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Description : 

The objective of this project is to promote inclusivity and visibility of single women within society. Single women represent one of the most marginalized communities, enduring social oppression and discriminatory experiences. Unfortunately, families headed by destitute single women have consistently been excluded from development programs. These women, including widows, abandoned unmarried individuals, and those facing social, economic, and legal challenges, encounter difficulties across various aspects of life.

A study conducted across 12 districts in Jharkhand reveals that 65% of single women do not possess any land ownership. Disturbingly, 95% of the single women respondents reported losing a portion of their land during the Covid-19 pandemic. The primary reason behind this loss was the acquisition of loans during the crisis. Approximately 41.5% of the respondents resorted to borrowing money from friends, neighbours, and relatives, while 2.66% obtained loans from banks or credit funds such as Self-Help Groups (SHGs).

The objectives of the project are - 

• Empower single women from disadvantaged sectors by organizing them.
• Foster social and institutional leadership among single women, enabling them to take on influential roles. 
• Advocate for women's policies and programs, emphasizing the rights of single women in terms of land, livelihood, labour, and social security, particularly within the informal sector.
• Establish a collective forum where single women can voice their concerns and demand recognition as workers.
• Promote better representation of single and socially excluded women in village, block, district, and state committees, influencing decision-making processes to safeguard their interests and priorities.
• Support single women in exercising their rights to habitat and agricultural land as granted by the PESA, FRA act, and government land distribution programs targeted at landless individuals.

This project is working on significant outcomes in the area of gender mainstreaming and promoting gender equality. Focusing on organizing and empowering single women, it has successfully created a platform for single women to raise their concerns, actively participate in decision making processes and advocate for their rights. This achievement aligns with the broader goal of fostering a more gender-equitable society.

Description : 

SMS has launched an initiative called the Women Workers Forum (WWF) to support the feminist change agenda by and for women workers. The Forum includes low-wage female workers who are currently working in destination countries, women who have returned to their home country after working in another state and may or may not migrate again and women who She is a worker in her home district and has not migrated.

The initiative focuses on three key strategies; Educate, agitate and organize. WWF is working with women workers The project aims to strengthen the groups by supporting their self-directed learning agenda and helping them see the connection between personal experiences of abuse and systemic discrimination. Furthermore, the project encourages women to build solidarity among like-minded groups and raise their collective voice against injustice and unfair practices.

Description : 

The project aims at community-level initiatives where the focus will be on changing the local realities affected by COVID-19 affecting working women and their families.

Objectives of the project – 

• To facilitate strengthening the women's workers' organization.
• Capacity building for women workers in the organization for leadership development 
• Consultation with the government and the village panchayat for women workers (migrants and locals) to have access to rights over their work and resources.    

The informal economy employs about 86 percent of the country's workforce and 95 percent of women workers. Despite this, the patriarchal society does not accept women as workers in the system. That is why it is a long struggle for women workers to get ready to get the right to work and to establish themselves as workers. SMS is preparing women for this struggle of working women        
 

Description : 

Identifying existing capacities and challenges of Gram Sabha in the local context, traditional leaders and village heads will be trained on local self-governance structure and PRI provisions in PESA areas, Gram Sabha will start regular meetings, Gram Sabha Secretariat will be activated. Elected PRI leaders in Panchayats with availability of information, documents and records related to the schemes will be trained on PRI-local governance processes, roles and responsibilities of PRI leaders and sensitized to traditional governance systems, community traditional leaders and elected PRIs. There will be better coordination between them.

Programme Objective –

• Empowerment of Gram Sabha and Gram Panchayat.
• Adivasi Collectivization & Engagement with Tribal culture and traditions
• To claim for Community Forest Rights (CFR) and IFR in 90 villages
• To ensure ration, pension, and employment through Social Security Schemes & MGNREGA in 90 villages 
• To build alliance/network for advocacy and policy

Inter-generational exchange of traditional knowledge, customs and practices is revived at community level, A repository of Santhal, Bhumij and Sabar (PGVT)customs and practices will documented with local youth lense, Issues and challenges related to conservation of tribal culture and traditions will be identified, Traditional tribal culture, folk and arts revived at community level

Description : 

Supporting individuals and groups who feel passionately about the Constitution of India, and would like to take the values enshrined in the constitution to the communities and groups they engage with;

• Building knowledge and perspective of the fellow on the Constitution of India, its values, and helping them connect their work to the larger frame of these values;
• Building spaces of dialogue, discussion and action to strengthen the values, through engagement of the fellows with their respective communities.

Description : 
The present proposal will address Strengthening of Gram Sabha (GS), CBOs, Community Institutions, food security, livelihood options, increased income and linkages with government. It will empower the community for preparedness, improved information system, improved partnership relationship, savings groups and climate resilient & adaptive agriculture. The overall impact of the program will enhance households better by strengthening physical, social and economic well-being. The emphasis will also to address the critical concerns of the most vulnerable section of the community. Sensitizing and capacities to ensure participation and visibility of these networks and groups in decision-making platforms.

Description : 
The nature and impact of this pandemic is different from other natural calamities and emergency situations therefore, the response and mitigation work need to be planned and facilitated differently. The sudden announcement by the central government to shut down the country for 21 days the rural community & daily workers were unable to earn wages due to the closure of construction and other work. Many were unable to buy food for their families. Due to the Global pandemic Covid-19 our regular activities have been stopped and team members started to work on Covid-19 in three districts namely East Singhbhum, West Singhbhum & Simdega.
We have Involved the community leaders and PRI in identifying and reaching out to the most vulnerable families to follow the below criteria for selection of households:

• Migrant Laborers' family
• Landless family
• The family is women headed family
• The family having disabled and elderly members
• Any family whose members are affected by COVID-19 virus or whose family members are quarantined in the village/GP camps.
• Families returned because of reverse migration and families whose members have not returned
• Marginal farmers/poor families who supplement their income through seasonal migration or through MGNREGA

SMS have worked and carry the entire process in close coordination with the district/block administration. SMS done Broad Key Activities on Humanitarian Assistance for Relief work on COVID-19 epidemic.

1. Creating Village / Panchayat wise data base of migrant workers returning back home
2. Linking vulnerable and eligible families to the Government Schemes
3. Link vulnerable and eligible families to MGNREGS
4. Identify and address stigma and discrimination through Panchayats, opinion leaders and community awareness
5. Creating Database of vulnerable families in the intervention villages
6. Facilitating delivery of dry ration via School/Anganwadi for the children
7. Supported to Quarantine centers.
8. Distribution of Masks, Soap and Detergents.
9. Distribution of Agricultural seeds and Support kits to Forest collectors groups.

From 15th March 2020 SMS have started awareness work via mobile phones and our team members have done phone calls and spread the messages about Covid-19. Animators have given all the important messages to our beneficiaries. As well as we have done digital communication also on WhatsApp. Through this group exchange of information with each other takes place. Instructions are given to work on the problem of the community and its solution. Like food distribution to needy families, preparing the list of non-ration holders, migrant labours who have reached to home village and who are sucked in other states etc.
Distribution of Horlicks and Biscuits to the pregnant ladies, lactating mothers and children (7 months to 6 years.)- As per the order of District Social Welfare Officer Jamshedpur, SMS have to distribute nutritional items to the pregnant ladies, lactating mother and children in Dumuria block. Lady supervisor of ICDS provided us the numbers of the same Pregnant women and lactatingmothers-1387 and Children 7 months to 6 years -5868.
We provided the items for all beneficiaries to the Angan wadi Workers in ICDS office in presence of LS. After that all 91 AWWs have distributed the items at their AWC level.
Distribution of Masks, Soap and Detergents- We have distributed 2000 masks to Migration Worker, MNREGA workers, Shg women , Ration Store labors, Dal-bhat centers etc. we also distributed 2 soaps and one detergent powder to 500 families.
SMS have started the activities on Post-Pandemic Economic Resilience specific and detailed plan to evolve at a later stage based on needs arising from communities.

• Distribution of kharif based agro seeds and vegetable seeds for migrant worker families.
• Facilitate and assist workers (when mobility restrictions are waived) willing to go back to work.
• Facilitating local and immediate work opportunities among rural poor (collective work in communities - focus on preparedness of youth for handling such situation)
• Identify Local and immediate work opportunities and support capacity building initiative.
• Facilitate and assist workers (when mobility restrictions are waived) willing to go back to work.
• Facilitating local and immediate work opportunities among Rural poor (collective work in communities - focus on preparedness of youth for handling such situation)

Description : 

This project is designed to tackle the pressing issue of forest rights in Jharkhand. Hundreds of thousands of families throughout the State do not have legal entitlement to their land, despite the Forest Rights Act being in place. The project is look to address all the relevant bottlenecks and problems in the process of gaining land entitlement. This will include helping communities to understand their rights and the process for claiming land, skilling up a cadre of Van Adhikaar Mitras to support claim generation, rolling out a digital means of verifying claims to expedite and accurately represent the claims and assist with the processing of claims and helping resolve any disputes that arise.

In addition, the project will support the claims of Community Forest Land to help secure this for communities. It is anticipated that this project will reach out to 2.5 million tribal people, helping to provide a legal entitlement under the Forest Rights Act to their land. Despite the collaborative efforts of the Department of Welfare, GoJ and civil society, till now, the number of individual claims received in Jharkhand is low when compared to the forest dependent villages.

The proposed intervention will help the tribal and other traditional dwelling communities to file their claims for recognition of rights under forest rights act. More than 15000 household will be able to file claims for their rights. More than 500 villages will be able to prepare and submit their community forest rights claims.

The recognition of CFR rights would shift forest governance in Jharkhand towards a community conservation regime that is more food secure and sustainable livelihood oriented. Recognition of CFR, would enhance the community rights over forest and enable the community to confidently use, manage and conserve the part of the forest that falls within the traditional boundaries of their village, and the right to use and sell minor forest produce like tendu (a leaf used to make beedis), bamboo, honey and medicinal plants without any fear or inhibition.

This would also safeguard the community from displacement issues as in spirit no project of the government or any private entity would be implemented without the consent and involvement of the gram sabha and it would result in legal protection for the communities as key stakeholders having rights for appropriate relief and rehabilitation, in case if any displacement. Tribal and forest dwelling communities once gain control of rights over forest resources would be the opening door to the largest land reform in state's history.

Both PESA and FRA promote community participation in the conservation of natural resources and livelihood security of the forest dwellers and forest dependent communities. Both legislations aim at addressing these two crucial aspects of governance through Gram Sabhas and this intervention would further strengthen local self-governance especially in the Vth schedule areas as stated in PESA 1996.

Description : 
To ensure labour rights of women at home, in destination states and on the way. It was decided that follow-up work will be carried out at two levels:

1. In communities of origin and destination with women workers, adolescent girls and women where workers' right focussed and an integrated community led approach would be tried out. This approach will aim at knowledge building from ground up.
2. State level research and advocacy oriented consultations The focus of this collaborative initiative is on community led action that will enhance the livelihood and employment opportunities of women and mobilization and organizing among girls and women. This initiative also aims to encourage information sharing, mutual knowledge building, constructive debate and dialogue, collective reflection and strategic action among partners.

Although the specific focus is on women's work and female labour migration, this initiative will take into account the larger issues of rural distress, agricultural crises, forest rights, displacement, the current situation of labour rights in the country and labour migration of both men and women

Description : 
Internet Saathi programme sponsored by Google was launched in association with Tata Trust and PHIA Foundation. Its main objective is to help in closing down the digital literacy gaps. SMS work on Digital literacy and digital livelihood program in 5 Districts and 36 blocks with partnership of PHIA Foundation.Upon the completion of the targets by the Saathis, such active and interested saathis are to be linked to the digital livelihood programme where the saathi's themselves will carry out the survey work in the concerned villages. Active Saathis have been engaged in periodic surveys based on certain indicators as desired by Niti Aayog. Such thematic areas are Health & Nutrition, Education, Agriculture & Water Resources, Financial Inclusion & Skill Development and Basic Infrastructure. As of now, only two themes have been focused- Health and Education.

Description : 
The main aim of the program is to support the tribal communities for functional institutions towards achieving socio-economic well-being through socially and politically dynamic participation in decision-making bodies (Gram Sabhas) and being sensitized to the needs of the most vulnerable community members. Tribals are more vulnerable and marginalized due to their poor socio-economic conditions in terms of work-participation and access to various eligible government entitlements and flagship programme. The present proposal will address Strengthening of Gram Sabha (GS), CBOs, Community Institutions, food security, livelihood options, increased income and linkages with government. It will empower the community for preparedness, improved information system, improved partnership relationship, savings groups and conservation agriculture. The overall impact of the program will enhance households better by strengthening physical, social and economic well-being. The emphasis will also to address the critical concerns of the most vulnerable section of the community. Sensitizing and building capacities to recognize and make visibility of these networks and groups in decision-making platforms.

Description : 
The broad goal of the program of empowering the community to eliminate Sex Selection and Sex Determination to guarantee a life of dignity for the girl child the Key Result Areas (KRAs) entail the activities that will enhance the value of the girl child in society by changing mindsets and ensuring ownership of the issue by the community and the government. The nature of the problem is socio-cultural and requires an overall, long term, multi targeted and multi-pronged approach.

Description : 
The importance of working with women in source communities, before they have made their decisions to migrate, is huge as it is the first stage in their migration story. While there is a need to work towards a safe, secured and violence free life for all women, the need for such work with migrating women is urgent. Most women migrating for domestic work come from socially and economically disadvantaged background and have little or no formal education. Their socialization process often does not allow them to question violence and violation of rights. Many do not see themselves as 'workers' even though they do back breaking work all the time. A woman can only think of raising her voice against violence at destination site, if she has already tried to do so in her home community. In order to demand that 'safe migration' and 'work in freedom' are their rights in the context of migration, the women must learn to demand safety and freedom from abuse in their home communities. In order to be able to claim their rights to organize at destination countries, the women must see for themselves that collectivization can be a source of power in their home communities as well. Such consciousness raising work can't be done in pre-departure training's. It has to be long termed and broad based.

Description : 
The objective of the Project is to strengthen the tribal communities by strengthening the active participation in the village mandatory forums like Gram Sabha , Gram Panchyat and other traditional Sabhas organized for community development. The active participation means people not only able to articulate their needs and planning their development works in Gram Sabha but also actively monitor and evaluate the plans. It also strongly means inclusive participation of women, people living with disability, landless people, widows and women (single) headed families and all other marginalized community in the targeted villages. The major aim will be brought in good governance by making the local self-governance closer to the people and people friendly work for the people, by the people and with the people.

Description : 
Single women face additional discrimination and social barriers to health and livelihood. PACS Program has given the opportunity for Expansion and strengthening of the single women and their association, the land and livelihood issues is the primary need of the single women in Jharkhand. However, land rights & skill development through right based approach and empowerment is the most important and critical issue for the single women and SMS is devoted to work and take challenges towards achieving goal. Total 1382 claims (5305 women) have been submitted for different type of lands. In which, (300 women govt land) in Schedule area application submitted to Gram Sabha by 3464 women of 295 women groups for community land and 1035 women of 86 women groups got the Kachcha Bandobasti. Increase homestead land entitlement of single women 2346 through Indira awas yojna.