Empowerment is central to social work. Social workers strive to empower individuals so that they can overcome personal challenges such as poverty, illness, substance abuse, eating disorders, and other problems. Social workers also aim to empower groups and communities, particularly those with histories of oppression, inequalities, and marginalisation.
Srishti Jan Kalyan Samiti is a Lalkuan, Uttarakhand-based NGO (non-governmental organisation) that has steadfastly led the charge in empowering the underprivileged sections of the society and thousands of individuals by aiding in resources increasing employment opportunities in the society.
For nearly 20 years now, Srishti Jan Kalyan Samiti has been involved in the skill-development of people especially through non-formal education. The organisation exists with the noble singular goal of ‘Empowering the lowest rungs of society’.
We, at The Knowledge Review magazine, are honoured to bring you an interview we conducted with representatives of Srishti Jan Kalyan Samiti in the hope that their words and deeds with inspire the altruist in all of us.
So, without further ado, lets dive right into the interview and relish the wisdom we are about to receive.
Please tell us about the saga of your reputed institution/organisation since its inception.
Srishti Jan Kalyan Samiti is a podium of like-minded people who believe in the philosophy of “Helping people to help themselves” and implement it for the cause of marginalized and disadvantaged section. It’s registered under Societies Registration Act 1860 as a non- political, non- profit making, secular, non-government organization. Being voluntary development organization, it started its work since 2001-02 with the following vision, mission, and objective.
Vision: Establish a non-exploitive self-reliant social order devoid of inequalities based on cast, creed, religion, or sex and characterized by dignity of the individuals with the primacy of truth and nonviolence for its perpetuation.
Mission: Empowerment of the lowest rungs of the society.
Objective: To bring people to the development front and help them take responsibility for their own development-creating environment for support and strengthen their potentiality as agents of the change in the society.
Major Activity:
- People’s organization (women empowerment)
- Natural Resource Management (environment conservation)
- Community health management.
- Traditional knowledge bank.
- Publishing of books and journals.
- SRRC (Srishti Rural Resource Centre)
- SRIJAK SAMMAN.
- Water sanitation and hygiene promotion.
- Income generation and vocational training.
- Awareness and education of children.
- Technology transfer (appropriate rural technology)
- Land and agriculture promotion.
During the course to development initiatives in inaccessible, remote, or tribal areas the organization has always received support of grass root level volunteers and guidance by the resource personnel of different status from different states that virtually brought perfection, perseverance, and persistence in its activities and thoughts.
The Land Mark
Over the years, consistent and prudent efforts of the organization have enabled it to have a deep insight into the problem of the disadvantaged and deprived mass ensuring closer link with people and their benefactors including the government. Its concerted and integrated efforts have brought following commendable outcomes in its operational areas bringing eye-catching changes in the attitude and action.
Future Focus Intervention
- Natural resource management.
- Women entrepreneurship development.
- Promotion of community-based organization.
- Water hygiene and sanitation.
- Model resource centre development (village level)
- Primary education to deprived children and vocational education to adolescents.
- Health to all and in time.
- Rural appropriate affordable technology transfer.
- Promotion of ecological balance practices.
- Reconstructing rural infrastructure.
- Participatory watershed development.
- Food security and sustainable livelihood.
- Networking and alliance for right based intervention of appropriate policy reform.
Please share your journey in becoming an education brand.
From nearly 20 years now, we have been involved in skill development of people especially through non-formal education. It went, in a way, to make people capable of earning a livelihood. So far, the organization has trained people, especially women, as follows:
- Women empowerment and people organization
Srishti Jan Kalyan Samiti has trained 100 women in US Nagar district under HTM programme.
- Natural resource management
2200 farmers and 50 staff members have been trained in various planning process and NRM promotion.
- Community health management
- Training was impacted for capacity development of 50 village health workers, 60 traditional birth attendance, 110 adolescents, and 720 women group leaders.
- Awareness of HIV-AIDS, Hepatitis-B, diarrhoea and malaria management was created among 2550 adults and 1150 children.
- Income generation and vocational training
160 men and 1660 women have secured their livelihoods through professions such as beauticians, doll making, food preservation, beekeeping, tailoring, bamboo craft, Tasar yarn spinning, floriculture, horticulture, medicinal plant growing, handicraft, and rural entrepreneurship development programmes.
- Child support and education
- 570 children including 270 girls were facilitated enrolment in formal school.
- 175 child labourers rehabilitated through health & education support.
- 3500 students participated in various competitions conducted by Srishti Jan Kalyan Samiti.
Brief us about the personality behind the success of the organisation, and how he has helped in the branding process.
The personality behind the fortuitous growth of Srishti Jan Kalyan Samiti is the cultivated leader and Chairman Cum Chief Functionary – Mr. Jiwan S Danu Iresh. His Educational qualification is MA, Sampadan kala visarad, dip. PM & IR, Rural botanist, Diploma in NGO Management, certificate in labour law, certificate in ecology. Mr. Danu is working amongst the community as a social worker and Trainer since the last two decades. He is also an eminent Journalist.
Where does the EdTech sector stand in the country today?
The use of technology can prove to be better for giving better education. Like most of the teaching work is being done online in the Corona period, it is necessary to connect the knowledge of earning livelihood with technology.
What makes you stand apart from other institutions/organisations?
We consider our method better than formal education because we teach people how to generate income and livelihood, so maybe we are different from others.
