EKTA Resource Centre for Women
EKTA meaning unity was initiated in 1990 as a Resource Centre for women. With gender equal society as its goal, EKTA works with women staff of NGOs, students in schools and colleges, women leaders in communities including elected women panchayat representatives.
Capacity Building is one of the key intervention strategies adopted by EKTA, and it is seen as an ongoing process. The thematic focus remains on Governance, Human Rights and Masculinities with gender as the cross cutting concern. Ekta has continued to meet the important challenges of keeping momentum at the grassroots level and, at the same time, creating leverage with advocacy initiatives at the State and National level.
It plays an important role in South India to build capacities to understand and participate in the CEDAW process, monitoring the implementation of PWDVA and other women friendly laws, gender budget, safety audit of public spaces and the progress of Sustainable Development Goals . EKTA believes that information is power. It collects processes and disseminates among various stakeholders development information in Tamil and English through print and electronic media. EKTA also translates and publishes work that is relevant to promote gender equality.
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Facilitating their creative growth
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Protecting and promoting childhood of the vulnerable girl children
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Networking with similar child rights NGOs and undertaking advocacy initiatives with the State to promote child rights
Establishment of Nambikkai Centre: Post Tsunami Ekta expanded its interventions in Chidambaram taluk of Cuddalore distinct. A centre named Nambikkai was established at Killai Town Panchayat in the year 2007 This centre is registered as a CCI and houses around 30 girls from the district. Christened as Nambikkai Centre (Nambikkai in Tamil means ‘hope’) This centre apart from giving shelter to 30 – 35 children under 18, also serves as a drop-in centre for women and children in need.
Collaboration with SANGAT : Ekta in collaboration with Sangat is organizing a 10-day Feminist Capacity Building course in Tamil every year since 2009. The main objective of this programme is to equip the participants with knowledge on concepts and issues on gender and development themes that perpetrate gender inequalities at the level of household, community, workplace and the state.