling in the gaps in formal education. When a child who is not very well-versed with English or computer language suffers in government or private schools, Lakshyam’s remedial center provides free of cost tutorials. This program symbolizes freedom with the wings of a butterfly. The concept of ‘Butterfly’ is based upon imparting the two most crucial aspects of welfare, a holistic education and well-round development. This endeavor functions with a motive of completely demolishing the term “underprivileged”.

Lakshyam’s program ‘Rooh- Awakening Womens’ Soul’, meaning the spirit, is a strategically developed, three-tier project that aims at strengthening a woman’s character towards life itself.

The first step in this program begins from providing remedial education to children; where children from under privileged sections of the society are taught basic arithmetic and how to read and write. Second step is to provide an essential degree of exposure along with professional training in behaviour and counselling, Third step is equipping girls with an established platform to sell and showcase their skills.

Apart from this, the program also targets financial development by organizing various workshops by portraying marketable skills which these girls women possess in the form of handmade goods that enable poor women to self generate employment opportunities.

Renowned professional trainers personally conduct these workshops and training sessions. Few women also get an opportunity to work under them and not only get a source of income for themselves but also learn in better ways enhancing their skills and potential. Keeping in mind the saying Health is Wealth, health awareness campaigns for women are also organized every now and then. It includes creating awareness about importance of iodine in salt to causes of Breast Cancer to importance of personal hygiene

Lakshyam’s struggle has so far enabled thousands of women to realize their true potential and be a support to families and played a crucial role in the development of the country.

Residential Volunteering Programs in India

When was the last time you did something for the first time?

Many of us would’ve come across this quote at some point, but most of us would’ve skimmed over it without thinking too much about it.

Today, I urge to really pick your brain to try to recall the last time you experienced something new.

Maybe it was the first time you lived away from home. Maybe it was your first driving lesson. Maybe it was your first day at work.

Whatever it was, I guarantee that most of us go long periods of time without trying anything new. Whether it’s out of fear, laziness or time constraints; there’s always something holding us back.

There is, however, another question that’s more difficult to answer. 

When was the last time you changed someone’s life?

You might say that changing someone’s life is a culmination of much time and energy being invested into the same, but what if I told you it’s far simpler than that?

Lakshyam is a Non-Governmental Organisation that imbibes this idea into its operations by offering volunteer work in India. Lakshyam’s volunteering stands out from conventional programmes - by allowing people to contribute to the organisation what they do best, Lakshyam manages to provide productive work for volunteers and effective results for the women and children they aim to educate.

Lakshyam’s residential volunteering programme is one-of-a-kind. Volunteers can take up residence in India to help Lakshyam accomplish its goals of women and child development.

Volunteers above 18 years of age with a passion for social welfare would find Lakshyam’s residential programmes a highly rewarding and satisfying experience. By being able to educate children at the grassroot level, volunteers are able to see, first-hand, the fruits of their labour. There is perhaps no greater joy.

Lakshyam offers a diverse range of tasks for its volunteers, from media and communication to administrative work to teaching children. The organisation ensures that each volunteer will find their perfect fit.

For 4-week Residential Volunteering Programs in India, volunteers work at one or more of Lakshyam’s centres and are able to participate in a variety of experiences - from interacting with women and children to helping them rebuild houses to bringing smiles to the faces of many of Lakshyam’s beneficiaries.

Lakshyam welcomes volunteers from all over the world to come assist them in their mission to educate and empower each child. Learning about and adapting to Indian culture will surely be an enriching experience for anyone who wishes to take up this programme.

By working in the slums and small schools, a volunteer can experience the very heart and soul of India - the women and children who work day and night to rise above poverty and create a better life for themselves.

Lakshyam’s administration extends a warm welcome to all volunteers who come on board, and the enthusiasm is only sustained by the children who the volunteers come to work with. One would be pleasantly surprised to see how children with close to no resources can have such a passion for life and learning.

As mentioned, it’s easier to change someone’s life than you might think. It’s even easier due to the fantastic work of organisations like Lakshyam that work tirelessly to help disadvantaged sections of society.

So the next time someone asks when you last did something for first time, I hope you’ll answer that you changed someone’s life.