Chaitanya

Main activities are:

• Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and Federation: In FY15, Chaitanya set up 49 federations in 18 districts and 1,431 villages of Maharashtra. They have initiated the formation of 8,907 SHGs in order to provide equitable and affordable financial services to women, as well as provide a forum for sharing, learning, planning and monitoring of funds. Some of their main programs are “Tejswni Rural Empowerment Program” to enable poor women improve overall well-being, “Swawalamban” organizes women farmers into SHGs, Vasundhara to promote self-reliant SHGs and promotion and linkages of WSHGs.
• Jankar: This program trains women in areas of gender sensitive laws, financial literacy and government programs. Women are trained in counselling skills to resolve family problems and spread awareness on women’s rights. They have partnered with Ford Foundation to open 20 counselling centers.
• Upjeevika (livelihood program): Chaitanya works to enhance knowledge of livelihood practices, skills and introduce livelihood ideas for increasing sources of income. They conduct trainings in vermin-composting, organic farming, animal husbandry, financial aid for credit needs, raised-bed agriculture, kitchen garden, horticulture, fodder enrichment and systematic rice intensification. They promote farmer groups and entrepreneurship through skill training in tailoring, garment making, and handicrafts. Many women members are involved in micro enterprises at various steps in the value chain and get an additional source of income.
• Health: Chaitanya works to increase awareness of basic health care and hygiene, providing preventive health care facilities, absorbing health shocks and Community Based Monitoring of the Public Healthcare System. For absorbing health shocks they pool in their resources which is then used for community disbursals. They have developed a cadre of women who serve as resource people in rural preventive health and provide affordable facilities for regular health check-ups through a mobile doctor and health camps.