Society for Peoples Action in Rural Service & Health (SPARSH) Gadchiroli

Under the financial assistance from Women and Child development of Maharashtra, SPARSH has been running a Women and Child Assistance Cell at the Police Station in Chamorshi. This year 4 workshops were conducted and 2 counsellors were appointed to address matters pertaining to domestic violence and crimes against children.
The objectives of Cell is to rebuild women’s self-esteem, self-worth and dignity, offer immediate services more particularly:
• Crises counselling, referrals to medical, psychiatric, educational and vocational services;
• Police assistance, placements in institutions, legal aid.
• The cell counsellor creates socio-legal services for a large number of women who approach police to stop violence against them, enabling access to justice, prevention, and detection in cases like domestic violence, molestation, girl child sexual abuse etc.

Kurma (Gaokar) is ramshackle, door-less hut situated on the outskirts of a tribal village. It is a place away from the main village where, as per the custom, it is mandatory gor menstruating girl/women to stay with just a tattered mat and blanket during their menstrual cycle. During this period, they are allowed to enter the village and treated as untouchable for everyone in the village, including their entire family.
SPARSH has taken many initiatives to generate awareness amongst girls and women on menstrual health and create an atmosphere in tribal-dominated villages in favor of eradication of this fatal, shameful and unscientific custom. In order to improve the living condition of tribal women during their stay, we have initiated repair work of Kurmaghar with their active involvement.

The ‘Ensuring Access to Justice for the Children’ Project is carried out for the care and protection of children across India by Kailash Satyarthi Children Foundation (U.S). This project is being carried out by SPARSH in the Gadchiroli district with the support of Kailash Satyarthi Children Foundation. The SPARSH has been actively working on critical issues in the prevention of child marriage, child sexual abuse, and illegal human trafficking for the past three and a half months in the Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra.
SPARSH celebrated June month as the action month against Child Labour with support from the Kailash Satyarthi Children Foundation. On the occasion of the International Day Against Child Labour on 12th June 2023, a joint rescue operation is carried out involving the District Women and Child Development Office, District Child Protection Unit, District Police Force, and Child Line. The joint rescue operation plan was successfully executed in the Gadchiroli and Wadasa.

SPARSH provides assistance to resoursce persons indentified by SEBI and NSFE to provide basic financial education to tribal communities. This includes providing information about money-saving schemes like Kisan Vikas Patra, Pension Scheme of the government. Education is also provided on identifying and protecting themselves from scams and Ponzi Schemes. Furthermore, complete logistical and mobilization support is provided to the resourse persons to organize the awareness campaigns.