|
What We Do
|
|
|
|
|
| Working With Women :: WECAN Campaign
|
|
|
| We Can Campaign, Odisha |
The
'We Can’ campaign
to end violence against women is
now in its 7th year running. The
objective of the campaign is to
reduce social acceptance of
violence against women and in
India the focus is on Domestic
violence. aaina has been
involved since the beginning of
the campaign in 2004, as Odisha
State Coordination Office. As a
strategy the campaign is
creating Change Makers in South
Asia and in Odisha the campaign
has enrolled nearly 3 lakhs
Change Makers across all 30
districts.
We Can Campaign & Personal
Change…
2.5 million Change Makers have
signed up with the campaign in
India to bring change in both
their own attitudes, beliefs and
practices against women and also
within their immediate spheres
of influence like their family,
their peers etc . The focus is
on self-reflection and
introspection as opposed to
external activism.
“I have stopped Eve teasing, “
says one of the Change Makers
while the other says, “ I
recognize beating your wife is
wrong and I no longer do it”
There is another one who says “
Now I send my daughters to
school”
We Can Campaign &
Institutions …
The 3 lakhs Change Makers who
have demonstrated a shift in
their behaviours and practices
are also an integral part of
many diverse formal & informal
institutions like the family,
educational institutions, local
governance bodies like
Panchayats & Municipal
corporations and many other
groups and networks. Quite a few
Change Makers during their
personal journey of change have
also been able to influence
their respective institutions,
which the We Can Campaign
envisages.
So recognizing the fact that
Institutional change is vital to
support and sustain change, the
Campaign strategized towards
leveraging Educational
Institutions. As a result, the
Campaign was able to involve
approximately 1000 Schools as
Education Institutions across 30
districts of Odisha. The
Campaign called for the
Institutions to internalize the
“change” in their practices and
behaviours and not the “We Can
Campaign” per se. This not only
appealed to the schools and
colleges but they also found it
very relevant and doable and
many of them initiated small and
big steps within their
institutions, which were very
motivating.
Below are some quotes on the
actions already been initiated
by some of the schools and
colleges across the country –
“We now have a Question Box
where girls can anonymously
share their personal dilemmas. A
committee of lady teachers has
been formed to respond and
counsel the girls. This has made
it so easy for us to discuss
things that we otherwise would
not have raised”
Teacher from Cuttack
“I have made a point to discuss
with the girls regarding their
opinion about School curriculum
and recreation along with boys.
I realized that no girl plays in
a playground in the off hour it
is always dominated by the boys’
Teacher from Raygada
Annual State Change Makers
Assembly
There is a State Assembly every
year to bring all the Change
Makers in Odisha together to
share thoughts, experiences and
learnings.
Read more about the 4th Change Makers
Assembly , Dec 2010.
For more information visit
the
We Can website or
Facebook
page |
|
Back to Top |
|
|
|
|
