Women leaders in community development in Indian slums.
Improving the lives of vulnerable communities
The project aims to improve the lives of families living in 52 slums in the city of Surat (Gujarat state, India), working directly in the strengthening and creation of women’s community development groups.
By empowering, training and supporting these groups, the life of their communities can be improved, through the actions they put in place, organize and supervise: educational and training activities for children and adolescents and awareness raising and sensitization activities with adults on basic rights, access to government assistance and development of life options.
Poor living conditions in slums in Surat city. Lack of basic rights in the families that live there.
Improvement and development of slum communities through actions implemented by women's groups.
Promote the development and improve the living conditions of communities living in 52 slums in the city of Surat, India.
For women´s groups:
- Strengthen and train groups to contribute to the development of their communities.
- Offer credit facilities and income generation opportunities.
For women to their communities:
- Raise awareness among the slum population of their rights and duties (to apply for their identity documents and access government grants). Raise awareness and provide information on healthy living and hygiene habits (especially women in the slums).
- Offer credit facilities and income generation opportunitiesEducate and train children and youth from the slums to offer them a better future.
- Weekly monitoring and monthly evaluation meetings with teachers and staff.
- Annual training for teachers and staff.
- Research work and analysis of the non-formal slum labor force.
- Training and awareness-raising workshops on legal issues for the groups.
- Leadership and personal development workshops.
- Capacity building program (visits to different offices and services of the public administration).
- Monthly meetings of the Group Federation Committee and the Cooperative Committee (accompanied by project staff)
- Tution classes for children attending government schools.
- Classes for working or out-of-school children.
- Extracurricular activities for children: painting, ceramics, public speaking, theater.
- Training classes for teenagers: computers and sewing
- Visits to the schools of the women's groups to know about the evolution of the children (405 visits)
- Monitoring of the situation of working or out-of-school children
- Health and hygiene awareness workshops for adolescent girls
- Workshops on equality, values, rights and duties as citizens for adolescents
- Summer camp
- Annual medical camp for children and adolescents
- Meetings in the slums to provide information on identity documents, government assistance and public services available
- Distribution of basic aid in emergencies