Building Knowledge & Skills for Better Careers
Badhte Kadam
Through this intervention, our goal is to focus on the importance of education and knowledge seeking behaviors, school retention, further education and skill development as tools for creating career aspirations and ultimately financial independence.
Our in-class sessions with girls and boys focus on building life skills and aspirations towards knowledge and dignified careers, and our sports for development model complements the mainstream school system to ensure retention of young girls in schools.
Our qualitative model on holistic education, also includes neighborhood Mohalla Paathshaals, remedial classes and onboarding dropped out and never enrolled children back into school. We also support old girls and potential coaches to become institutionally accredited and become competitive players to earn a living, as well as support them to avail scholarships for higher education. We have also led employability and entrepreneurship programmes to skill and capacitate young women with 21st century market skills. Over the years with women and girls, we have also facilitated – vocational training and enterprise units through the Gender Resource Centre and women artisans in the Jamia craft initiative to connect them to markets. We also promote adult and functional literacy and digital literacy.
Since 2009, CEQUIN have been working extensively with women and girls from vulnerable communities, with a specific focus on issues such as the need for education, retention in schools, skilling and creating sustainable livelihoods for them. The key goal of these efforts has been to generate awareness and understanding of the importance of financial independence not only for the women and girls themselves but for the development and progression of the community as a whole. Over the years, through this programme, we have worked deep in many communities with an emphasis on creating a mindset of self-reliance and self-sufficiency .
We have engaged women and girls in awareness workshops, job fairs, vocational training, social entrepreneurship efforts such as CEQUIN craft, and even helped them identify numerous opportunities to become financially independent. Through our continued efforts, subtle changes have been observed in the communities in which we work, such as an increase in the number of girls attending school, a higher level of interest among women and girls to learn new skill sets, and creation of self-help groups.
Supporters
Key Features:
Focus on Holistic education and skills, building aspirations towards knowledge seeking behaviors
Support in School Retention – Neighborhood Mohalla Paathshaals, remedial classes and identification and enrolment of dropout, never enrolled and irregular children, with support to parents and linkages to schools and banks
Women Coaches Development – Institutional Accreditation through licensing and support in completing higher education through scholarships
Employability and Entrepreneurship – From vocational and livelihood trainings on tailoring, beauty and wellness, food products, craftsmanship to skilling workshops and job fairs to connect women to the job market and make them job ready ( like Jamia Bazaar and Jamia Craft)
Adult Literacy – Focus on functional literacy of adult women across our women’s collectives
Digital Empowerment – Digital Literacy programme to equip girls and women with skills to navigate digital platforms and gain independence
Financial Literacy – Focussing on skills to make girls and women financially independent
Enhanced Mobility of girls and women
Highlights
Gender Resource Centre, vocational trainings 2009-2016 early days
CEQUIN partnered with UNDP for the project on ‘Youth Engagement and Career Counseling- Project Disha,’ which focused on leadership & skill development. Conducted employability trainings for 4000 girls in government colleges in 11 districts of Haryana and connected them to companies for placement, 2018
Adult Literacy programme with women’s collectives in Mewat, Haryana 2015
Jamia Bazaar and CEQUIN Craft, generated livelihood for over 5000 women home based artisans who became entrepreneurs producing together, selling their products in the marketplace, building an Identity for themselves, 2012-18
Women Entrepreneurship Development Programme , 2018 in Delhi & Haryana with British Council and Diago
Digital Literacy programme, Direct Aid Program Australian High Commission 2020
Mohalla Paathshaalas 2019 -2022 in Haryana / Partnered with District Education Officer in Nuh to run 25 Mohalla Paathshalas connecting 300+ children to education during COVID (2020-22).
An Overview
