GlobalGiving.org: A New Shelter for Sex-trafficking Victims in India

Final stage of construction,and a new eviction!

Sunitha Krishnan — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 10:32:28 GMT

Finally after struggling for more than a year and a half we are near completion of the new shelter. On 28th April 2011 the whole campus will be ready for occupation. With a quite prayer within the family we are planning to shift to the new location in the first week of May. The decision to make it a low key affair has come with growing threats on all the shelters including mob attacks. One relief is followed with another challenge.

The economic empowerment unit and the emergency shelter are facing eviction now. So once we shift all our women and children to the new shelters that is located 60 kms away from the city we will have to start once again with finding a place to accommodate 300 victims!!!

The cycle continues and life goes on...Will post a video of the new shelter in a few weeks time...till then million thanks to all of you wonderful souls who are praying for our cause.

A Quick Update

Sunitha Krishnan — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 07:15:19 GMT

A view of the children's home

Greetings from chilly Hyderabad! All of us here are lost mobilizing support to complete the construction of the new shelter. It is nearing end. If all goes well we should shift by the end of February. Never knew construction was such a depleting exercise!

As we usher in the New Year, we are truly hoping this year will be something to rejoice at least in terms of a safe place for all the girls and children. The new campus will have facilities for over 1200 residents, with a school and a hospice. I hope we will have some volunteers from the medical fraternity to manage the hospice. Attaching here the picture of one of the buildings(children's home). Thank you all for having faith in us. And I do hope if you ever travel to Hyderabad you will come and visit us and our new shelter.

Links:

Blog

A New Shelter for Sex-trafficking Victims in India

Dr Sunitha Krishnan — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 10:58:32 GMT

" Dear friends of Prajwala...last many months have been crazy. Construction of the new shelters is at its peak. In two months time we will complete the work. Running short of 300,000 USD as the cost of construction material has shot by 200% here in Hyderabad. I am keeping my fingers crossed. I am praying and hoping something will come through. These are some photos taken a month back...but the work is 75% complete.Its race against time for us here as we have to shift on 01-01-2011. Do pray for us"

Dr Sunitha Krishnan

Attachments:

A New Shelter for Sex-trafficking Victims in India (PPT)

A New Shelter for Sex-trafficking Victims in India

Dr.Sunitha Krishnan — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 08:04:03 GMT

Dear Friends of Prajwala warm greetings from a very damp and slushy Hyderabad. Just wanted to give you a quick update of the construction of our new shelter. We are not taking any chances and ensuring that the campus is a full fledged one. Thank you so much for all your faith and support.

Attachments:

Photos20311.07.pdf (PDF)

Trafficking Victims Site Visits

Bill Brower — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 15:36:04 GMT

Bill Brower is a Field Program Officer with GlobalGiving who visited our partners’ projects throughout South and Southeast Asia. On June 10th he visited a Prajwala complex in Hyderabad, which houses several social enterprises. His “Postcard” from the visit:

Prajwala rightly restricts visitors to their shelters for trafficking victims, but I was able to see part of their holistic rehabilitation approach: A workshop housing several small-scale production facilities. Most of the organizations I’ve met with are tackling one aspect of a complex problem; Prajwala has grown quickly over the years and now has the resources to provide a comprehensive response to sex-trafficking in Hyderabad. In addition to initial interventions, advocacy, education, healthcare and counseling, Prajwala places a lot of emphasis on rehabilitation and reintegration. Economic reintegration in particular often seems not given proper due but Prajwala seems to be doing a good job of it, with opportunities that go well beyond the typical tailoring or craft-making.

Prajwala chose trades—metalworking, carpentry, printing, binding—which are traditionally dominated by men and which have a viable commercial market. The facility was clean and seemed well run. The products I saw—desks, bunk beds, notebooks, pamphlets, workbooks, screen prints—looked professionally made. Clients thus far are mostly schools. The enterprises are not currently profitable but Prajwala is hoping they soon will be with a concerted marketing push to corporations, hospitals, etc.

I saw plots of land where, in the off-season, the women grow vegetables to sell to other Prajwala canteens. I thought this a very good sign—that they sell the produce to other parts of the organization. It reflects the entrepreneurial foundation needed to make these businesses sustainable.

Dr. Sunitha Krishnan, co-founder of Prajwala, says that the human component leads the structural in their organization. So donors can rest assured that their contribution toward this new building is going to an organization with the capacity to take full advantage of it.

What are your thoughts?

Shelter home for victims under construction

Deepa Xavier — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 08:16:08 GMT

Construction on all buildings for the holistic shelter home for victims of sex trafficking has started simultaneously.

Here are some pictures of the work in progress.

We appreciate your continued support to the cause..

Attachments:

Progress on the New Shelter Home (PPT)

Shelter Home Construction Update

Deepa Xavier — Sat, 29 May 2010 08:15:40 GMT

Dr.Sunitha Krishnan at the site overseeing Marking

In January, 2010 a Construction Consultant Company was engaged to monitor the progress and quality of execution of the construction of shelter homes in Amangal. They reported that the work being carried out using that alternate /low cost technology did not promise ground stability and the safety of the structure would be questionable. Based on this report, the contract with Habitat Technologies was rescinded. A construction company following conventional technology has been engaged after due diligence. The new company has started work on all structures started simultaneously following traditional norms. IPMC continues to monitor the quality and progress. The quality and speed of work is promising – all the buildings have been marked, excavated. The columns and pillars have come up. Construction is scheduled to be completed by end of December 2010. Security personnel have been deployed to ensure safety of construction material at site. Fencing has been put all around the property. We continue to contend with pressure from landlord of the shelter homes. Meanwhile, furniture requirements for the upcoming childrens home and school in the new premises viz., Bunker beds (in steel), classroom benches (wood & metal) have been manufactured by survivors of trafficking at the livelihood skills unit. Challenges encountered - Mahbubnagar District, where Amangal village is located, there is a ban on excavation of sand. To overcome this hurdle, a representation was given to the Chief Minister. With his intervention and special consideration, permission has been granted for procuring sand from designated locations. - The local villages raised an objection to the construction layout as it would come in the way of their movement and cattle grazing. An agreement was reached whereby a strip of land along one side of the plot has been given up in exchange for another portion which will serve as a backyard with a garden for meditation. Emerging Challenges The following components that have emerged as necessities have not been budgeted for - - A 12 feet high compound wall with solar wiring on top to make the facility secure - Integrating technology for renewable energy sources for sustainability of the facility – viz., rain harvesting, bio-gas and solar lighting – as this was not budgeted. - to make the new shelter accessible for victims in the city We thank all our supporters for their support and contributions. Your show of strength continues to encourage us...

Construction in progress

Deepa Xavier — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 10:21:49 GMT

Today an agreement has been signed with Habitat Technologies, a low cost Technologies Construction Group from Kerala (Mr.G Shankar, whose designs we have approved used to work with Laurie Baker) for construction of the New Home for Survivors of Trafficking. The construction will take a year to complete. The deadline for evacuation of the current facility is nearing… work is being undertaken at neck breaking speed. The past couple of months after purchase of the land we have been working towards fulfilling pre-construction statutory and legal formalities. These were delayed due to bureaucratic hitches but we are proud to declare that we did not give in to corruption. Despite the immense amount of pressure and blatant demands for bribe, we managed to get through all permissions without paying a single rupee in bribe. This is being stated as nothing short of historical. We have installed a 10KV transformer and a bore well. We struck water at 90 feet (standard for the area is 160 ft) and kept going to 250 feet. The campus will accomodate 600 survivors of sex trafficking both children and adults. It will have a school, hospice, administrative block staff quarters and in-house amphitheatre. We are also looking at the possibility of an electric crematorium if the government gives permission. The total project cost is estimated at Rs.5 crores (USD 1.00 million). We thank each one of the supporters who believe in the cause and are extending their help.

Construction of a new home for survivors of trafficking

Sunitha Krishnan — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 05:05:43 GMT

It is two and a half months since we were asked to vacate our shelters. The last few weeks were of nightmarish struggles and humiliation. Getting another rented space to shelter trafficked victims became virtually a impossible mission. It was as if we were the prime polluters in the city. I cannot recount the humiliation of being rejected again and again. So we decided to buy some land and construct our own place. Tall order as we did not have the purchasing power. Then began the struggle to raise resources to buy land. The deadly combination of recession and election in India destroyed all chances of fundraising. But the whole Prajwala family came on the road to raise funds. For the first time staff and children went on a bucket collection to raise resources to buy land. The interesting fact was those we expected to support did not even lift a finger but help came from totally unexpected quarters. In fact some persons whom we thought were the friends of the cause went up to the extent of advising me to hand over the children to the government as I should not be taking so much of risk for 'these kind of children'. Well it was not all darkness all the time...miraculous support flowed from unexpected sources...human beings who heard about us passingly or had read about us long time back. We were able to raise over 40 lakh ruppees(USD 80,000) in two months time. Yesterday finally we have purchased 10 acres of land, 60 kms from Hyderabad a place called Amangal. I know the struggle is just began..long way to go, before we construct and shift to the new place.Infact we need to raise atleast 3 crore rupees which is about 400,000 USD for the construction. But at this junction I would like to thank all our friends,partners and well wishers who have stood by us in this moment of crises. I am sure with all your wishes and prayers we will cross many more hurdles. Thanks for sustaining my faith in my mission. Warm rgds Dr Sunitha Krishnan