Empower 100 Girls in Asia's Largest Red Light Area

AAWC has enjoyed an eventful and exciting quarter, as it turned 16!

Organisation updates:

• 16th anniversary celebration: We at AAWC have renewed our commitment towards a better life for the women and children in the red light area and continue to empower, nourish and energize them. We celebrated it with the Annual Udaan Felicitation Programme, with energetic and thought-provoking performances by our Udaan girls on themes like anti-dowry and right to education, followed by an award ceremony to encourage our girls to excel and fly even higher.
• Awards: During the past quarter, AAWC was named Jury’s Choice Winner in the AmeriCares India Foundation's Spirit of Humanity Awards and was shortlisted in the Top 10 Small NGOs category in the GuideStar India NGO Awards.
• Participation in State level research on Anti-human trafficking: AAWC has been selected by the Maharashtra State Rural Livelihood Mission (MSRLM) to be a participant in a research on Anti-human Trafficking, as a resource and data base. For this purpose, our CEO, Program Director and an Umeed beneficiary gave a presentation and talk on "Vocational training for trafficked women." Our staff were interviewed and a focus group discussion was also done with our Udaan girls (likes, dislikes, aspirations, etc.), as a part of this state-level research.
• Capacity building: Our staff attended workshops on viral load testing, HIV/AIDS, anti-human trafficking, paediatric counselling,and annual report writing. Management also attended the Annual Stakeholder’s Conference on Child Sexual Abuse organised by Arpan Foundation and an Anti-human Trafficking:Orientation and Perspective building session conducted by Maharashtra State Rural Livelihood Mission (MSRLM).
• Monthly medical check-ups: Umeed, Umang, and Udaan members were examined by the medical team from Reliance Foundation and administered drugs, as per necessity.
  
  Empowerment

• Annual felicitation programme: The girls performed theme dances and were awarded for academics, overall performance, discipline, etc. They also attended an informative workshop called "Snakes: Types; myths and superstitions" organized by Sarp Mitra.
• Career exposure visits: The girls explored future careers at Nagpada Police Station, Byculla Fire Brigade, Bank of India, and American Library.
• Career guidance: The girls learned about interior design as a career, from a volunteer in the profession.
  
   Edutainment 
  
  
• Our girls attended workshops on English speaking, diary making, story-book making, mandala art therapy, mehendi designs, paper bag making, jewellery-making, puppet-making, conducted by our dedicated long-term volunteers like Susan Laidlaw, Cindy, B’jorn Eklund, and Nishtha Modi. 
  
  Health
  
  
•  The girls attended  awareness workshops on nutrition, child sexual abuse, and yoga.
  
  Recreation
  
  
• The girls enjoyed excursions to an IPL cricket match, Shangrila Waterpark, and a Parle-G factory.