Prayas Ek Koshish is a humanitarian aid organisation working with migrant workers, slum dwellers, single women, single mothers, widows, domestic workers, s*xual minorities, transgenders, HIV infected affected families, senior citizens in the suburbs of Mumbai, Madh villages, district Thane and district Kalyan. We have been conducting training and workshops with children, adolescents, women, senior
citizens, and transgenders covering gender and human rights issues. Organizing women through the creation of self-help groups will help them begin saving and achieve financial independence. We work primarily with domestic worker women by organising them, enrolling them in government programs that are advantageous to them, and holding training and workshops to raise their awareness of their rights and of matters relating to labour laws, the constitution, and human rights. In numerous slum neighbourhoods, we have established children's groups and are waging two campaigns, the Right to Participation and the Campaign Against Child Labor. We are holding training sessions and workshops on topics related to law, human rights, constitutional rights, etc. We also provide film screenings, art, craft, and theatre workshops in addition to summer camps, Christmas and New Year celebrations, and other events. One of Prayas ek Koshish's projects is called Utaran, and as the name suggests, it entails reusing items provided by the affluent for the benefit of the less fortunate. Through the recycling of donated goods, we hope to promote a culture of sustainability and social inclusion. The objective of this project is to bring hope, care, and support to underprivileged children and to include them in the global community of sustainable development. From newborns to older adults, everything that can be reused including clothing, shoes, bags, books, undergarments, electronics, watches, household goods, and food can be donated. Given that the majority of the volunteers originate from such communities, the items collected are sorted at our end and given in the regions we work with. We also maintain daily contact with the families. We can do simple repairs and fix clothes using community resources, which helps us keep things reusable. Using the one-sided pages and blank pages from the books, rough books are created from used books. On the other hand, the students also frequently receive a large number of storybooks, novels, dictionaries, encyclopedias, etc. We have partnered with other groups operating in the Thane and Mumbai regions, and with your assistance, we were able to establish libraries in Kurla and Mumbra. The leftover or used sheets are utilised to create paper bags, which are used during seminars, training sessions, and other events. Friends have occasionally assisted with the distribution of kitchen supplies to the migrant families we work with. Also, the distribution of goods is based on local requirements, both geographically and culturally. Astitva: This initiative assists s*xual minorities in gaining acceptance and respect in society. We conduct advocacy and campaign initiatives to educate the public on issues that are relevant to them. In order for them to be informed of their rights and to assist one another in their efforts, we have been identifying them and providing training. Arambh: Promote the rights of young people and educate males about gender issues. As part of this program, we run a number of training sessions that empower young people to become aware of human rights issues in society and fight for a better tomorrow. Raahi: We work with families afflicted by HIV as part of our program. While working, we came to the realisation that in addition to medical care, they also need a lot of nurturing, which involves keeping in touch personally and conducting numerous follow-ups. Also, managing daily meals, which are highly bad for their health, is a challenge for the majority of families. So, we have been making an effort to help them occasionally and offer nutritional assistance.
