Preventing Inter-Generational Prostitution

1. Open Mic Session by Ms. Jean Shinoda Bolen, Ms Susan Baily Harnden and Ms Winter Safranoff

Place: MCD Primary School

Participants: 100 girls

The open mic sessions are a great way to build up confidence among the young girls from the marginalised communities. These sessions not only help to increase confidence, but also let the young girls express their heart openly, to speak without any fear.

During the visit by Ms Jean Shinoda Bolen, Ms Susan Baily Harnden and Ms Winter Safranoff, Apne Aap organised an open mic session where the girls interacted with these great leaders in their respective fields. The children asked many questions to them and shared their dreams of being a lawyer, doctor, dance teacher, singer and more.

2  Open Mic Session on Hate Speech

Place: MCD Primary School

Participants: 100 girls

Amidst all the hatred in the country on the basis of caste and religion, Apne Aap organised an open mic session where we discussed with the young girls the importance of being polite, respect for each other and compassion in lives. It is essential that we teach our children the language of love, and not the language of hatred. It is important to spread love to create harmony and peace in the country.

After the session, we did some exciting art work as well on the white sheets.

3. Mobile Library Programme

Place- Dharampura community

Participants- Community children

Mobile Library programme entails to meet the gaps existing within the children of denotified community.Since the children from denotified communities do not go to school in large numbers, the mobile library programme serves as an effective way to impart education to these children through informal system of education. Community classes and mobile library programme helps many children to learn, who otherwise have no other option to gain knowledge.

4. Hygiene Workshop

Place- Dharampura community

Participants- Women and girls from the community

During the health workshop on menstrual hygiene, the women and girls were shown videos on how to reduce the pain during the menstrual cramps. They were also briefed on different taboos regarding the same and how insignificant these taboos are. The children were kept occupied with a drawing session.

5. Storytelling Workshop

Place- Dharampura community

Participants- Community children

For the storytelling session, we selected a story which was based on a folklore from Korea with an underlying moral that you will only see what you want to see and that beauty shines from within. The session was followed by a short activity where the children were sorted into groups and each group was supposed to decide a fitting title for the story and act it out to others to guess.

6. Sports Workshop

Place: MCD Primary School

Participants: 80 girls

Mr Shaurya discussed the importance of being active in sports along with the academics at the Primary School. Mr Shaurya substantiated with the stories of Mary Kom, Saina Nehwal, Sani Mirza and others. 

After the session, the girls were divided into the small groups and enjoyed playing football, volleyball, race etc. 

7. Art Workshop

Place: MCD Primary School

Participants: 40 girls

Mr Shikhant Sablania, an artist, believes that we should not try to impose our thoughts and beliefs on to the children, let them explore and find their own way. Mr Shikhant taught the young girls how easy it is to use any object around us and just draw or create something. Our girls at the Primary school learnt how to create a story with the help of a picture and the ways to draw pictures with the help of a story.

8. Livelihood Opportunities in collaboration with Youth for Peace International Group

Place: Community, Dharampura

Participants: Women in the community

Since the women and girls are not allowed to go outside from the community, Apne Aap tries hard to bring the livelihood linkages in the community to the women from the three caste communities so they could make a dignified living within the their respective homes. This time we had Youth for Peace International group who are ready to bring more options to the women in the community to give better life.

‘Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world’- Nelson Mandela

Open Mic Session by Students and Professors from the New York University

Place: Gandhi Smriti

Participants: Women and Girls from Perna and Sapera communities

Rekha (name changed), a woman from Perna caste community was constantly examining the visiting group of students from the New York University at Gandhi Smriti in New Delhi. Later, she told us ‘I want my daughter to become like them. They are educated, beautiful and independent’. Rekha is a 35 year old woman trapped into the system of prostitution. Being the breadwinner for the family of six people, Rekha have no other option but to continue to sell her body every night to sustain herself and her family members, including husband and four children.

Open Mic Session by Ms. Maria Beatriz, Head of Gender, World Bank and her colleague Sonali Andrea Robert David

Place: MCD Primary School

Participants: Young girls from the school

Open mic sessions provides platform to young girls from our adopted school in Najafgarh to express their opinion. The girls are made quiet if they ever try to express their feelings or desires in their homes and in the communities. Here is where the regular open mic sessions in schools help them. They are free to speak what they want to, where nobody will stop them . When Ms Maria and Ms Sonali visited to meet these young girls at the school, they shared dreams of being a lawyer, doctor, dance teacher, singer and more.

Open Mic Session with the Students and Professors group from the Rutgers University

Place: Community, Dharampura

Participants: Women, young girls and boys

It is always the community members who open the gates of their homes for the workshops in the community. For this open mic session, a whole terrace was given to us where everyone could sit in a circle and discuss. The students and professors from the Rutgers University were briefed about the ten asset approach for the field intervention programmes in Delhi, Bihar and Kolkata by Apne Aap. It is encouraging to see how the women speak confidently on the open mic platforms, sharing the challenges and victories of their life and the dreams that they see for their children.

Creativity Enhancement Workshop

Place: MCD Primary School

Participants: Young girls from the school

Mr Shikhant Sablania, an artist, believes that we should not try to impose our thoughts and beliefs on to the children, let them explore and find their own way. Mr Shikhant taught the young girls how easy it is to use any object around us and just draw or create something. The girls at the Primary school learnt to draw using CDs, floppy disk, hammer, bottle cap etc in the workshop.

Livelihood Opportunities in collaboration with Youth for Peace International Group

Place: Community, Dharampura

Participants: Women in the community

Since the women and girls are not allowed to go outside from the community, Apne Aap tries hard to bring the livelihood linkages in the community to the women from the three caste communities so they could make a dignified living within the their respective homes. This time we had Youth for Peace International group who are ready to bring more options to the women in the community in order to give better life.