Skill Development aims to make a significant impact on condition of youth by upgrading skills for income generation which may lead to self employment venture. The sequence of activities envisaged under the program is to mobilize youth into viable groups, improve their skills, arrange for support services, provides awareness and education on the key focus areas, etc. The program not only aims at imparting training for upgrading skills to enhance income of beneficiaries but also provides awareness and education on the key focus areas identified as mentioned in Action Plan. This program provides an opportunity to upgrade their skills for a better living and self esteem. Besides, there is an increasing emphasis on making the young women and men self-reliant and self-employed so that they can establish income generating units for their livelihood. Over the years, Skill Development Program has become one of the most popular program for India. This program is basically intended for up gradation of their skills and empowerment.
O P E N’s work is concentrated in the fields of Education, Health and Community Development which we believe are the areas of greatest need and deserve to be the foci of our attention. We believe the three are inter-related fields and together the only way to make a sustainable and impactful difference in the beneficiary population.
Information is power. The less informed are those who have poor access to information and are, therefore, powerless. Women fall into this category, as their information on many matters is restricted for cultural, social, economic and geographic reasons. The primary reason for women’s poor access to information is illiteracy and lack of proper education. A great deal of information available through print media and books is lost to women and men who cannot read.
O P E N with an objective to encourage the adults in their school in various educational and social activities, to reward the deserving ones, to provide facilities for the betterment of their life pattern, and to guide them to become better and complete citizens.
Special classes are held for slow learners as also for those with special needs. If a student misses out on classes due to work, she/he is given remedial classes when she/he joins back. The most striking feature of the adult education program is that the educators have a special relationship with the families and visit them regularly.
Women empowerment is an important target group of SHGs, and development assistance is provided both Entrepreneur Development program and Credit. Awareness of women’s right is regarded as being extremely important if women are to be able to influence political processes and their own development. We focused on this area and initiated processes for analysis and the sharing of experience with other institutions and organizations working in this field.
Women education is a sector where particular awareness of the gender dimension. There has been emphasis on increasing the quantity and quality of education by training more women leaders and providing necessary financial tools such as micro-credit for income generation.
The Women’s Empowerment Principles offer practical guidance to business and the private sector on how to empower women in the workplace, marketplace and community. Developed through a partnership between Women and the United Nations Global Compact, the Principles are designed to support companies in reviewing existing policies and practices—or establishing new ones—to realize women’s empowerment.
Establish high-level corporate leadership for gender equality Treat all women and men fairly at work—respect and support human rights and nondiscrimination. Ensure the health, safety and well-being of all women and men workers Promote education, training and professional development for women Implement enterprise development, supply chain and marketing practices that empower women.
Good Rural Governance provides individual citizens and the leaders of village-level institutions with knowledge, skills, and confidence to become informed active self-advocates for the development of their communities.
The evolved consequences of the program were also identified in relation to the major components of the program and were measured by developing Perceived Consequence Index. The beneficiary respondents were asked to rate the components from their experience or on the basis of the benefits either as positive or negative.
These three broad programs are not in any way an exhaustive list of all O P E N’s activities. There is much more that we do that we simply cannot mention in the limited space available in this brochure.
Promote equality through community initiatives and advocacy. Measure and publicly report on progress to achieve gender equality
O P E N works with grassroots NGOs to provide support in children’s rights campaigns, and engages in advocacy, mobilizing public opinion and policy change through rural, urban and tribal area projects.
Poverty and lack of social security are the main causes of child labor. The increasing gap between the rich and the poor, privatization of basic services and the neo-liberal economic policies are causes major sections of the population out of employment and without basic needs. This adversely affects children more than any other group. Entry of multi-national corporations into industry without proper mechanisms to hold them accountable has lead to the use of child labor. Lack of quality universal education has also contributed to children dropping out of school and entering the labor force. A major concern is that the actual number of child labors goes un-detected. Laws that are meant to protect children from hazardous labor are ineffective and not implemented correctly.
In the heart of every child is a hunger for home. Not just for food and a place to sleep, but for safety and community. Most importantly: for love.
Children who are deprived of the guidance and protection of their primary caregivers are more vulnerable to health risks, violence, exploitation and discrimination and they are often deprived of education. O P E N strive to guard the fundamental needs of this disadvantaged population by engaging in advocacy, education, problem analysis, and the development of solutions based on sound research that can be applied by countries and NGO’s worldwide.
To build a knowledge centre where all related Children’s Institutions can be trained to the objectives of the reform/action plans and the children’s rights. Also a training centre for all persons concerned with Orphans and Vulnerable Children.
Build and facilitate a training centre in the capital, to address O P E N issues by organizing courses, workshops and conferences.
The old and senior citizens, who have provided a great service to the society, feel neglected and unwanted at this stage of life. The declining physical strength and other geriatric ailments add to their problems. The Process of social change i.e. modernization, urbanization and technological changes have modified the value system and shifted the socio-economic priorities which have thrown the life on fast tracks and often left with no time for our senior citizens.
Life expectancy is steadily increasing, but cities are no longer safe nor friendly neighbors a certainty. Alternative housing for the aged is a practical lifestyle solution that developers are now ready to provide.
Elders have started walking out of their own home in search of a journey that promises peace, joy and celebration of life with a group of people who share the same boat of life (the wrecked one). However not may rather none of them receive it. A growing number of financially independent senior citizens now prefer to stay in retirement resorts instead of languishing in the quintessential old-age homes that they feel are “overcrowded” and “unsafe”.