GG1874585 Project Dignity

Description

Project Dignity is conceived to identify those widows, single mothers or unmarried daughters of widows, who head households and are economically and socially discriminated, and bring them within its scope and to enable them to attain sustainable means of livelihood. This project aims to support these women by providing an avenue for them to build a safe and secured future for themselves and their children. The challenges a widow or a single mother face in their day to day life in Indian society are manifold. This ranges from lack of access to productive assets owned by her deceased husband leading to employment restrictions, limited freedom to remarry, tense relation with in-laws, gender-based violence, discrimination against girl child, little or no social welfare protection, health hazards, lack of social and financial support and often a lack of employable skill. These factors deeply impact their lives and guide the course of their own lives and that of their dependent children who are often forced to drop out of school or are forced into child marriage, child labour, trafficking and prostitution. The continued stigmatization and isolation over the centuries to the very present day stand testimony to the fact that the precarious disposition of the widows in India has not received appropriate attention and intervention and often has been neglected by policymakers and civil society at large. To bring about a sustainable change in the lives of these disadvantaged widows or single mothers it becomes imperative to empower them economically thereby giving them a ground to fight the injustices they face as well as work towards securing a better future for their children and resulting in long-lasting social change. Currently, about 46 million widows reside in India, which accounts for 10% of the female population of marital age. Of these, more than 15 million live in abject poverty. According to Census 2011 report the decadence growth in the number of widows is about 4.6% from the year 2001. Rotary India Literacy Mission (RILM), an initiative of Rotary South Asia Society for Cooperation and Development, after researching on available data on widows and single mothers in India, conceptualized a project through which it could bring different stakeholders on a common platform to address the plight of the underprivileged widows and single mothers, who forms one of the most marginalized section of the Indian society. To give this project a concrete shape, RILM has developed standard operational procedures of project implementation and monitoring as well has forged crucial partnerships to ensure impactful implementation. RILM entered into a partnership with The Loomba Foundation, which has been doing noteworthy work in the field of research and advocacy for widows’ rights and creating livelihood opportunities for the last 20 years, and is co-funding the project. RILM has also reached out to various organizations that specialize in providing training on a wide range of skills and subsequent placement to the trainees to achieve the desired project goals. The overall goal of the project is to empower 30,000 women (widows, single mothers and unmarried daughters of widows between the ages 20 to 45 years) in India, 1000 in each state, by giving them training on mutually decided employable skill and create opportunities will support them to attain a sustainable livelihood and attain a safe and dignified life for themselves and their dependent children. This grant focuses on the state of ¬¬¬______ and envisions catering to 1100 targeted beneficiaries in both urban and rural landscapes of the state. The objectives of the project are - To identify 1,100 women (widows, single mothers and unmarried daughters of widows between the age 20 to 45 years) who live below the poverty level. - To impart training to the identified beneficiaries on relevant skills that will lead to employment generation for the beneficiaries in the local area. - To ensure employment opportunity to at least 70% of the beneficiaries post the training or provide support in terms of additional training, linkage to various government schemes, linkage to the market, etc. to beneficiaries who want to set up their own small-scale business unit. - To train beneficiaries who aspire to be entrepreneurs on necessary business skills including understanding cash management, strategies for budgeting, debt carrying capacity, savings options, and financial planning. - To build confidence and self-esteem of the beneficiaries by facilitating economic independence so that they can rise above the social taboos, have increased participation in the community, reject the age-old practices and choose a life of dignity for themselves and their children.

Project Status

Funding Type

Rotary Global Grant Funded

Club Information

rotaryclubofbiratnagardowntown@gmail.com