Projects in Hand

This is our ongoing programme and a core area of our work. We have a counselling and speak out facility for both men and women having relationship issues. We actively work as a crisis intervention centre in cases of domestic violence. Our members also work as resource persons of the issues such as violence against women, domestic violence, and sexual harassment of women at the workplace

It is an initiative focused on empowerment of rural teenage girls to prevent their child and early marriages and support them to continue their education. This initiative is supported by Azim Premji Foundation. We are working in 10 villages of Mulshi blocks where a local facilitator engages with the girls. Groups of girls have been formed where they get various inputs on their concerns and opportunity to extend solidarity. We are also working creating eco-system favourable to girls through dialogue with other stakeholders such as parents, young men and boys, teachers and so on. Support has been mobilised for computer course for 10 Katkari girls from other sources. The project was started in October 2023 and so far, we have reached to 250 girls in villages and colleges in the vicinity.

This initiative started in 2008-09. Manch initiated ‘Khelghar’, a programme supporting and facilitating education among Katkari children to bring educational awareness among the parents. This is achieved by bringing children together and introducing them to group activities, games etc. in an informal place. Khel means playing and ghar means a house. Thus Khelghar provides for fun and support for education. A local educated person, preferably a local lady, helps children for the studies. This helps children to get assimilated in formal schooling system by facilitating learning environment where children can get opportunity of creative expression and development of age-specific competencies. Katkari have different dialect as their mother tongue. It is not easy for Katkari children to follow standard Marathi language in the school. So, bridging exercises from dialect to standard Marathi are conducted so that they can understand, read, write, and express in Marathi, a standard language of the region. Along with language, input is provided for mathematical capabilities. Children are also kept engaged in different activities such as arts and crafts, sports etc.

This initiative was started in 2006-07. After spending 7-8 years we could see the impact of work. The first batch of 5 Katkari students appeared for class 10th in 2014 and all of them passed with good score and continued their education. In 2015, a Katkari boy in Khelghar stood first in his school.

At present 11 Khelghars are operational in Maval and Mulshi blocks out of which four are run with Manch internal support. These have been supported over the years by different agencies such as Volkhart Foundation, Tech Mahindra Foundation as well as individual donors. But there is a need to reach to Katkari children in more remote villages. Mulshi and Maval blocks in Pune district accommodate many Katkari settlements. There are Katkari hamlets in Maval and Mulshi blocks and we wish to reach to these remote hamlets.

Work on seven Khelghars in Maval block is currently supported by Praj Foundation.