COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
WITH THE SKILLSET TO TRANSFORM COMMUNITIES, THE EQUIPPED LEADERS INITIATE EMPOWERMENT PROGRAMS TO USHER IN THE TRANSFORMATION.
GENERAL EDUCATION
Children from rural communities have little access to education and are often discriminated against in school. As a result, literacy rates are low, and poverty rates are high in rural villages. That is where Partners India comes in. Our staff provides classes in history, Hindi language, math, science, and even English, ensuring that rural children have the opportunity to learn and grow.
Lower-caste kids like Praveen have little access to education and are often discriminated against in school. As a result, literacy rates are low, and poverty rates are high in his village. That’s where Partners India comes in. Our staff provides classes in history, Hindi language, math, science, and even English, ensuring that rural children have the opportunity to learn and grow. Praveen can now recite the alphabet in English and spell a word for each letter. And he can’t stop smiling!
LITERACY PROGRAMS
UNESCO has defined a literate person as “one who can with understanding both read and write a short, simple statement on his everyday life.” Following UNESCO, the Census Commission in India in 1991 also defined literate persons as one who can read and write with understanding in any Indian language, and not merely read and write. Since then, India’s literacy rate has grown to 74% in the 2011 census, from 12% at the end of British rule in 1947. But if we try to analyze the gender gap in this context, it is 82.14% for males and 65.46% for females. This highlights a significant gender gap in India in the context of the average literacy rate, which is 84% in world literacy parameters. About one-fifth of the total illiterate people are found in the Hindi belt- Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. One of the biggest reasons for this is the lack of teachers at the primary and secondary levels. Over one-third of rural India is still illiterate.
Our equipped leaders organize evening literacy classes in their respective communities to help promote and strengthen adult education, particularly women, by recognizing the need for basic learning and stimulating learners to participate in activities in their daily lives where language skills are required. We have a group of volunteer educators that oversee this effort.
Financial Literacy
We found the adverse effects of the lack of financial planning and budgeting during the recent demonetization. The majority of the rural population had no bank accounts to exchange the then obsolete currency to the newly released legal tender. Part of the financial literacy campaign is undertaken through our literacy program, where we help people understand the power of financial planning through budgeting.
SKILLED LABOR TRAINING PROGRAMS
In partnership with volunteer instructors from various technical institutions with a heart of service, we can train, equip, and empower the next generation innovators and technocrats from rural communities. Especially after the Covid-19 pandemic, with the return of skilled laborers back in rural India from big cities, we are determined to focus on launching community-based small-scale industries with the partnership of global and local businesses.
Back in 2007, Rohit and Suhani were suffering financially and spiritually. They lived in a drafty hut, struggling to make ends meet for their family and losing hope. Partners India provided the tools for them to build their first permanent home and a microloan to start a taxi service after seeing their need. As a result, Rohit and Suhani were able to pull themselves out of desperate poverty and began to help their neighbors do the same. Today, they serve their community, where they celebrate the hope and joy they have come to know.
SEWING TRAINING CENTERS
We have sewing training centers in communities, providing opportunities for women to contribute to family income and giving them the tools they need to start their own businesses or seek employment in more developed areas. To this end, we have partnered with the local government agencies to provide an official diploma upon completing the course.
Upon completing the program, the women receive their diploma and a microloan, which includes a sewing machine and initial supplies. They can either set up a small unit in their village or work for the wholesale textile industry right from the comfort of their homes.
Every night, Bavani would boil a pot of water and hope that her husband would come home from work with just enough rice and lentils to keep her family from going hungry. Her husband was a day laborer and frequently came home empty-handed. On these nights, her family would drink the boiled water for their evening meal. But that was before she took classes at a Partners India sewing center. These days, Bavani doesn’t worry about going hungry anymore. She reflects, “I was given an opportunity to learn a skillset, with which I am now able to earn and contribute to my growing family.” In a village where the average daily income is less than a dollar, Bavani makes three dollars a day in her new job as a seamstress. And that’s not all—in her free time, she is teaching some of her neighbors to sew using the machine she was given during her training with Partners India. She says, “I have no big dreams, but my goal is to use my new skills to help other women in my village. I have been given much, and now I want to give back.”
PROMOTING HEALTHY LIVING
According to the Public Health Association, only 53 percent of the population washed their hands with soap after defecation, 38 percent washed their hands with soap before eating, and only 30 percent washed their hands with soap before preparing food.
A Public Health research study found that 79% of children’s fecal matter is unsafely disposed of; the unsafe disposal leads to increased childhood disease and mortality rates.
Another study shows that 97% of rural women use old clothes instead of sanitary pads, which leads to vaginal infection and disease.
Our health and hygiene goals in communities are combined with our medical initiatives. We promote organic vegetable farming and healthy means of food preparation. We aim to provide access to functional restrooms, clean water, sanitation education, and basic hygiene education through volunteer health educators.
Dr. Jain is a psychologist who works at our PolyClinic. These services are vital and have been extremely beneficial for the community. In addition to this, Dr. Jain wanted to find a platform to educate women on menstrual hygiene - she had volunteered with several organizations before; however, since joining our team, she has found a place where her passion is fully welcomed - she now travels to the vulnerable communities and educates rural women about health and safety, especially during menstruation.