Self Defence for 1000 young girls in Nagpur, India

This year has been full of hardships. As the world retreated inside homes due to the lockdown measures introduced to curb the COVID-19 pandemic, reports showed an alarming increase in the already existing pandemic of violence against women.

The trainers at Prabodhini project have left no stone unturned to adjust themselves as well as their project activities to the new normal. Nevertheless, the challenges that they face to keep offering self-defence classes to young girls and women in Nagpur are formidable.

You can make a difference during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and protracted state of crisis it has generated across the world. You can support women and girl survivors of violence to stay safe and free of violence. Take action and support us today.

Your donation this Tuesday will help us support our trainers to reach out to more girls for self-defence training in Nagpur. Every donation you make will help us win a share of the $1 million bonus fund by GlobalGiving.

To inspire you to give, we would like to share Aradhna's life-changing story:

 "My name is Aradhna. Some days ago I went to attend an event. There was a man constantly staring at me. I was feeling very uncomfortable. Suddenly some of the training techniques flashed through my head.I took a deep breath and made an eye contact, I looked at him till he stopped staring at me.  Regular trainings have instilled a level of self confidence in me. I am capable of doings things, I never imagined I could do. There have been so many instances where I have been harassed but now I refuse to be weak. I have gained strength and courage through these self-defence trainings."

We are grateful for every donation. Every bit counts. 

Regards, 

Pratibha Singh

The Hathras case in the state of Uttar Pradesh is one of the most prominent examples of the horrifying rape of a Dalit woman receiving sustained national attention in India. This case sent shockwaves across the country and our trainers have left no stone unturned to discuss this issue of violence with the young girls. They believe that the girls should be successful in defending themselves against any kind of violence whether it is verbal, emotional or physical.

Understanding and identifying an act of violence or molestation is the first line of defence. In the recent trainings, they taught the girls to be aware while traveling especially if the area is deserted. The trainers provide a range of skills such as meditation, deep breathing, yoga and karate to overcome fear. They have instructed the students to channelize fear into a weapon for self defence.

Manisha and Anita,our trainers, are happy to see that the girls are learning new things and techniques and have become confident in their speech. Some girls and young women have shared their experiences after the training. Snippets are below:

Savita - I would like to thank Manisha and Anita for organising such a helpful training. We as women from rural areas have limited exposure about what goes on outside the parameters of our village. Because of that, we have less knowledge about the different forms of violence and discrimination faced by women in a society. We used to think that only physical violence was considered as domestic violence. But in this training we have learned a lot about mental or psychological harassment and how it can deteriorate our health. We learned how to speak up if anything happens. That has made me more aware about things happening around us. I am confident that I can speak up for myself if something goes wrong. I would like to thank Prabodhini Mahila foundation for organising such trainings in our area as there have been many incidents of domestic violence. I really hope that more trainings are organised in the future where I can learn advanced techniques of self defence.

Seema – Whenever I was walking or travelling alone, I was overcome by fear. I was anxious if I would be subjected to eve-teasing or even harassment. The techniques taught in the training have instilled in me a great deal of confidence and self-worth. I refuse to be scared anymore.

We are really thankful to everyone who has supported our project so far. 

Regards,

Karuna Team