July 1, 2019

Implemented Priyobondhu’s Flagship Integrated Program for Welfare of Women and Children (IPWWC) at Hanuman Nagar Basti (Slums), Narengi, Guwahati. We are assisting Women and Children with limited accessibility to improve their quality of life. It is a comprehensive intervention designed to support disadvantaged women and children living in slums and remote rural areas. The program focuses on reaching communities with limited access to essential services, working towards improving their overall quality of life, dignity, and long-term well-being. The program was inaugurated by Kamrup(M) Additional Deputy Commissioner Shri. Ratul Pathak, Smt. Juri Goswami, Smt. Alaka Goswami and Smt. Juli Saikia, Teacher, Assam Jatiya Bidyalay, Noonmati, Guwahati.

Key Features of the Program

1. Nutrition Support

Provision of Daily Breakfast and Lunch  for women and children

Focus on nutritious and balanced meals to support growth, health, and immunity

2. Education Support

Non-Formal Basic Education for out-of-school or vulnerable children

Life Skills Education to build confidence and decision-making ability

Vernacular Education to ensure better understanding and inclusivity

Extra Academic Activities to promote creativity and holistic development

3. Women Empowerment

Skill Development Training

Livelihood and Employability Support

Encouraging financial independence and self-reliance

4. Women and Child Health

Health Literacy Programs

Mother and Child Health (MCH) Awareness

Health Check-ups and Medical Referrals

5. Community Awareness

Promoting the Importance of Education

Awareness on Environmental Responsibility

Education on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)

Social and Legal Awareness for rights and protection

6. Essential Supplies Support

Distribution of Basic Essential Supplies

Clothing Support

School Kits for Children (Bags, Books, Stationery, etc.)

It all began on a chilly winter day in December 2015, when we first stepped into Hanuman Nagar Basti (Slum), Narengi, Guwahati, with the aim of distributing warm clothing to disadvantaged children, women, and men. The community was living in extremely poor conditions, ramshackle houses, lack of safe water, open defecation, widespread alcoholism, substance abuse and other social challenges.

Following this, we made repeated visits and conducted community awareness programs on WASH, Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM), and the Importance of Education, along with organizing several health camps. Through household surveys and interactive sessions, we gradually understood their livelihood patterns. Many children in the slum were found to have behavioral challenges, with most being school dropouts or never enrolled in school, and many engaged in waste picking and household labor.

Since then, we initiated focused interventions for the development of women and children in the slum. We started single meal programs, serving a regular nutritious full-course meal. While this addressed hunger, the deeper objective was to encourage community participation and attract people towards life skills learning and personal development. We also conducted open-air school sessions, where we witnessed children gradually developing interest in education, joining one after another.

Consequently, on July 1, 2019, we formally launched our Integrated Program for Welfare of Women and Children, establishing a Non-Formal Education (NFE) Centre to support women and children with limited access to basic services and opportunities, with the goal of improving their overall quality of life. The program focuses on Nutrition, Education, Women Empowerment, Women and Child Health, Community Awareness, and provision of basic essential supplies. A temporary makeshift classroom was constructed to begin regular learning activities.

Initially, 11 regular students were enrolled, and they were provided with daily breakfast, educational supplies, clothes, uniforms, and daily essential items. With a strong focus on activity-based learning, experiential learning, and life skills development, the curriculum included Basic Assamese, Basic English, Basic Mathematics, Environmental Studies, General Knowledge and Current Affairs, Drawing, and Performing Arts. The core mission of the initiative is to make children Happy, Healthy, and Learned.

Within six months, the number of regular students increased to 15. Along with continued support in nutrition (daily breakfast and occasional lunch and dinner following essential diet norms), education, clothing, and essentials, regular health monitoring and check-ups were also ensured. To support social and emotional development, children were taken on day-out trips to amusement parks, helping them build communication skills, social responsibility, and interpersonal relationships.

A major milestone was achieved when, on January 3, 2020, four children from the NFE Centre- Sunil, Rekha, Sunita, and Sita secured admission into 2 No. Mathgharia LP Government School. These children, once street children engaged in rag picking and deprived of education due to poverty and lack of awareness, are now enthusiastic learners who eagerly wait for their school day to begin.

The slum wasteland was transformed into a productive vegetation area, creating both environmental and social impact. The initiative was designed to actively engage the women of the slum community in garden cultivation and maintenance, helping them develop skills, ownership, and a sense of collective responsibility.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, when food access became a major challenge, this community garden proved to be a lifeline, providing fresh produce and nutritional support to many families. The initiative not only strengthened food security during crisis times but also demonstrated the power of community-driven sustainable solutions.

Another major concern in the slum was the lack of access to clean drinking water and basic sanitation facilities. Residents were forced to rely on unsafe water sources, while open bathing and open defecation along nearby railway tracks, ditches, and wastelands were common due to the absence of proper infrastructure.

To address these critical issues, we installed a water reservoir to ensure access to clean and safe drinking water. In addition, semi-concrete bathrooms and semi-concrete lavatories were constructed to promote hygiene, dignity, and safer sanitation practices. This initiative significantly improved daily living conditions and helped reduce health risks within the community.

After one year, we were encouraged to observe several positive outcomes. The number of children increased significantly from 11 to 53, and we are now able to provide them with three complete meals every day- breakfast, lunch and dinner, ensuring improved nutrition and overall well-being.

Apart from engaging the womenfolk in gardening activities, they were also provided training in bamboo broom making, with initial seed support from our side to help them start the livelihood activity. Women who were earlier compelled to depend on selling local liquor and other distress means of survival are now economically self-reliant, living with dignity and pride.

Today, they collectively produce and sell an average of over 100-200 bamboo brooms per day, creating a sustainable source of income for their families and strengthening their social and economic standing within the community.

We were proud to share that our Non-Formal Education Centre had been enlisted as a Special Training Centre under the National Child Labour Project (NCLP), Kamrup (M), marking a significant step towards strengthening our educational and rehabilitation efforts for vulnerable children.

Further expanding our outreach, three new areas - Dharbam, 2 No. Robingaon and Paschim Killing (Khetri), Kamrup District - had been included under our flagship program, Integrated Program for Welfare of Women and Children (IPWWC).

As part of our holistic curriculum, we actively engaged both staff and students in garden cultivation and management within the school campus, promoting environmental awareness, nutrition security and hands-on learning. We had also introduced skill-based training for students in food processing, art and craft, dance and drama, and life skills, aiming to build confidence, creativity and livelihood-oriented abilities among the children.

The schools in Dharbam, 2 No. Robingaon and Paschim Killing had been officially enlisted as Special Training Centres under the National Child Labour Project (NCLP), Kamrup (M), further strengthening our commitment towards education, child protection and social inclusion.