By Ray Umashankar | Executive Director
In addition to our continued success with partners Prajwala, Apne Aap, the following new partnerships have been set in motion:
1. Mahila Abhivrudhdhi maththu Samrakshana Samsthe (MAAS) - Belgaum
A membership organization of ex-devadasis (sex workers), with over 2,500 members, MASS has acquired good visibility and sound working systems. They have independently secured the long-term lease of land from the Government but continue to work on acquiring the means to construct a permanent office for themselves. ASSET India has funded $100,000 in loans to 262 women through Milaap.org, a leading microfinance organization in India to set up their own income generating businesses so that their daughters and grand daughters will not enter the sex trade.
2. Rescue Foundation- Mumbai, Pune, Delhi
The largest rescue agency in India, Rescue Foundation has achieved a prominent position in anti-human trafficking, and is known to be very active, transparent, and honest in fulfilling its mission of re-integrating rescued girls into society.
The RF Investigations and Rescue Team recovers over a thousand girls from brothels in Mumbai and Pune every year. The survivors, who come from Nepal, Bangladesh, and rural India, are first housed in one of Rescue Foundation's three shelter homes while legal proceedings are undertaken by RF's their legal team. Many girls are repatriated and either reunited with their families, or sent to shelter homes in their home state or country. Others need long-term aftercare in the shelter homes, since their families were involved in selling the girls into slavery.
3. Made By Survivors- Kolkata
Working to educate survivors of trafficking and other human rights abuses. Their programs provide training in highly respected professions including jewelry design with wages high enough to get people out of poverty and able to support themselves independently. Some of the first jewelry trainees are now serving as trainers, program managers and mentors for new trainees.
4. Unnati - Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Coimbatore, Raichur
Unnati is a 70 day vocational training program offered free of cost to the less educated, unemployed and economically backward youth with an assured job at the end of the training period. Unnati enables inclusive growth by empowering families below poverty line.
5. Anudip Foundation & iMerit.net- Kolkata, Various regions of West Bengal
Anudip Foundation began establishing training centers (Market Aligned Skill Training) with three locations in the Sundarbans region of eastern India. These first centers were learning prototypes launched in partnership with community NGOs. They allowed the development of local learning techniques, course content, sustainability of operations, and ease of replication. The growing success of the MAST training centers led to the concept of an iMerit Center, not only to absorb graduates of our MAST centers, but also to address the burgeoning growth of the BPO sector in India and the global market. In its first phase, spanning two years, iMerit was thus incubated by Anudip foundation under the nonprofit umbrella. In April 2012, iMerit moved to its second phase as an independent commercial Web Enabled IT Service company with a social mission. In the coming year, iMerit will expand its operations to many Indian states.
Attached are reports from Prajwala and Apne Aap.
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