A Girl's Empowerment is Everybody's Empowerment

It is with this initiative that Vaidehi Seva Samithi(VSS) has taken up the task of empowering the young women." Vaidehi Kishori Vikasa Yojana" is an initiative towards that goal. It has been striving towards this goal since January 2005. Empowerment by improving the standards in education and health, skill development and cultural values and roots have been Kishori vikas objectives.

The "Kishori vikasa centre" is where the volunteer organizes the teen age girls daily for 2 hours at the community center or nearby locality. The teen age girls, 11-18 years are trained in basic things like information and skills that enable them towards self reliance. This particular age group gets awareness to the world and they would go on to design their future. Hence it is the right age group to give good vocational skills, information and "sanskaras".

It is just the flame to better the society that makes up a Kishori volunteer. "VSS" provides a small and humble honorarium that helps them pay their college fee and trips to their centers. The volunteer is basically a Junior or degree college student and are trained to run these Kendras.

Thanks to the volunteers today there are 50 Kishori centers with an average attendance of 30 bettering the lives of the young women. But that is just one part of the story and there is a need to reach more of them. Hyderabad city itself has up to 950 slums and the status of women in these slums need a small but qualitative intervention. The participants in the programme are given counseling and a forum to discuss their problems.

Why only girls and women? If the female is empowered she not only betters her life, but also betters her family and society. The quality of education, vocational skills, health & hygiene and moral education are the four pillars of empowerment.

Education:- Most of the participants are poor, they study in Government o and cannot afford private tuitions but have the intelligence and desire to grow and person. They live in single rooms and cannot study at home without disturbance. Center in their locality is an ideal place for the girls as a free tuition center and counseling center. The dropouts are motivated to pursue their education proper guidance and tuition.

Health and Hygiene:- Lack of information education is one factor while health and hygiene is another that is weakening the women. Kishori centres spread awareness and preventive medicine along with yoga, suryanamaskaras, and meditation in separate sessions. Periodic medical camps for eye, dental care are organised. Seva Bharathi run dispensaries attend to the needy and emerge handled through the voluntary referral doctors.

Vocational education:- The financial freedom and income generation is the face of women empowerment. It not only helps her to support her family but also add productivity. Kishori Vikas centers have skill development and training projects to strengthen the hands that care. Vocational training inevitably has Hand embroidery, painting, handicrafts, Screen printing, detergent making and other small enterprises.

Motivation and Counseling:- The sessions are friendly talks that include discussion along with slokas, literature, Bhajans, patriotic songs, Indian festivals, inspiring stories of great people, especially women that helps the future leaders.

Training camps:- Single day training camp for volunteers on every first! At premises of vaidehi ashramam. Three day personality development camps during Dussehra and Sankranthi. Every year summer camp for volunteers and students is also conducted.

Community Celebration:- At least 3 festivals are celebrated in the annually. Raksha Bandha, Varalakshmi pooja, Bharathamatha pooja are some festivals apart from the Annual day celebrated by all centers in their locality.