WOMEN EMPOWERMENT

Ajeevika Craft Centres (ACC) is End Poverty’s women’s livelihood project initiated in 2010 and is being implemented in Tijara block of Alwar district of Rajasthan, India.

Ajeevika Craft Center (ACC) creates alternate income opportunities for the poor and needy women who otherwise depend on farm income for their livelihood. Ajeevika Craft centers set up at the village level are fully equipped with motorized machines, support kit and necessary furniture/fixture to train the rural women of Tijara Block to produce marketable products. 

The focus of the program is up-skilling and training beneficiaries in improving their cutting & stitching skill, product finishing skills, accessory production, etc. Centre facilitators are trained to streamline operations of ACCs, product design & development.

The dedicated project team looks after product management, logistics, reduced rejection, quality improvement and minimization of losses. Top-notch brands in the textile and garments industry like STYLEM, Rangsutra, UL Quality Assurance, and LEVIS donate raw materials to EP  for training as well as making products.

Products like different types of bags, pouches, cushion cover table runners, quilt, etc. are being made by these women and marketed to earn extra income. Payment is made directly to the woman beneficiary on monthly basis. End Poverty has been selected in 2017  to participate in a workshop organized by the Harvard South Asia Institute and TATA Trust on Rural Craft based Livelihoods and Capacity Building– Social Innovative Fund Program in Ahmedabad. Products got displayed at Dastkar Jaipur, Goa, Gurgaon, portals like Jabong.com under their social responsibility initiative

Pls visit Tijara craft website: https://tijaracraft.com/   for handicraft products made by the women of Tijara.

Products include Home decor, handmade bags, accessories, handmade stationery, etc.

Achievements:

ACC program has trained more than 340 women in stitching and tailoring and supported them to generate an additional income from the activity.

Story of  Papita sahayika of Nakhnaul Ajivika Craft Centre:

“We are a farmers family but we own only 1 bigha of land which is not sufficient to take care of our family’s needs. We often engage as agricultural labour to sustain our family which is not available round the year. We are always in need of new sources of income. End Poverty provided us with the opportunity to earn. It trained us and provided us the equipment to run a stitching center for 8-10 women artisans in our hamlet in village Nakhnaul. We have received and converted many work-orders. Now I use my extra time in stitching various orders which we receive with the help of End Poverty. I enjoy doing this work as this gives me extra income and the opportunity to use my free time.”

SUSTAINABLE FARMING : 

The focus of sustainable farming is to support farmers in farm productivity enhancement through scientific farming, farmers training, agriculture value chain development, etc.

END POVERTY  is promoting horticulture farming under the brand name  "Plant a Tree for Life"   to improve the income of small farmers in a sustainable manner. Program is implemented in Tijara block of Alwar district of Rajasthan, India. Horticulture farming is the best solution towards sustainable farming as it consumes less water, gives more returns, needs less labour, improve the local environment and family nutrition.

680  farmers from Alwar district of Rajasthan have been mobilized and supported in horticulture farming such as pit digging, tree plantation, bio pest control, etc.

Farmers are supported in all aspects of horticulture farming as per their requirements. Exposure visits to KVKs, Agriculture Summit, IARI, Trade Fair, Model Agri farm, etc. are held regularly to showcase best practices, new technologies in agriculture in the horticulture sector.

Achievements :

EP has planted around 40,305 fruit trees (like Guava, lemon, sweet lime, kinoo, gooseberry, pomegranate, papaya, ber ) covering 749 farmers from 70 villages.

End Poverty has formed a Fruits and Vegetable Producer Company "Dinker Agriculture Producer Company Limited" to support small and marginal farmers in Tijara by  2019 with a purpose to enhance farm productivity, efficient value chain development and providing market linkage thus eliminating the petty traders who often exploit the farmers.

Story of  Mr. Jafrudeen, Horticulture Farmer              

Jafrudeen is a farmer from Shakhan ki Dhani in Dholi Pahadi village of Tijara who has been associated with End Poverty since 2012.

“I am very happy with the horticulture program since it needs less labour and expenditure and gives me more income because it helps me saves money. I have sold fruits worth Rs. 10,000 in 2016 and worth Rs 73500 in 2018. I sell the fruits in Gailpur, Tijara and Tapokara market which are nearby. Recently, I bought a new Motorcycle from horticulture income which will improve my mobility to explore new markets for a better price of my produce. I am so happy with horticulture farming and want others to follow. I motivated 4 of my cousins to join the program. I want guidance and support to increase the shelf life of the fruits and sell the produce at better prices.”

DAIRY DEVELOPMENT :

Dairy farming is an extremely important economic activity. But the dairy value chain is infested with petty middlemen in the absence of many organized players to procure the surplus milk, and farmers are exploited at every stage. Income from dairy farming is extremely important to sustain the family as landholding in the area is small and income from agriculture is not enough to feed the family.

EP has covered 7,518 farmers from Alwar and Jaipur district of Rajasthan & Mewat district in Haryana. EP is supporting the farmers in by providing training on modern dairy farming practices, and getting the best genetics to improve their animal breed and guide them about balanced nutrition. 

EP launched the Shwetdhara project in the Jaipur district with support from IDFC Foundation. The main objective of the project is to improve the breed in the proposed area and the activities carried out to achieve the project objectives include artificial insemination, treatment, feed and fodder services, and supply of feed additive and supplements. During FY 2018- 19, EP succeeded in registering 3206 farmers from 64 villages of Kishangarh Renwal block and Pashu Vikas Kendra, Boraj of Mauzmabad tehsil of Jaipur district. 2 Pashu Vikas Kendras have been established, each of which is covering 32 villages. 64 women have been trained as Gram Sakhis to act as a link between farmer and EP’s team of experts including Veterinary Doctors, Agriculturists, Livestock Assistants.

Achievements:

- Over 7,518 farmers from Jaipur and Alwar district of Rajasthan are covered under this program and supported through the supply of high-quality genetic material for breed improvement, animal nutrition, and health services by a committed team of Veterinary doctors, AI technicians and trained pashu shakhi.

-High-quality cattle feed dissemination activity launched in May 2019.

-Health Advisory services are provided to farmers.

-Training is conducted on  ’Feed Management and Milk Production’, a modern dairy farm, etc.

-EP has mobilized 64 Pashu Sakhi's who are trained as barefoot doctors at the village level to provide basic services to farmers at doorstep.

Story of Rameshwar Lal, Dairy Farmer, Nandri Village, Renwal
“I am a dairy farmer from Renwal village, Jaipur. Earlier, I used cattle feed of different brands mixed with Daliya, Chokar, Oil Cakes, etc, and now I use Shwetdhara cattle feed. The change in my dairy farming practice has reduced my input cost and made a huge difference to my income since this has reduced the cost of feeding by Rs 50 per animal per day. The health of all my animals has improved and milk and fat have increased. Because of Shwetdhara program my income has increased by Rs.10,500 per month”

YOUTH EMPLOYMENT :

1. Gurukul: - The 100 days, residential Gurukul is a livelihood development initiative launched in 2015 with an emphasis on extensive experiential learning.

The Gurukul model has been designed and developed by our knowledge partner, Nudge Life Skills Foundation (NLF) with whom we implement the program end-to-end, including content development/customization, training delivery and fundraising via institutional grants. The program focuses on poverty alleviation by building strong 360-degree life skills, learning and economic foundation for poor in residential "Gurukuls", along with placement assistance. Reached out to youth in Bihar, UP, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and Andhra Pradesh and launched three new initiatives – BPO, Retail, and Electrical.

EP has successfully trained and placed over 4,872 students with an average salary of Rs 14,500 per month.

2. Unnati Computer Centre: - EP designed and launched a new skilling program Unnati primarily for girls who have passed class 10 and are in need of jobs. The project was launched in February 2017 with the support of Xceedance Co. To accomplish the project objectives, EP tied-up with the NIIT Foundation to train the students in a structured syllabus and have accredited certification. Youths from many villages such as Bhondsi, Tikri, Teekli, Badshahpur, Maruti Kunj, Aklimpur, etc. from the Gurgaon district were mobilized for the Basic Computer Course. The English language was being taught to the students of Unnati by a qualified ESL instructor using Cambridge books to teach vocabulary and grammar that they can use in everyday life. Youth were supported in organizing and participating in several events to enable their learning and personality development. During the year 55 students completed the course successfully and all students who needed placement got placed with a good salary package through the Unnati Computer Centre.