RAKSHAN Project
Project Rakshan is a 3-year program intervening to provide safe spaces of mobility to children in Rajasthan’s Tonk District. It aims to use a holistic model approach to increase the educational levels and improve health conditions of both the adolescent girls and boys. The project emphasizes on the point that, no child must go missing from the selected villages, otherwise known for trafficking and selling of children for sex trade.
The intervention covers 100% of the adolescent population in selected villages of Malpura block of Tonk District. Nat community has been covered under the project to address the issue of trafficking for sex trade. Living under abject poverty, the community is isolated from the scope of existing development programs and outreach efforts. There is a larger need to work with the boys and girls of this community and iPartner India’s intervention in partnership with CECOEDECON ensures, they don’t get left behind. The project is being implemented in 20villages of Malpura, 1 village in Todaraisinghand three villages of Newai Block, Tonk District.In Jaipur, 2 villages have been covered in Phagi and one in Kotkhavda village.
Objectives of Project
• To ensure women and youth have sustainable livelihood options from selected villages
• Sustainable agriculture and non-farm livelihoods
• To strengthen democratic institutions and forums at ground level to ensure protection of child and youth rights
• Ensuring access to better Public Health Services and Reproductive Health of Women and Girls
Impact/Statistics
Under the project, 27 Bal Panchayats, 25 Self Help Groups, 24 Youth Groups, 10 Village Level Child Protection Committees have been formed while 20 School Management Committees (SMC) have been engaged to address the issues of quality education and better facilities at school.
Project has provided financial and motivational support to 128 failed or drop out youth for getting graduated at secondary school level.
28 youth have been provided with free training at ICICI Skill Academy for three months and have been placed at jobs with different companies.
Children were enrolled in schools and provided tuition classes to cover the learning gaps. 11 children and youth availed computer training at three computer centers for free.
50 Natcommunity boys and girls have been provided scholarship of Rs. 10000 to continue their education.Apart from these,Village Level Child Protection Committee (VCPC) have been formed and its capacity have been enhanced to address the issues of child protection while SMC addressed the issues of safety at school for the children.
Safety Audits were conducted and the dangers in the village were identified. Findings were shared with Gram Panchayat and other stakeholders.
Three livelihood centers have been established to increase the income of women so that they can facilitate their children’s education and provide necessary nutrition to them. 500 kitchen gardens, 10 vegetable demonstrations and 10 horticulture demonstrations have been developed in 20 villages.
Financially weak women raised their income by up to Rs. 1000 monthly, by selling vegetables from kitchen garden. Women farmers earned up to Rs. 30,000 by selling vegetables. Two poultry farms have been developed with the youth of Nat community in Beepur and Jaisinghpura villages.
