India NGO Awards 2007—Profiles of the Finalists
Regional Finalists—Category: Medium
The Banyan
The Banyan rescues women from the streets from various parts of the country, who are rehabilitated and reintegrated in their homes after treatment based on their wishes. Those who wish to live independently, are provided with vocational training and helped in finding suitable employment. Banyan’s projects whether the transit care, the community outreach, reintegration and aftercare, vocational training and employment and social enterprise all ensure a line of occupation so whether the woman is returned to her family, or chooses to live alone, she is equipped with skills to build a new life for herself as a useful member of society.
In its 14 years of operations, The Banyan has responded to the needs of over 2000 women and reunited over 850 women with their families. To increase stakeholder participation, while reaching out to marginalized men also, The Banyan entered into an agreement with the Chennai City Police and Government-run Institute of Mental Health to establish and implement a first-of-its-kind Mental Health Helpline—Dial 100.
Childline Foundation of India
The CHILDLINE India Foundation (CIF) has developed and manages the CHILDLINE service—a 24 hour, toll free phone outreach service linking children in need of help and protection to organizations run by government departments as well as those run by civil society agencies. Children or concerned adults dial the number 1098 and are connected to the CHILDLINE service in their city. Currently the service operates in 75 cities/towns across the country and services over 2 million calls a year.
CHILDLINE aims at responding to the emergency needs of every child in need of care and protection throughout the country, ensuring that there is an integrated effort between the government, non-government organizations, academic organizations, bilateral agencies, corporates and the community in protecting the rights of children.
Go to The CHILDLINE India Foundation’s Web site
Deepalaya
Deepalaya is a non-government development organization working on issues affecting the urban and rural poor in India, with a special focus on children. It is because “Every child deserves a chance” that the organization exists and works towards making that possible. For the past 28 years Deepalaya has been working in the urban slums of Delhi and has also made inroads into rural development in the states of Haryana and Uttarakhand. Deepalaya has been collaborating with other agencies, both governmental and non-governmental towards making meaningful intervention in the policy making process in the State. From the humble beginnings in 1979, Deepalaya has seen a continuous growth in staff, beneficiaries and fields of activities, working in more than 30 projects covering education, people with disabilities, health, gender equity and institutional care. During the recent years, the organisation has also acted as a resource and training institute to other NGOs.
Raigarh Ambikapur Health Association (RAHA)
Raigarh Ambikapur Health Association (RAHA) is a non-government organization that has been operational since 1969. Its primary objective is to provide health care services to the needy people living in the four districts of Raigarh, Jashpur, Suguja and Koriya. It provides technical and financial support to a network of 93 rural health centres which are managed by professional nurses and providing health care—promotive, preventive and curative, to more than 10,00,000 people living in 1200 villages.
RAHA trains village health workers (VHWs), Mitanins for ASHA programme, traditional birth attendants (TBAs), school health guides, villagers in organic farming, herbal medicines and preventive health. RAHA also provides a TB control programme, livelihood promotion, microsavings programme, rehabilitation for physically challenged people and nutrition support. One of the important innovations of RAHA has been the implementation of Community Health Insurance (CHI) initiated in 1981, it provides health insurance coverage for 90,718 (2007) tribals and poor inhabitants of the above four districts.
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