Rural Women Youth Fellowship Programme Under Project Garima
The Rural Women Youth Fellowship Program, running under the umbrella of the Garima Project run under Sankalp Ek Prayas, is a revolutionary effort for the social, educational and leadership development of young women in the rural areas of Chhattisgarh. This program is specially designed for those young women who are unable to become self-reliant due to limited resources, social barriers and patriarchal thinking.
The aim of the fellowship programme is to empower these young women through leadership skills, social awareness and community service so that they can become agents of change within their villages and communities.
Under this program, selected young women (fellows) work at the village level on issues such as health, education, child marriage, menstrual hygiene, gender equality, raising voice against violence and self-reliance. They are ensured special training, guidance and availability of resources so that they can become role models not only for themselves but also for other women and girls around them.
Resources:
- Capacity Building Workshops: Fellows are regularly trained through workshops on a variety of topics, including communication skills, leadership development, digital literacy, health and legal basics.
- Mentorship and Field Support: Each fellow is assigned a mentor who provides periodic guidance and helps address challenges faced in the field.
- Fellowship Stipend: A nominal honorarium is also provided to these girls from rural background to make them self-reliant and motivate them to work.
- Community Resource Centres (CRC): These centres provide books, information pamphlets, digital resources, internet facilities and event materials.
Key Features
- Community Leadership Development: This program provides young women with the opportunity to become leaders within the community.
- Working on local issues Fellows identify real problems of their villages and carry out solution-oriented activities.
- Participatory Model The programme adopts a participatory approach in which fellows, the community and the institution work together.
- Digital Inclusion: Digital training seeks to connect young women with technology
- Catalyst for Social Change: Fellows break social stereotypes and give rise to new thinking.
Expected Outcomes
- Reduction in incidence of child marriage in rural communities.
- Denial of menstrual stigma and improvement of hygiene among adolescent girls.
- Increase awareness regarding education and health services.
- Development of self-confidence and leadership skills in young women.
- Re-enrolment of girls in education and decline in school dropout rates.
- Bringing about a cyclical change by the Fellows inspiring other young people like themselves.
The Rural Women Youth Fellowship Program not only empowers girls towards social change but also gives them a voice that was suppressed for years. This program is a concrete step towards establishing gender equality in rural society. This initiative shows that when given the right guidance, resources and confidence, girls from rural areas also have the ability to give direction to the society. This fellowship is a living example of women empowerment and in the times to come, it will show new paths to many more young women