Adarsh Shiksha Samiti, based in Rajasthan, works towards the empowerment, education, equality, and for womens livelihood and improvement in the living conditions in poor tribal villages. The broad vision of the organization is to create an equal and just society where the vulnerable and marginalized sections of society can effectively participate in their own social development process, thereby leading to a control over their local resources.
Their programmes include:
• Total Sanitation: The objective is to promote health and nutritional behavioural changes in the community, with a special focus on the vulnerable sections of society. Health service units are not easily accessible to these communities. Adarsh thus conducts health awareness camps on HIV/AIDS, polio, cancer, reproductive and child healthcare, precaution and cure of various diseases, etc and organizes medical check-up camps wherein free consultation and medicines are provided by qualified doctors. Awareness is created about the Government’s Swachh Bharat initiative and health/sanitation measures that should be undertaken to support it. This programme is funded by the Gram Panchayat bodies. In FY15, 1,400 people were informed about this initiative and 4,000 people were covered in the medical camps.
• Youth Empowerment through Vocational Training: The aim is to empower rural youth in skills and entrepreneurship development. Adarsh organises trainings in technology, communication, and marketing skills for the targeted estranged rural and unemployed youth. Vocational trainings in beautician course, plumbing, motor repairing, etc. are conducted. Modern instruments and technologies are used in the process. Specialized lectures on community development and formation of Self-Help Groups (SHGs) are organized.
• Women Empowerment: Women are encouraged to form SHGs and capacity building trainings in various fields are conducted for these SHG members, thereby providing them with better income generating opportunities. They are provided with credit linkages and market knowledge. Awareness camps are organised to highlight women rights and issues of violence against women, gender inequality, etc. In FY15, 7,060 women were organised into 680 SHGs.
• Livelihood: Goat rearing with an integrated approach to fodder production was introduced as an effective alternate farming system, thereby enabling the population living below the poverty line to receive more nutrition and security.
