Campaign Story
About the project
IAWS strives to promote gender-just development in Jharkhand by engaging with and strengthening networks of feminist scholars, activists in universities, and civil society organizations. The organization works through the Centre for Women’s Studies at the University of Ranchi to produce high-quality literature, discourse and social actions. The repository of gender-sensitive, critical and interdisciplinary knowledge and resources that IAWS aims to consolidate will be available to students, NGOs, practitioners, teachers, and researchers.
This Project is fully funded by the Oak foundation.
Making a difference
IAWS recognizes that steering policy conversations toward a more woman-centric tone is a vital complement to the work of NGOs that provide direct beneficiary services. Through the Women’s Studies Centre (WSC), IAWS facilitated a number of public programs and lectures on women’s rights and gender equality. Programs included commemoration of International Women’s Day, regular interaction with research scholars, and a lecture series marking the birth anniversary of 19th-century women’s rights campaigner Savitribai Phule. The WSC coordinating team established the center’s library, compiled statistics and data on government policies, and created a catalog of videos, short films, documentaries, and narratives available on digital media. IAWS launched an internship program in 2021 targeting youth from diverse social backgrounds, and made inroads with a variety of NGOs that work on women’s issues, participating in workshops, training programs, rehabilitation and assistance work.
The Way Forward
● Conduct orientation workshops on women and gender issues in Jharkhand at SKM University, Dumka, colleges in Dhanbad, Vinoba Bhave University, Hazaribagh, colleges in Pakur, Devghar and Godda.
● Organize International Women’s Day commemoration, to include film screening at National Law University.
● Hold a workshop on legal rights of women in collaboration with National Law University.
● Organize seminars on women’s issues in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Bihar.
The way forward
● Identifying vulnerable children and bringing them to children collectives
● Regular child participation and life skill session with adolescent groups
● Ensuring the progress of community action plan developed based on interface of children collective/adolescent girls group with community
● Meeting with parents of children groups on life skills and child protection issues
● Regular interface with the community to create space for children and community leaders for exchanging and sharing their ideas and experience related to child marriage
Project Impact
300
Attended gender diversity-themed SamaBhav Film Festival in Mumbai, organized jointly by WSC, Ranchi University, and Men Against Violence and Abuse.
100
Participated in an online workshop on “Mapping Women’s Movement in India and Worldwide”.
200
Books and 20 documentary films purchased for WSC’s resource pool.
60
Attended “Women’s Studies: Basic Concepts” workshop on enhancing academic understanding of Women’s Studies.
30
Trainees participated in the “Gender and Media” symposium on community journalism and creation of short videos.
5
M.A. students from Ranchi University’s Department of Economics motivated to pursue their M.A project work on women’s issues, with WSC guidance.
Current Year’s Approved Grant: $65,342
