EKTA Resource Centre for Women  

CAPACITY BUILDING

Capacity Building is perceived by Ekta as more than trainings and an ongoing process through which individuals, groups, organizations and communities enhance their ability to identify and meet development challenges and move towards actualizing their rights. The interventions are around the following thematic areas:

• GENDER AND GOVERNANCE
• GENDER AND HUMAN RIGHTS   
• GENDER AND MASCULINITY 

EKTA envisages social change as a process of collective action.  Therefore it works in collaboration with NGOs and other like- minded organizations. It also promotes networking among women to influence for appropriate implementation of existing policies and laws and demanding for relevant amendments and enactment of new laws.  It is engaged in advocacy and policy dialogues to implement Domestic Violence Act, Prevention of Sexual harassment at the workplace and International conventions that GOI has endorsed and ratified such as CEDAW, PFA, SDG and CRC. The major campaigns are One Billion Rising Campaign and 16 Day Campaign to address Gender Based Violence.

• ‘One Billion Rising’ is a worldwide campaign on February 14, to create a world free from violence
• The 16 days campaign (Nov 25 – Dec 10) was launched by Ekta in 1994. The purpose of this campaign is to create greater awareness on the issue of violence against women and also to express solidarity to the inter-national campaign on the above issue
• Safety audit is a participatory tool for understanding the elements of public spaces that contribute towards creating safety or vulnerability. Ekta initiated safety audit in Madurai with the guidance from Jagori, New Delhi and Sakhi, Kerala since 2013

Since 2013 Ekta is organizing OBR in Madurai, TN in collaboration with Jagori, New Delhi. In 2019, there were six launches and 2 planning meetings for the main public event on 14^th Feb 2020.

In collaboration with 16 NGOs, Advocates, Individuals, 1 University and 5 colleges this year Ekta organized the One Billion Rising in Madurai. Around 850 members participated.

• ‘Study Circle’ was initiated after many rounds of informal discussions with different constituencies, on the 14th January, 1992. The objective was to create a space for women from different professional backgrounds to come together to discuss, debate on women’s issues and thereby evolve strategies for collective action. 
• 10-day Feminist Capacity Building Programme for the two countries in Tamil every year with the support of SANGAT since 2009. The participants come from both Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu. The main objective of this programme is to equip women activists with knowledge on gender and development issues that perpetrate gender inequalities at the level of household, community, workplace and the state. 
• Sangat 

We work with the following institutions and networks:

• Childline 1098
• The Naz Foundation (India) Trust  - Life Skill and Sports for Adolescent girls
• Girls Not Brides - Advocacy to prevent child marriage
• Forum to Engage Men (FEM)
• International Women Peace Group (IWPG)
• Voluntary Action Network in India (VANI) – Information dissemination
• National Alliance of Women (NAWO) – Networking of Women
• State and National Commission for Women – Promotion of women rights
• Universities and Colleges – Advocacy and Lobbying for Gender Equity
• National Centre for Advocacy Studies (NCAS) – Advocacy and Lobbying

Counseling is provided to women and their families. Based on the merit of the case, they are helped to access to get referrals to Police and Family Courts. For litigation process, we get the help of specialized agencies.

• Students for Change - The youth in colleges are given orientation and taken through periodic thematic reflections on understanding gender, masculinities and the need for gender equality.
  This programme was started in 1994 in collaboration with National Service Scheme (NSS) of Madurai Kamaraj University. Later a survey was undertaken in some select colleges among the students to assess their understanding about the situation of women in society and violence against women in particular. Following this a three day residential workshop was organised for the women students of the above colleges. At the end of this workshop a strong recommendation to have a continuous process with both and female students emerged. Therefore the students programme was given a gender and human rights focus and was implemented in colleges of Madurai. This was further strengthened by including the students into the White Ribbon Campaign. It was revised and renamed as ‘students for Change’ in 2005.
• Life Skill Programme - Life skill Education for adolescents in select schools and communities are conducted to enhance their self esteem and to make them aware about their rights and entitlements. This programme was initially started for the Corporation school girls in the year 2000. Since then it has gone through a lot of modifications based on the suggestions of the adolescents. From 2016 with partnership with NAZ India Foundation, the programme is implemented as life skill through sports. Currently around 1500 Adolescent girls are reached through this programme.
• Ekta has partnered with NAZ India Trust from 2016 implement life skill through sports through a programme called Young People's Initiatives (YPI) with children coming from socially and economically marginalized communities to help them their potential and act as change makers. Each year around 1200 girls are being covered through this programme.

Ekta has all women Executive Body but the General Body has both female and male members. The General Body meets annually and the Executive Body meets on a quarterly basis.

S.NO    NAME OF THE MEMBER         DESIGNATION

1.            Ms. Bimla Chandrasekar          Secretary

2.            Ms. Gandhimathi                        President

3.            Ms. Revathy                                 Vice President

4.            Ms. Jesu Rethinam                    Treasurer

5.            Ms. Manohari Doss                    GB Member

6.            Mr. Gnana Surabi Mani              GB Member

7.            Mr. Deva Manoharan                 GB Member

8.            Ms. Valligopal                              GB Member

9.            Ms. Epsi Bai                                   GB Member

10.          Mr. Mahaboob Batcha               GB Member

11.          Ms. Ranjini K. Moorthy              GB Member

12.          Ms. Lydia Rajaselvi                      GB Member

13.          Ms. Prema Latha                         GB Member

14.          Ms. Balasundari                          GB Member

15.          Ms. Jeena                                      GB Member

16.          Ms. Vasanthi                               GB Member

17.          Ms. Shanthi Rani                        GB Member

Our Staff Team

Ekta’s team consists mostly of women. The team is committed to social change process and constantly engaged in updating their knowledge and experiences.

S.NO     NAME OF THE STAFF                DESIGNATION

1. Ms. Bimla Chandrasekar                   Director
2. Ms. M. Latha                                         Accountant
3. Ms. Tamil Moni                                    Programme Manager
4. Ms. K. Suganya                                     System Associate                        
5. Ms. Nihar Ashraf                                 Programme Associate

 Goal Team

1. Ms. Jenifer Megala                            Net ball Coach
2. Ms. M. Indhu                                        Life Skill Trainer
3. Ms. R. Shanthi                                     Community Sports Coach (CSC)
4. Mr. G. Viknesh                                     Net ball Coach   
5. Ms. Suriya                                             CSC  / Field Organizer 
6. Ms. Ishwarya                                       CSC  / Field Organizer 
7. Ms. Buvaneshwari                             CSC / Computer Teacher
8. Ms. Maha Lakshmi                             CSC  / Field Organizer 
9. Ms. Monika                                          CSC  / Field Organizer 

Nambikkai Team

1. Ms. V. Vaithegi                                    Coordinator
2. Ms. M. Suganya                                   Warden
3. Ms. B. Kavitha                                      Field Organizer                          
4. Ms. A. Basheerunisha                        Tailoring Teacher