Young Women Welfare Centre (YWWC)

Location: Mumbai Theme: Education & Development www.projectcrayons.org Project Crayons Profile Project Crayons is an NGO working to empower marginalised communities in Mumbai through "HER" (Health, Education and Rights). Our symbiotic community wide approach is being modeled with following projects :

• Kaveri English Medium School, Mangalore (since 1999) • Udaan Ghar (since 2003) - A shelter home for 64 girls. • Empowerment Dream Programme (EDP ) (since 2004)- A scholarship programme for deserving children from marginalized families. • School On Wheels (since 2007) - An educational outreach project for drop out and never been school children. Piloted at Mankhurd and

now successfully running in Ambujwadi community at Malwani, Malad. • Community Development Centre (since 2008) - Empowers youth with the skills they need to effect change in their own communities. • Aastha (since 2007) - Medical emergency service for the homeless. • Employment and Youth Empowerment (EYE) (since 2007) - Empowers youth by facilitating employment for them. • We have embarked on two new projects- the Young Women's Welfare Centre and Hospital for the Homeless.

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Project Background Homeless girl children growing up at various shelter homes have few or no options after they leave the rehabilitation center in which they have been growing. Most are in need of different resources, skills and guidance to help them make future decisions and support them to pursue career goals either for higher education, employment or other aspirations. Majority existing shelter homes for girls can only provide them secondary education, shelter and healthcare until 18 yrs of age, and when the girl leaves the shelter her future options are few and they mainly work on small skill based jobs. Of these many loose focus and chances are high for them to be displaced in society. The Young Women Welfare Centre aims to avoid this displacement happening and help support them with offering a scope to attend university education and become professionals and also opening up job options, this by providing the resources of shelter, access and sponsorship to higher education, graduation and integration into employment and self independency.

On basis of our work over the past 8 years of running a shelter home for girl children (age 4 – 14 yrs), we have been successful in providing a secure and productive environment for over 64 girl children at the UDAAN GHAR project. Here the children all have been educated in an English medium school with access to proper health care, child counseling, different workshops such as life skills, gender and sexuality, comics and rights etc. These children are prepared to now communicate and be mainstreamed into society. With days they are becoming more confident and started taking their own responsibilities.


The Young Women’s Welfare Centre is now under construction since September 2011. This centre will be home for young women between 18 to 24 years. When completed in August 2012, the centre will provide shelter for the 17+ young women from Udaan Ghar, the shelter next door (17+ are legally required to live separately from children) and for some who are referred by social workers and other NGO’s. As well as providing shelter, the centre will also provide vocational, skills and personal development training for residents and non-residents from local communities. The courses will be designed according to their need, interest and requirement. Functions of the Welfare Centre:

• Providing accommodation facilities for young girls • Facilitate admissions into college and university or technical institutions or unconventional courses • Provide vocational training • Function as a counseling centre • Training – Management and Professional Skill Training • Distress Centre for young women • Recreational Facilities • Conference Room for professional exposure to seminars and lectures


Resources to be made available:

• Accommodation - Rooms and Dormitory facilities for 35-40 girls • Kitchen and Mess • Library and computer room • Conference Room – Counseling, Personality Development, Skill based workshops, Monthly and Weekly meetings etc. • Training Area for Diploma Courses - Cookery, Art, Tailoring, Skill Trade Training, • Washrooms, Laundry and Housekeeping • Administration • Space for visitors


Project Proposal: Raising Strong Women: The project consists of three main elements 1. Empowerment through Education & Employability Project Crayons with support from different corporate partners will design and publish courseware and training guides for approx. 5 modules for delivery at the Young Women’s Welfare Centre. We will pilot the training and make any necessary amends. Subjects will include: interviewing, workplace readiness, emotional intelligence, listening skills, communication and aspects of health, wellbeing and hygiene. Will be initiating ‘Be My Buddy’ programme. Project Crayons through an interview process will be inducting volunteers for mentoring young women. One volunteer will be mentoring two young women. 2. Empowerment through Enterprise To hold working sessions with a selected group of women (1 – 3 max.) who are ready to start micro-enterprises that provide employment and deliver local services in their communities. These ‘enterprise clinics’ would help the young entrepreneurs to structure and sift ideas, develop business plans and prepare for entrepreneurial life. 3. Be our Ambassadors Anybody who believes in our cause can become our ambassador. It is possible for Ambassadors to be recruited at the start of the project, to help support the core Project Crayons team in generating input for the courseware and in raising awareness of the project locally and regionally. Employees could also take on fundraising activities, acting as Project Crayons Ambassadors in their local offices and communities.


Fundraising

Funds raised by any corporate partner would help Project Crayons with vital resources needed for the Young Women’s Welfare Centre. Resources will be used for developing the training centre – incorporating a library, visual learning aids, computers, projector, desks and chairs and marker board. A logo/plaque of the respective corporate partner could be installed to mark the project.

Volunteering Opportunities at Young Women Welfare Centre As well as being involved in the project work, the Project Crayons team is keen to welcome volunteers from different countries into their community and share in group activities, making the team feel at home and bringing the charity’s work to life:

• Open Kitchen (cooking and sharing a meal) • Film Night or film /art appreciation workshop • Be My Buddy programme ( for a year commitment) • Run/Assist on a class at the centre • To conduct photography or art workshop for designing and

developing merchandise • Decorating the newly constructed YWWC.

Empowerment through Education & Employability

Empowerment through Enterprise

Be Our Ambassadors

Preparation Implementation Follow Up

• Courseware development

• Be my buddy (mentoring programme)

Project Crayons Preparation – • Selection of young

women for vocational courses/enterprise

• Develop ideas • External Engagement

• Awareness • Helping Designing

courses • Fundraising

• Pilot courseware with young women

• Mentoring (One to One or One to Two)

• To setup enterprise with 1-3 young entrepreneurs

• Work in pairs/threes to mentor

• Run different workshop with women for designing products

• Update block/social networking sites etc.

• Hold life link with ambassadors

• Publish final courseware materials

• Mentoring

• To inspire people for seed fund

• Product sales

• Champion stories in corporate

• Mentoring individuals & teams


Project Outcomes The vision for the centre is of young women living dignified, independent lives having received emotional, vocational and professional development enabling them to enter the world of work, providing stability and security for themselves, their children and communities. Young Women Welfare Centre will help bring this vision to life for the first intake of women and for all of those following after.

To design set of courseware for young women 18 – 30 years to develop key life skills enabling them to live independent lives To support Young women in developing business plans and taking practical actions to seed micro-enterprises; this would herald the start of

Project Crayons aims to be larger enterprise initiative for the Young Women’s Welfare Centre. Mentoring women to develop confidence, communication and employability.

Project Crayons Notes

Strong capacity to receive and has been highly responsive, proactive and collaborative through research and initial project design. Experience of working with corporate partners over 10 years. Has just received confirmation of a UK Registered Charity number. Empowerment through Enterprise strand links into Project Crayons another project’ Employment & Youth Empowerment Programme (EYE)’

– helping less privileged youths into self-employment. The Young Women Welfare centre (YWWC) project will be starting by August 2012 and will be initiating designing different courseware.

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Health & Medicine

Young Women Welfare Centre (YWWC)