The Problem

The project tackles the inexistent prosperity of young girls in her community due to the trafficking of girls, girls’ non-education and girls’ marriage at an early age.

The Solution

Community mobilization through different awareness activities in form of role plays, rallies and group discussions as well as Posters and leaflets are used for internalizing the issues among the community members. Meeting with adolescent girls, Women Self Help Groups (WSHGs) and parents to discuss the importance of education and laws related to trafficking and child marriage. Formations of a core team consist of PRI member, Anganwadi Worker (AWW) and 3 youths from the village.

The Venture

Parents have been very introspective in sending their daughters outside for work. They have shown interest keen interest in sending their girl child to schools which have delayed their marriage. Community leaders are very much vigilant in trafficking issues and taking the issues with panchayat and police against the culprit.

The Problem

Inequality between both the genders is the reason why violence towards women exists even today. This inequality is not only in the minds of the people but also in the way they live. In this patriarchal society, it is not only women who face discrimination, men have to abide by the conformity with the inherited patriarchy which also implies that they have to maintain their own status, which is always supposed to be higher than the women in society. Therefore, the problem being addressed here the existing barriers of stereotypical gender roles to lead to a gender-neutralized society.

The Solution

Bhavi's beliefs lie in breaking the barriers that harm both the genders. It's important to reflect on the stereotypes that one has been conditioned to believe in & also critically weigh the bias and prejudices one faces due to rigidity in those gender roles. Therefore, she proposes that empathy towards the opposite gender not only makes one sensitive towards the others but also helps in addressing the gender issues that follow on a much later basis such as rape, domestic violence, gender discrimination, etc. Youth falling under the age group 16-23 years is the audience targeted for this project.

The Venture

The movements, campaigns, etc, that Bhavi as known about focuses majorly either towards women empowerment or only towards the men. Even if major movements are taking place effectively, there are hardly any initiatives that aren't preachy. Here, the major focus is on both the genders, the bias and prejudices they face. The empathetic approach for each other is brought by the experiential manner which gives the individual to adopt and let go of mannerisms that agrees with his/her understanding gained through an experiential journey.

The Problem

Most adolescent girls in marginalized communities live daily oppression. They are confined to house for domestic chores, study, and are not allowed to play outside, engage in cultural activities, especially dancing. Their growing bodies are shunned and smarted, viewed as objects of shame that must not be noticed. Should they wish to keep dancing secretly, girls have no other alternative to local club dens which are home to gambling, drinking and illegal activities and often face snide and lewd remarks by local boys. Additionally, young married girls pursuing dance is socially tabooed.

The Solution

Ahlladi is a platform, where girls and women can live their passion, irrespective of their age, marital status and economic background. The bodies which are endlessly restricted and subject to harassment now become the means to express their minds. Dance is used as therapy. Ahlladi’s dance production thematic elements, music, storylines are steeped in existing socio-economic-cultural research. It also seeks to inculcate soft and life skills through sessions on rights, personal health and hygiene, gender orientation for overall personal development. Girls will be given market exposure and help acquire business skills to consider dance as a supplementary means of livelihood.

The Venture

Ahlladi seeks to:
●    Develop and strengthen skills in dance and other creative media and ensure employability
●    Enable to cope with difficult situations and emotions
●    Orient the members various social and gender issues and their fundamental rights
●    Reduce incidents of elopement, early marriage, and school dropouts.
Ahlladi is an innovative platform that gives girls and women freedom to express themselves and also the freedom to choose their profession. It neither discriminates nor is reserved for people of any particular background or status. Also here members themselves are responsible for entire conceptualization, development and presentation of every dance production.

The Problem

Apart from studying, underprivileged children don’t have access to other opportunities to learn new things that matter in their lives; they are therefore not aware of the difference between appropriate and inappropriate touching from relatives and strangers and therefore cannot prevent child sexual abuse. Also, girls have a lack of menstruation hygiene because they don’t have access to the related information and practices around menstruation.

The Venture

Nayi Soch Nayi Duniya conducts various workshops and awareness programmes on child sexual abuse. These workshops raise awareness about child safety. The underlying purpose of this workshop is to teach children about their bodies and how to respect and care for other people’s bodies. Safety can only be achieved if all stakeholders are aware, sensitized and educated, so other members of the community are also invited to take part in the workshops. The venture conducts the same process for menstruation awareness for the girls in the village. In addition to the workshops, the library is a unique element in the project through which children are encouraged to study and learn more about all new and useful things. Pradesh Domain : Gender & Sexuality - Women and LGBT & Child Rights

The Problem

Over 34,600 rape cases in India occur annually. Human Rights Watch projects more than 7,200 minors are raped each year in India. Among these victims, the ones who report the assaults are alleged to suffer mistreatment and humiliation from the police. Also, minor girls are trafficked into prostitution in India, thus rape of minors conflates into a lifetime of suffering.

The Solution

Whenever a molester tries to attack the victim, my footwear or electroshoe will electrocute the molester with 0.1 Ampere of shock and an alert message will be automatically sent to nearby police stations and family members indicating that victim is in danger. The power source required to make this shoe work is solely dependent on one’s footsteps. The more the person walks the more mechanical energy is converted into electrical energy and stored in the rechargeable battery using a concept called “ piezoelectric effect”.

The Venture

ElectroShoe is a rape preventing device. The device is also equipped with GPS, even if the molester tries to take her to an isolated area, GPS will triangulate the victim’s location and send the SMS right away. The power energy required to make this shoe work is solely dependent on one’s footsteps.  No one forgets to wear footwear; people might forget pepper spray, they might forget some self-protection tools but not footwear. Therefore, we used the shoe as a base to invent this device. It not only electrocutes the molester but also sends an alert message so basically even if the molester tries to take her to an isolated area, GPS will pretty much triangulate the victim’s location. And send the SMS ASAP. And here comes the best part. To charge this shoe, women need to walk, so it is another good excuse for women to be fit as well.

The Problem

Tribal rural girls in Odisha face many difficulties in India including lack of access to education, forced early marriage, misconceptions of menstruation leading to infections, and over-consumption of liquor. Women in her village were often beaten by their drunk husbands, couldn’t leave the house during menstruation and found it difficult to navigate their way through education. They were also married at the ages of 14 - 15.

The Solution

A core team comprising Anganwadi Worker (AWW), ASHA and 3 youth is formed.  Group meetings with Women Self Help Groups (WSHGs) and adolescent girls are organized to discuss the issues. Awareness in form of role plays, rallies and group discussions were organized.  Posters and leaflets were used for internalizing the issues among the community members.

The Venture

Shanti put together a team of women who she calls “peers” to address the problems mentioned above. Due to the small mindset of people, she didn’t face any success initially, no one was willing to listen to a group of teenage girls. Her family too feared social isolation if she continued and hence discouraged her. However, Shanti was committed to her cause and continued her work. She created a core advocacy team comprised of Anganwadi workers (AWW-health care centres established in villages), ASHA workers (Accredited Social Health Activist), and three youth from her village. Today Parivartan operates in 8 villages around Odisha with at least 2 PEERS in each village who plan and execute various initiatives. The team organizes meetings with Women Self Help Groups (WSHGs) and adolescent girls to discuss the pressing issues they face. Awareness of and solutions to these issues are spread in the form of plays, rallies, posters, leaflets and larger group discussions. The goal of Shanti’s initiative is to increase parent interest in sending their girls to schools (delaying marriage), educate girls on menstrual hygiene as to avoid infections, and educate society about gender equality and women’s rights. She wants to integrate her efforts with awareness programs of AWW and ASHA, projects that are already established at the community level. Since starting her initiative, more and more girls in Shanti’s village are pursuing higher education, girls are being married off only after the legal age of 18, misconceptions about menstruation have been minimized, and parents are starting to value their girl children more. Shanti has started these initiatives at the cluster level involving adolescent girls, but she hopes to take this advocacy to the Panchayat and Block level to integrate these awareness programs in existing programs of the Indian government. Shanti convinced parents of a 15-year-old girl not to marry her off so early. Years later she had tears in her eyes when she spoke to us and said “helping someone realise their dreams were my biggest triumph”.

The Entrepreneur

Shanti grew up in a small village and right from a tender age she was aware of the difficulties faced by women. In her early teens, she went to a life skill education program arranged by UNFPA. There realised the importance of education, equality and health & sanitation. After coming back to her village, she decided to change the status quo.

The Problem

There exists a myth in several communities that adolescent girls going through the menstrual cycle are untouchable. As a result, several rules are imposed on girls that they are bound to follow and are considered societal norms. Several girls are not educated on the effects of puberty and the rapid physical and emotional changes that occur.

The Solution

Chanda and her team run awareness and discussion sessions with parents, teenage girls, social leaders, and teachers on menstrual health. They educate girls about the changes that occur during puberty and try to battle the stigma against menstruation and break the silence on the topic. They use street plays, comics and cartoons to help young people learn about the topic.

The Venture

The team of 24 started work in 2015. They work in multiple villages in the region.

The Changemaker

Chanda was already invested in tackling social issues prior to this initiative when she began a campaign to prevent child marriages and was successful in preventing 16 child marriages. She is currently studying at Bihar University.

The Problem

Nimish found that "the problem of our lives is the stigma attached to the work our mother does. Such social disdain is just since these women live in the red-light district and sell their body, considered an immoral act in our society. The issue is a lack of knowledge about sex trade/trafficking. There have never been any attempts at showcasing the real picture of a brothel. Our idea is to change this and
convey real stories of a brothel. We do not want to side-line the atrocities but the idea is to connect more people with stories of change.”

The Solution

To de-stigmatise the role and work of women in sex trade, Nimish is using the medium of photography and videography. He documents their lives and portrays them as human beings - not as objects.

The Venture

Nimish was supported by Kat-Katha for his education, and with their help, he started Magic Lens in 2016. With the creatives, he had collected he made a coffee-table book, two documentaries and has launched his initiative via various online platforms to expand the reach.

The Problem

1 in 5 girls in rural India drops out of school at the advent of puberty, due to a lack of access to proper menstrual hygiene equipment. They utilize sawdust, cotton, old rags and other implements that create a huge risk of infections, which can sometimes be fatal. Moreover, many girls are restricted from going to school due to the prevailing myths and taboos related to menstruation, such as not going to the temple and being confined to a room as they are ’impure’.

The Solution

Their solution is to provide the necessary material resources like menstrual pads and to continue working towards destigmatisation, demystification and de-ritualisation puberty in rural areas for girls. While the first round of distribution was supported through raising crowd-funds, to make the intervention sustainable they engaged with companies to provide a regular supply of bio-degradable pads at subsidised rates.

The Venture

They distribute pads to schools and to mothers. During their first distribution, they gave a talk on menstrual hygiene and then every month, pads are distributed. They check in every few months their initiative is unique for two reasons. Firstly, it focuses on providing proper menstrual hygiene equipment to underprivileged girls and mothers of young girls, so that the practice of using pads is taught from a young age. Secondly, it keeps sustainability and the proper disposal of sanitary waste in mind as the pads that we distribute are biodegradable and do not harm the environment like traditional pads do. For these 2 girls, the motivation to keep going comes from seeing that spark of happiness in the eyes of other people.

The Changemakers

Since their childhood, both Saranya and Aamiya were avid readers. They stumbled upon articles and news about women health and sanitation and it was in that very article that they made up their minds to pursue the health sector of women. They found that on an average a woman wastes about 150kg of sanitary waste and this was a cause of concern for the environment as well as the health of people.

The Problem

1 in 5 girls in rural India drops out of school at the advent of puberty, due to a lack of access to proper menstrual hygiene equipment. They utilize sawdust, cotton, old rags and other implements that create a huge risk of infections, which can sometimes be fatal. Moreover, many girls are restricted from going to school due to the prevailing myths and taboos related to menstruation, such as not going to the temple and being confined to a room as they are ’impure’.

The Solution

Their solution is to provide the necessary material resources like menstrual pads and to continue working towards destigmatisation, demystification and de-ritualisation puberty in rural areas for girls. While the first round of distribution was supported through raising crowd-funds, to make the intervention sustainable they engaged with companies to provide a regular supply of bio-degradable pads at subsidised rates.

The Venture

They distribute pads to schools and to mothers. During their first distribution, they gave a talk on menstrual hygiene and then every month, pads are distributed. They check in every few months their initiative is unique for two reasons. Firstly, it focuses on providing proper menstrual hygiene equipment to underprivileged girls and mothers of young girls, so that the practice of using pads is taught from a young age. Secondly, it keeps sustainability and the proper disposal of sanitary waste in mind as the pads that we distribute are biodegradable and do not harm the environment like traditional pads do. For these 2 girls, the motivation to keep going comes from seeing that spark of happiness in the eyes of other people.

The Changemakers

Since their childhood, both Saranya and Aamiya were avid readers. They stumbled upon articles and news about women health and sanitation and it was in that very article that they made up their minds to pursue the health sector of women. They found that on an average a woman wastes about 150kg of sanitary waste and this was a cause of concern for the environment as well as the health of people.

The Problem

Nasreen and Nazma started working on gender-based violence in Mumbai’sGovandislum after learning about the sexual violence her friend was experiencing. She became frustrated when adults in the community told her that isolation was the best solution and recognized that this often leads to early child marriage, trafficking and many other problems.

The Solution

They are increasing awareness of women’s and girls’ rights. They engage directly with different stakeholders in the community, including the municipality, the police, and religious heads to increase patrolling in the area and to make the space safe and reduce gender-based violence.

The Venture

Nazma and Nasreen started working on the gender-based violence in Mumbai’s Govandi slum after learning about the sexual violence her friend was experiencing. She became frustrated when adults in the community told her that isolation was the best solution and recognized that this often leads to early child marriage, trafficking and many other problems. Her program works with the police to increase patrolling in her area particularly in regards to female safety. As a result, the police are more involved in her community, more parents are willing to send their daughters to school and many young girls feel empowered to pursue
jobs rather than early marriages.

The Problem

Nasreen and Nazma started working on gender-based violence in Mumbai’sGovandislum after learning about the sexual violence her friend was experiencing. She became frustrated when adults in the community told her that isolation was the best solution and recognized that this often leads to early child marriage, trafficking and many other problems.

The Solution

They are increasing awareness of women’s and girls’ rights. They engage directly with different stakeholders in the community, includingthe municipality, the police, and religious heads to increase patrolling in the area and to make the space safe and reduce gender-based violence.

The Venture

Nasreen and Nazma started working on the gender-based violence in Mumbai’s Govandi slum after learning about the sexual violence her friend was experiencing. She became frustrated when adults in the community told her that isolation was the best solution and recognized that this often leads to early child marriage, trafficking and many other problems. Her program works with the police to increase patrolling in her area particularly in regards to female safety. As a result, the police are more involved in her community, more parents are willing to send their daughters to school and many young girls feel empowered to pursue
jobs rather than early marriages.

The Problem

One of the most pressing issues in India today is the safety of women, a problem especially present in rural areas. Parents are often scared of sending their daughters outside without supervision. Many girls grow up believing that they cannot defend themselves. Thus, they are discouraged from going to work, school and explore personal growth opportunities. This fuels gender disparity in career opportunities and intellectual exploration.

The Solution

Kushal created HackTaser, by hacking old electric mosquito bats and conducts self-defence classes for girls. These bats can be charged at home and used one or two times, like Tasers. The cost of making these Tasers is very low and he plans to teach others (especially women) to make them and eventually sell them to generate profits for the community as well as work opportunities for village members. Kushal plans to continue to improve the design of the Taser with feedback from those who use it. Eventually, Kushal aims to create a sustainable business that not only supplies HackTaser but also other kinds of safety equipment for girls/women.

The Venture

Kushal conducts various self-defence sessions for girls in his areas and has developed a safety tool that that is easy to learn, quick to use and affordable for the women/girls in villages. He was also able to help others in his community come up with their own innovative solutions to the problem of girls' safety and to many other issues.

The Problem

Acid Violence in India accounts for 1/3rd of all acid attacks that take place annually worldwide. While it is a punishable offence, there are no concrete efforts by government agencies for the rehabilitation of survivors of such violence. This leads to a lot of financial hardships for the survivor.

The Solution

“Flawless Flaws” aims to raise awareness of the issue of acid violence as well as sensitize society to the plight of acid violence survivors and restore their dignity. Through presentations and street plays, the venture raises funds to support the surgical treatment of survivors. These educational performances provide audiences with information about the statistics, laws and case studies regarding acid violence as well as how to react when an attack takes place.

The Venture

More than INR 2,00,000 has been raised to support Flawless Flaws and the medical treatment of acid survivors. The project has been implemented in their own school with over 800 students and teachers and in a sister school. They have also conducted sessions in Shadipur Slum and Dili Haat in Delhi. Also, they have worked in Kolkata where they made presentations at Bethune College, La Martiniere, Bengali Basti Slum, Rabindra Bharti University, Santiniketan, Gaudiya Math Mela, Millennium Park, and Metropolis Mall. The venture also partnered with Acid Survivors Foundation India that provides medical support and acid violence awareness throughout India. To raise most of the funds, the venture held an annual cultural fest, which they plan to continue as an annual fundraiser at their team’s school. In the future, Flawless Flaws plans to expand to more schools, colleges and societies within Delhi as well as extend programs to Chandigarh, Mumbai and Chennai.

The Problem

Acid Violence in India accounts for 1/3rd of all acid attacks that take place annually worldwide. While it is a punishable offence, there are no concrete efforts by government agencies for the rehabilitation of survivors of such violence. This leads to a lot of financial hardships for the survivor.

The Solution

“Flawless Flaws” aims to raise awareness of the issue of acid violence as well as sensitize society to the plight of acid violence survivors and restore their dignity. Through presentations and street plays, the venture raises funds to support the surgical treatment of survivors. These educational performances provide audiences with information about the statistics, laws and case studies regarding acid violence as well as how to react when an attack takes place.

The Venture

More than INR 2,00,000 has been raised to support Flawless Flaws and the medical treatment of acid survivors. The project has been implemented in their own school with over 800 students and teachers and in a sister school. They have also conducted sessions in Shadipur Slum and Dili Haat in Delhi. Also, they have worked in Kolkata where they made presentations at Bethune College, La Martiniere, Bengali Basti Slum, Rabindra Bharti University, Santiniketan, Gaudiya Math Mela, Millennium Park, and Metropolis Mall. The venture also partnered with Acid Survivors Foundation India that provides medical support and acid violence awareness throughout India. To raise most of the funds, the venture held an annual cultural fest, which they plan to continue as an annual fundraiser at their team’s school. In the future, Flawless Flaws plans to expand to more schools, colleges and societies within Delhi as well as extend programs to Chandigarh, Mumbai and Chennai.

The Problem

Women, especially in India, are not treated with the respect and dignity that they deserve even currently. This applies especially to women who come from the poorer strata of society. They’re often left behind due to lack of education, lack of resources and lack of awareness.

The Solution

As students, Anvita and Kanika realized that the lives of the women they could impact the most were their maids and support staff, whom they encountered regularly. They implemented two programmes to make a difference. The first was EmpoWershops, which involved going to different apartments and holding workshops for the maids present over a course of 4 weeks covering areas such as hygiene, financial stability, child marriage and a finale health camp. Their second initiative addresses the support staff at school. This programme has a prequel to it called StorypoWer which is an activity that helps students to understand the problems of their support staff by writing books about them and illustrating their lives.

The Venture

This motivates the support staff and gives them a sense of self-confidence which is boosted by TeachpoWer. In the second stage, the support staff is taught how to read and write, and how to speak English. Students volunteer to hold teaching sessions every week. The impact is not limited to the women who are directly impacted, but also serves as an inspiration to their daughters, who realize the value of education. Whilst this is currently limited to their school, the girls plan on spreading TeachpoWer across schools in Bangalore in association with another NGO, Step Up for India, to educate their support staff.

The Problem

Women, especially in India, are not treated with the respect and dignity that they deserve even currently. This applies especially to women who come from the poorer strata of society. They’re often left behind due to lack of education, lack of resources and lack of awareness.

The Solution

As students, Anvita and Kanika realized that the lives of the women they could impact the most were their maids and support staff, whom they encountered regularly. They implemented two programmes to make a difference. The first was EmpoWershops, which involved going to different apartments and holding workshops for the maids present over a course of 4 weeks covering areas such as hygiene, financial stability, child marriage and a finale health camp. Their second initiative addresses the support staff at school. This programme has a prequel to it called StorypoWer which is an activity that helps students to understand the problems of their support staff by writing books about them and illustrating their lives.

The Venture

This motivates the support staff and gives them a sense of self-confidence which is boosted by TeachpoWer. In the second stage, the support staff is taught how to read and write, and how to speak English. Students volunteer to hold teaching sessions every week. The impact is not limited to the women who are directly impacted, but also serves as an inspiration to their daughters, who realize the value of education. Whilst this is currently limited to their school, the girls plan on spreading TeachpoWer across schools in Bangalore in association with another NGO, Step Up for India, to educate their support staff.

A significant portion of transgenders in Bangladesh are beggars. As a result, a large portion of the population believes that this is all transgenders can do. Nahian founded the Third Gender Society in order to correct this misconception. The initiative aims to establish the working rights of third genders through a skills development program. The Third Gender Society teaches transgenders job-related skills such as beauty skills and connects this newly trained labor force with employers and other relevant community leaders. In doing so, Nahian hopes to change public opinion surrounding third genders.