Sahyogi

Shashakt Kishori The Shashakt Kishori program, aims to empower adolescent girls by promoting gender equality and leadership skills through a variety of initiatives. This includes establishing Gender Resource Centres known as Kishori Kendras, conducting house visits and community meetings to foster open dialogue and trust, and organizing interactive sessions on gender-based issues and rights. The program also sensitise school teachers to create more supportive school environments and uses forum theatre to spark community discussions on gender discrimination. As a result, adolescent girls gain increased awareness, leadership abilities, and community support, contributing to broader social transformation towards gender equality and sustainable change in health, nutrition, and inclusive community practices. (6 panchayats) Project RISE This five-year project (2025–2030) aims to create a supportive and inclusive adolescent-ready ecosystem that empowers girls with life skills, educational continuity, and career readiness while safeguarding them from early marriage, digital violence, and social isolation. It envisions adolescent girls growing into confident, capable, and independent individuals by career coaching spaces, alongside regular training, mentorship, and exposure to role models. The project will foster stronger adolescent-parent relationships through dialogue and community engagement, while also sensitizing families, panchayat leaders, and frontline workers to support girls’ aspirations. By addressing digital safety, gender norms, and emotional well-being, it seeks to reduce vulnerabilities and enable adolescent girls to make informed decisions about their futures. Over five years, the initiative is expected to increase school retention, delay early marriage, enhance career opportunities, strengthen community support systems, and catalyze a cultural shift toward gender equality and adolescent rights, ultimately building stronger and more equitable communities. (15 Panchayats) HERO The Hero Project, aims to foster gender sensitivity among young men and boys through various activities designed to challenge traditional gender roles and promote equality. These include engaging participants in gender-based games to break stereotypes, conducting informative sessions on discrimination and equality, forming sports groups for discussing gender issues, establishing Kishor Kendras (Youth Centers) as safe spaces, offering residential training for personal growth and combating biases, and screening gender-specific films to stimulate critical discussions. As a result, participants develop heightened awareness, progressive attitudes, and a commitment to advocating for fairness and respect in their communities. The project aims to create a lasting impact by empowering youth to influence their peers and promote gender equality on a broader societal scale, thus fostering a more just and equitable future. (10 panchayats) All Women Count - Comic Relief The All Women Count project, supported by CREA, aims to empower women and girls by cultivating leadership skills and awareness of critical issues like gender equality and reproductive rights. It focuses on training Elected Women Representatives (EWRs) through meetings and residential sessions, enabling them to effectively utilize government schemes at the panchayat level and advocate for community needs. Regular block-level meetings disseminate this knowledge to empower all women. Additionally, the project conducts police station training for EWRs to navigate support systems, and engages communities through collective meetings, sports activities like football for girls, and forum theatre to address social issues creatively. Participants emerge with enhanced leadership abilities, increased awareness of their rights and resources, and stronger networks, contributing to broader community transformation towards gender equality and empowerment. The project fosters self-reliance and proactive leadership among women, creating lasting impacts on community development and societal change. (10 panchayats) Ab Aur Nahi Hinsa (AAN)- Initiative AAN is an initiative of Sahyogi addresses the issue of gender-based violence with a focused intervention on domestic violence in villages and slums in Bihar. Under the AAN initiative main agenda is to educates women, adolescent and youth to identify GBV/DV and respond; creates a cadre base in community on GBV/DV, provide counseling and legal aid support to the survivor and link them with existing government services for justice. It has created a cadre based of more than 500 community leaders to support survivor and create community discourse on the issue. It organizes “Aurat Ki Adalat” on every Wednesday to provide counselling and legal support to survivors. - The project ended on 31st March 2024. (6 panchayats)