Services

Women Empowerment Center

Counseling

Skilled social workers are available 6 days a week offering compassionate, and knowledgeable face-to-face counselling. We work individually to alleviate suffering, empower each woman in their unique circumstance and also educate the women (and their families. communities etc) so they can create a better life.
Counseling is offered in our offices, and at other locations for those who cannot reach the office.

Helpline

We provide a 7 day a week helpline number available between 7am and 10pm. Staffed by experienced and qualified social workers, our service offers both pro-active crisis support and the opportunity for women to obtain up-to-date, personalised information to effectively alter their circumstances.

Legal Assistance

The legal system in India can be difficult to negotiate, especially for women who are uneducated, unfamiliar with the system, or who feel intimidated by the situation. We work with a team of lawyers knowledgeable in women’s rights and passionate about the center’s objectives who analyse cases and guide clients to take effective and appropriate legal decisions.
The progress of all cases in court is monitored, and case workers support clients in court to ensure that the process is legal and free of corruption.

Medical Aid

For us, the mental and physical health of a client is paramount to recovery. Without health, lasting change cannot be effected.
When a client has experienced physical trauma from violence or deprivation and neglect, healing from this becomes our highest priority. We can arrange treatment through supportive government hospitals, accompanying the client if needed, and/or seek the medical knowledge and skills of a group of doctors generously offering their services to the center.

Safe Shelter

When women experience violence sometimes they have nowhere safe to turn to. With this in mind we provide a 5 bed shelter where women receive the support they need while living in a safe, compassionate and healthy environment. The home is staffed 24 hours a day by trained counsellors who model confidence, healthy relationship, cooperation and communication.
Once settled and mentally and physically well, women are required to participate in counselling, and to participate in the daily activities in the shelter as part of their healing.

Vocational Training

Financial independence gives women options. Skills training provides an avenue for this financial independence to become a reality.
We offer regular quality vocational training programs to create these opportunities for women to improve their financial independence. Our focus in these programs is practical application. Therefore these programs generally focus on small scale business like tailoring & embroidery, food processing & preservation, and handicrafts, which are useful everyday skills and accessible businesses for the women to initiate.

Employment Opportunities

Even if women have workplace skills, there can still be many hurdles to entering employment, particularly when a woman has never explored this arena before.
When employment offers empowerment for a woman, we actively support the woman in her search for work by liaising with commercial institutions, advocating with the government labour department and liaising with banks for loans.
To date, through our efforts women have obtained full-time and part-time work, as well as started their own small-scale businesses.

Community Strengthening

Community plays a powerful role in defining the behaviours and attitudes of its members. A community founded in equality, justice and non-violence will live in peace and recognise and uphold the rights of all.
With this in mind, we work with marginalised communities where violence against women and children is a high, and where discrimination and/or injustice is commonplace. Our experienced social workers visit these communities regularly, intervening in disputes if needed, but focussing on social development in the community including topics such as equality, human rights and healthy communication, particularly with women and adolescent girls.

Education

Education is an essential key to developing awareness and sustainable empowerment.
Our case workers provide quality, practical education services to adolescents, youths, women and school children ensuring they have knowledge on human rights, laws related to protection of their rights, health & sanitation, gender equality, government schemes available for women & children and on how to curb violence against women and children.

Advocacy & Training

The expertise in women's and children's rights of founder, Ms Ranjana Gaur, is globally recognised. This expertise, together with her engaging facilitation style, has led to Ms Gaur being invited to facilitate capacity building exercises, training programs and workshops on women’s rights and related areas by many organisations including government, universities, colleges, legal and medical services.
In turn, many of these teachers, lecturers, activists, legal advisors and other officials now support our work creating a strong network and up-to-date information available to our clients.

Other Humanitarian Initiatives

As a social service organisation, we recognise our obligation to make a contribution to our Varanasi community and serve others by example. As such we organise regular blood donation programs and participate in disaster relief programs. This includes the support of those affected by the annual flooding of the Ganges that occurs each year in Varanasi, leaving people homeless and creating unhygienic & unsanitary conditions along the river banks.