Work – Centre for Women's Development and Research

OUR PROGRAMS

SNEHIDHI

Snehidhi is an association for adolescent girls initiated by the Centre for Women's Development and Research (CWDR). Through Snehidhi, we are providing Life skill and sexuality education, Vocational skill training and career guidance. Campaign and advocate for SRHR_Sexual and Reprodcutive Health Rights of Adolescent girls and young women. Snehidhi members are motivated to involve in community development activities in their slums and villages. Snehidhi Cultural team through folk arts and street plays campaign and advocate for girls and women's rights. G2G-Girls to Graduates is a new initiative for adolescent girls that helps adolescent girls continue their education up to graduate level. That would help them to find better job opportunities and also help them to escape from child marriages.

MAITHRI

One of the CWDR's major findings from tsunami rehabilitation work concerned the unaddressed issue of single women including widowed, deserted, divorced, and never-married adult women. Single women face a heightened risk of physical and sexual abuse and encounter social barriers such as a lack of inclusion in community or family functions. As a result of these findings, the CWDR has begun organizing single women in Chennai slums and rural villages into groups called "Maithri". Through this network of single women, the CWDR aims to expand access to income generation opportunities, provide a support network for the women, and increase exposure and awareness of the unique challenges faced by single women. The CWDR activley lobbies the government on policy matters relating to the welfare of

MANUSHI

The Centre for Women's Development and Research (CWDR) organized women domestic workers into a Trade Union, "Manushi", which works for the rights of women domestic workers through advocacy and campaign activities. Initiated through our education and motivation for domestic workers, Manushi, now hosting nearly 3000 members, first registered as a Trade union in 2005. Manushi provides education on both women’s and worker's rights for it's members; training to up skill women domestic workers; and functions as a job placement agency. Manushi is also running catering services, and the production and marketing of soap and cleaning solutions. Mansushi is involved in advocacy, lobbying, and campaigning in order to regulate domestic work. Manushi helps it's members to become registered members of

G2G Girls to Graduates

There is a growing awareness about girl’s children's education and now in our working area (80 slums and 23 villages) most of the girls are completing their high school education and higher secondary education. But hardly 5% of them go for college or university education, the reason is poverty. If a girl child fails in class 10 or 12 or not going to college, immediately parents think about her marriage and most of these girls marry by the age of 18. Most of these girls are first generation school goers and open for change, they want to have a career like anybody else. Going for higher studies is a huge expense for them, most of them get free education up to 12th standard and there is a sudden jump in expenses for college education. They are also not given proper guidance for college admission or career. We are planning to help 500 girls from our working area to become graduates, that is helping them to get education up to 21 years of Age, this would also help them to postpone their marriage. We will choose 10-12th class students to give them supplementary education support, Employability skills and sexuality education. We will also help them in their college or polytechnic admission and also provide career guidance. In addition to that we will provide scholarships for three years to complete their graduate level education.

Village Activities