Eka - the Communicators' Collective

Works in the area of Development Communication and Community Development for slums in Bhopal

  • Bronze Certified 2023
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Bronze Certified Bronze Certified

About

  • Headquarters

    Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh

  • Since

    2013

Eka is a registered non-profit trust working in the area of Development Communication and Community Development for the past 8 years. Our Community De Read morevelopment work is based in 8 urban slum communities of the old city of Bhopal, which is a predominantly Muslim area. We also attempt to reach out to women and children from Dalit communities and nomadic tribal groups in the old city. Eka currently houses Parwaaz - a legal aid cell, Hunar - a skills training and production unit, Shakti - the adolescent girls initiative, Baccha Rasoi - a community kitchen set up for working children during COVID, Mazdoor Sahyog Kendra set up during the lockdown migrant crisis. PARWAAZ: The Community based Legal Aid Cell which receives cases of women, youth, and children facing violence and abuse. Parwaaz runs a counseling support unit and has linkages with other units in the city which offer extended legal support in court cases, for medical treatment and mental health-related interventions. Parwaaz holds bi-monthly social protection camps in the  bastis  to create awareness around schemes and services for the community and also assists the community in accessing these services. Parwaaz has a team of para-legal volunteers and youth workers who are responsible for community outreach. Parwaaz centre receives technical support from Centre for Social Justice. Parwaaz primarily carries out the following functions: Social Protection Camps: Counseling Support Referral for Legal Aid Anchoring a Survivors’ Group Anchoring a Skills Training & Production Unit run by survivors of violence Building a Cadre of paralegal volunteers Awareness generation through participatory theatre and performances HUNAR: The Skills Training and Production Unit at Eka. Hunar is run by a group of women survivors of violence with handholding support from Eka. Women are trained in tailoring skills and are encouraged to take up production and earn a small regular income. Hunar acts as a stepping stone for women who have never been outside their homes and are faced with the eventuality of earning an income. Hunar builds the confidence of women to pick up skills, engage in professional work, and explore markets. Currently, Hunar engages with about 25 women survivors of violence. The proceeds from the sale of Hunar products are used to provide fellowships for girls and women. SHAKTI: Shakti is the adolescent girls' empowerment program at Eka. Shakti is led by a team of youth facilitators who attempt to reach out to out of school girls and working girls in the  basti  and engage them in group processes. Shakti also reaches out to girls in  madarasas , in local private schools, and coaching classes. Girls with leadership skills and an interest in community development work are offered a Shakti Youth Fellowship where they engage with the organization team to learn community development work. Currently, we support five youth fellows. COMMUNITY MEDIA OUTREACH: The community media facilitator at Eka engages with groups to engage them in writing, story-telling, theatre, songs, producing small videos, and exploring photography. Nanhe Lekhak is an outcome of children’s writings/narratives that we try to bring out as a quarterly publication. Eka has a rich collection of photographs that depicts the moods and colors of the community. The Development Communication team of Eka works on the design and development of communication resources, documentation using various formats, participatory theatre, and capacity building. Currently, we are hosting a 5-week certificate course AZAAD BOL: Community Media & Journalism. Eka is engaged in intensive relief work during COVID 19 and continues to provide food to most vulnerable children through the  BACCHA RASOI.  We also assist daily wage workers in the unorganized sector through the  MAZDOOR SAHYOG KENDRA.


Issue

Gender, Women's Empowerment, Empowerment of Adolescent Girls, Working with Drop out children, Social Protection Camps for Daily Wage labourers.


Action

we currently run 4 community based centres in 4 zones of Bhopal Municipal Corporation. These centres are attended by children who have dropped out from school, adolescent girls and youth from bastis. Women's group meetings are held here. A legal aid cell is run from all these centres.

Impact

We are able to engage 200 children directly and approximately 500 children indirectly in all centres. Children have access to library, teachers for learning and training programs. Formation of functional women's SHGs in the bastis Formation of youth groups who work on constitutional rights awareness Case work, counseling through the legal aid cell. Support to daily wage earners for their documentation Working with government bodies to highlight cases of access to justice - police thana, DLSA, Child Rights Commission, Juvenile Justice Board among others.

Programs

  • Hunar - Skill Training Unit

    An unofficial collective of designers and artists interested in experimenting with fabric and traditional art and craft is called HUNAR. Members of the HUNAR organization come from Bhopal's urban communities. Girls from Muslim communities who are learning sewing and fabric design as a vocation are also a part of the organization. Painters and sculptors are drawn to Gond paintings and expressions in a variety of media.

    HUNAR is gradually becoming more well-known because of its selection of bags, which are ideal for events, workshops, training sessions, and gift-giving. At the moment, the company offers a variety of goods, such as purses, skirts, patialas, curtains, and cushion coverings. They are currently exploring more with screen printing on several materials, including fabric.

  • Parvaaz - Community based legal aid cell

    It is a Community Based Legal Aid Cell that investigates cases of human rights abuses and offers assistance with legal matters, social issues, and emotional support as needed. Domestic violence, sexual assault (against women, girls, and boys), sexual harassment, denial of basic rights to the minority and dalit communities, problems with daily earnings for workers in the unorganized sector, and police harassment are among the major instances that have been brought before the Cell thus far.

    Our technical assistance partner, the Centre for Social Justice, has been crucial in helping us develop our understanding of how to operate a legal aid cell, which will ultimately be managed by community volunteers.

  • Initiative Shakti

    Establishing a forum for teenage girls from the poorest families living in Bhopal's urban slum areas to interact, exchange ideas, engage in discourse, and gain more knowledge about gender roles, safety, communication, and life skills. The programme, which is operational in the four villages of Chola, Aishbagh, Ishwarnagar, and Annanagar, aims to progressively reach out to around 1500 girls. It also establishes community networks for protection and seeks to make government protection mechanisms viable. Girls and community adults can access this open area for discussions about topics related to community development because of the supportive environment created by the resource centers, community animators, and staff.

Leadership Team

  • Farha Khan

    Member Trustee

  • Seema Kurup

    Founder-Member

  • Naveen Gautam

    Managing Trustee

  • Archana Sharma

    Member Trustee

M&E

  • Internal, External Assessors

    No

Policies

  • Ethics and Transparency Policies

    No

  • Formal CEO Oversight & Compensation Policy

    No

Political & Religious Declarations

  • On Affiliation if any

    No

  • On Deployment Bias if any

    No

Registration Details

  • PAN Card

    AAATE5409R

  • Registration ID

    86/444-445

  • VO ID / Darpan ID

    MP/2017/0167789

  • FCRA

    Not Available

  • CSR Registration Number

    Not Available

Location

  • Headquarters

    e-7/157, first floor, arera colony, Bhopal, 462016

    Directions

Other Details

  • Sister Organisation

    Hunar Arts & Crafts

  • Type & Sub Type

    Non-profit
    Trust