TRAININGS & EVENTS
Jagori Workshop on Just Governance and the Constitution
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Jagori recently hosted a 3-day workshop on Just Governance and the Constitution, led by Mr. Laal Singh from MKSS, Rajasthan. The event brought together 50 participants, including Monitoring Committee members, local leaders, and Jagori team members. Throughout the workshop, attendees engaged in meaningful discussions that deepened their understanding of the Constitution’s history, parliamentary democracy, the Right to Information (RTI) Act, and the critical role of governance in upholding human rights. This collaborative experience empowered participants to advocate for justice, equality, and accountability, equipping them to foster better governance and strengthen their communities.
Jagori Rural in Solidarity with Delhi Chalo Padyatra
Jagori Rural Charitable Trust proudly stood in solidarity with the Delhi Chalo Padyatra, a remarkable movement led by environmental activist and educator Mr. Sonam Wangchuk. We had the honor of meeting him during his inspiring march in Manali, where he marched alongside hundreds of supporters and people of Ladakh, advocating for the implementation of the 6th Schedule to protect Ladakh’s unique environment, ecology and cultural heritage.
Our Commitment
Mr. Wangchuk’s initiatives, including the Ice Stupa project and his advocacy for constitutional safeguards for Ladakh, exemplify his unwavering dedication to environmental conservation and community welfare. His courage and determination to champion these causes are truly inspiring.
During the Padyatra, Jagori Rural Executive Director Abha Bhaiya and our team presented Solidarity Statements from Jagori Rural and Vikalp Sangam to Mr. Wangchuk. We also organized a signature campaign to gather support for the Padyatra, which culminated in delivering the signed petitions along with our solidarity statement.
On September 17th, members of the Jagori Rural team participated in a walk to show our support for the Padyatra, covering several kilometers in solidarity with the movement.
Our Hope
We remain hopeful that the demands of the Ladakhi people will be heard and addressed before this peaceful Padyatra concludes. Together, we stand for a sustainable future for Ladakh and its vibrant cultural landscape.
Girls Sports Tournament
Jagori Rural Charitable Trust organized a district-level sports competition on October 15, 2023, in Gram Panchayat Ghana ground. In this sports competition, 45 adolescent girls participated from the different blocks Rait, Dharamshala, Kangra, and Nagrota Bagwan of district kangra. They competed in sports such as kabaddi, tug of war, and the 100-meter sprint, among others, providing them an opportunity to showcase their athletic talents. With great enthusiasm, these girls demonstrated their sports skills in kabaddi and the 100-meter sprint.
At the end of the program, the girls expressed their gratitude to the Jagori organization, highlighting how this initiative has boosted the self-confidence of rural girls and encouraged leadership qualities in them.
Training with Adolescent Girls
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Jagori Rural Charitable Trust organized a 5-day residential workshop from 26th July to 30th July with 44 adolescent girls from 04 development blocks Kangra, Rait, Nagrota and Dharamshala at Jagori campus Rakkar. This workshop was done in two different parts as Basic (22 adolescent girls) and Advanced (22 adolescent girls).In the workshop topics like leadership development of adolescent girls, gender discrimination, patriarchy, sexuality, power and its intersectionality, healthy and unhealthy relationship and consent, importance of collectives were discussed. To make adolescent girls understand these issues through a more interactive process various methods like games, discussions, movies, short dramas and through examples from their lives and their social surroundings, were used. Along with this, in the workshop, the peer leader also made an action plan at their level and on the basis of that action plan, they will work further in their villages.
Workshop with farmers
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A two days workshop was organized by Jagori on the theme of organic farming, Resource person of today's session is Dr. Sant parkash, 30 master trainers attended the workshop, the main aim of the workshop is to give training about organic farming to master trainers and then they spread their knowledge to others in their native blocks
Himalayan Daughter Rising for Education
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A three days residential workshop was organised at Jagori Rural Charitable Trust with 32 girls of Himalayan Daughter Rising scholarship scheme from 7th to 9th of July on Gender sensitisation and health.
The objective of this workshop was to make the girls understand the impact of socialisation in their lives and to aware them about their mental, physical and reproductive health.
The workshop was started by the team- Asha, Sarita, Akshika with a song- Dariya ki kasam, moujon ki kasam..”
We also distributed some essentials like bags, bottles, undergarments etc. to girls.
The girls were curious to know about their bodies.
We also let them play some games to make them more comfortable with each others.
We also invited two resource person- Dr. Kusum and Shaily (psychologist) for their health session.
They told them about the changes in body during adolescence, how to deal with anger issues and the importance of self introspection.
We also show them some movies on menstruation, safe and unsafe touch, adolescence.
The girls were delighted to attend this kind of workshop, they told it was the first time they came this far from the house.
They also told that we learned about self love.
JRCT is consistently working with the farmers to promote organic farming. This crop cycle, the team and farmers learnt about organic farming practices and worked in the paddy fields. The fields were prepared properly according to organic methods before sowing the paddy. In the beginning of June, timely and efficient sowing was done with the local seeds of sabarmati, cheenoo, red rice etc. The farmers sang songs particularly about the field sowing during this time.
Sports Tournament
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To challenge the gender dynamics in the community , JR is organizing a series of game events from 3rd July - 11 July 2023. Sports Coach Sahil will be training adolescent girls from the Rait, Kangra and Nagrota blocks. The girls will play kabaddi, football and other games that challenge the gender stereotypes. This will also help them to get into the habit of physical fitness and will help them to gain confidence.
Swara Mountain Arts Festival - Second Edition
The second edition of Swara Mountain Arts Festival 2023 held from 11th - 15th April at Jagori Rural truly brought together and celebrated multiple identities - those with special abilities and diverse gender identities, artists from various corners, our friends from different parts of the world, community members, women, children, youth - and thus included everyone in raising voice and rising together for Freedom. Freedom from inequality, from discrimination, from injustice and oppression of all kinds & Freedom to express and be ourselves the way we are..spreading love and humanity in the world.
Imbibing the spirit and guidance of Saint Kabir, the festival was successfully able to weave together inclusivity, intersectionality and activism for rights and freedom. Through workshops on different art forms - music, theatre and creative storytelling, the participants at the festival learnt to use 'Art' for telling their own story as well as raising voice for social justice and equality. There were evening celebrations on each day of the festival and we saw a diverse range of performances including singing, dances, poetry, clowning, theatre etc by artists from in and around Dharamshala. The finale of the festival had performances by Aditi Mangaldas and Shabnam Virmani that were a perfect culmination and crescendo taking the festival's message and hope to its peak.
We are immensely grateful to each and everyone who contributed their energies and presence in adding so much meaning to the festival. Hoping that this journey continues to touch many more hearts and lives in future and the magic of 'Swara' reaches every corner in the world!
One Billion Rising - Rise for Freedom
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On 14 Feb 2023, 20 years of Jagori rural and 10 years of the one billion rising international campaign were successfully celebrated in Dharmshala auditorium. This event was all about love, peace and harmony, approximately 1200 people participated in the event. We thank all of the people who participated in the event. We will continue holding hands like this.
Kishori Utsav
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The Kishori Utsav was celebrated on 12th July, 2022 in Khanyara which had a participation of 166 girls; Kangra:48, Dharamshala:42, Nagrota:23, Rait: 43. The registration began at 10 in the morning and the event started an hour later. It commenced with the “Seed Laddoo” making activity where girls made balls made out of soil, manure and seeds of apricots, mango, Jamun and litchi. This was followed by the next activity for which the girls were divided into different groups. Five different stalls set up in the event.
“How to make the village beautiful”
‘Gender bender’
“ Santulit Thaali”
Animal Rescue
“Mann ka Vichar”
Post this, there were skits presented on different themes; trees, rivers, birds and earth.
Further, Abha Di interacted with the girls and spoke to them about the importance of conservation of nature and earth that is the only source of life for all.
Two Days Residential Workshop with Panchayat, Cluster Coordinator & PRIs
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The Refresher Workshop for Panchayat Development was conducted by Sambhav, Project Officer, NIRDP. It was a residential workshop spread over 2 days as a follow up to the baseline survey conducted by the JRCT team in four blocks- Kangra, Rait, Nagrota and Chamba. Around 32 participants attended the workshop and topics covered ranged from how to work with the PRIs for the development of the Panchayat to how to make use of the data generated from the baseline survey to identify the sectors that need immediate attention. It was an immensely informative workshop for the participants who will now be making use of the survey data to make sure to tend to the immediate and long term needs of the Panchayat. The workshop included group activities such as quiz and a collective assignment for each block which made sure that the participants didn’t go weary during the long hours. On the second day of the workshop some Panchayat Pradhans and Ward Panchs were also present which presented an opportunity for the JRCT members to have a one-on-one interaction with them and hopefully support them in their future endeavours. The main learning of the workshop was to handhold the Panchayat where they are lacking with the help of the expertise of JRTC members and also learn more about the challenges that are faced by the PRIs. The workshop started with songs of hope and optimism and ended with an appreciation for the resource person for providing with valuable information which will immensely help in the future endeavours of JRCT.
Workshop With Adolescents Girls
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The AAGAJ Team of Jagori Rural organized a 3-day Residential Basic Training with 30+ adolescent girls residing in Jagori Gramin, Rakkad Kangra district of Himachal.
This was for the first time that most of these girls were stepping out of their home and share a space with other girls of their surrounding communities for 3 days.
The girls were trained on the topics of sex and gender, the construction of gender, bodily health, nutrition, menstrual health and hygiene and Protection Of Children From Sexual Offense Act.
Distribution of Nutrition Kits
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The Nutrition Kits Distribution Event was organized in three blocks of the Kangra district (Nagrota Bagwan, Rait, and Kangra) and two blocks of Chamba district (Tissa and Mehla) jointly by the State Bank of India Foundation and Jagori Rural Charitable Trust. Under the National Nutrition Mission, nutrition kits were distributed to approximately 760 people in the program, including single women, malnourished children, pregnant and lactating women, and differently-abled people. The ADO from Kangra, Medical Doctor from Dharamshala, and CDPO from Rait block presided over the programs as chief guests. Pradhans and up- pradhans attended the event to support the Nutrition Kit Distribution. People were told about the problems caused by malnutrition among children and women. They were motivated to grow and use organic crops and stop using junk food. The objective of the events was to provide nutritional food items to the deserving people and to educate them on healthy eating and reaching an optimal level of health.
Distribution of Nutrition Kits
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Nutrition kits were distributed in the Rakkar premises of Jagori Rural on March 22, 2022 jointly by State Bank of India and Jagori Rural Charitable Trust. This program was organized under the National Nutrition Mission. Nutrition kits were distributed to about 230 people in the program, including single women, malnourished children, pregnant and lactating women and differently-abled people. Deputy Commissioner, Kangra Dr. Nipun Jindal attended the program as Chief Guest. AGM of Chandigarh SBI Mr. Satinder, CMO Kangra Mr. Gudarshan, DPO Kangra Mr. Ashwini Kumar, Director of Waste Warrior NGO Mr. Gagan and CDPO, BMO and Panchayat members from different blocks were also present in the program. Dr. Rashmi, Program Director of Jagori welcomed everyone and introduced different programs of Jagori Rural. Executive Director Abha Bhaiya gave speech on the importance of women's health. Deputy Commissioner, Kangra emphasized that people need to take care of pregnant women and children from the very beginning. For this, people should take guidance from ASHA workers and Anganwadi workers. Other guests shared their views on nutrition and health with the people.
International Women's Day
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On International Women's Day, Jagori Rural Charitable Trust organized programs in 3 Gram Panchayats. More than 250 women were informed about their rights and entitlements during the women's Gram Sabha. In Nagrota Bagwan, Kangra, and Rait block of the Kangra district, community women shared their personal experiences of overcoming challenges and the issues they still deal with as women. Songs and poems were sung in the honor of women and the earth as a part of the One Billion Rising campaign. The Panchayat representatives took an oath to oppose the violence against women. In Rait block, women wrote an application to install a sanitary pad machine in the village. In Nagrota Bagwan block, 2 cases of domestic violence came to naari adalat seeking legal help. In Kangra block, community people selected one village and decided to make it plastic-free in the coming year. At the end of the program, the women were joyful and confident. One woman said – “If we get platforms like this more often, we can be creative and find the solution to community issues.
Workshop with Anganwari Workers
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The AAGAJ Program organised a 3-day residential training for the Anganwari Workers of the Kangra Block. This was for the first time these angawari workers had visited a training with Jagori. Themes covered in the workshop were Gender Equity, Patriarchy, Changes during Adolescence and their reproductive health and POCSO Act. The Anganwari Workers liked the participatory form of the workshop, especially performing plays and chart activities.
"We thought we don't discriminate among our children onthe basis of their gender but through this training we realised we are yet to change and we do discriminate among our children because of their gender. I will try to be mindful of it further." Anganwari Worker
Mother Daughter's Fair (Maa-Beti Mela)
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AAGAJ Program celebrated Maa Beti Mela at Jagori Campus, Himachal. Maa beti mela is a small initiative of Jagori Grameen where we try to bridge the gap between mother's and daughters and reduce the intergenerational differences. We had 33mothers and 56 girls participating in the event. Mothers and daughters expressed their love for each other by writing letters. Participants also discussed their concerns and solutions for the same. The event ended with lots of love and hope where mothers and daughters promised to be friends and be each other's support systems.
Food Festival
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Food is the ingredient that binds us together. We experienced it ourselves in the Traditional Food Festival organized by Jagori Rural Charitable Trust on the 29th of Jan 2022. Over 80 women from four blocks of Kangra district participated in the festival. The objective of the workshop was to educate women about the importance of traditional food and their relationship with mother nature. Variety of dishes prepared by the participants were appreciated by our guests. Dr Chandan, the regional director of National Medicinal Plants Board (Ayush Mantralaya) addressed the participants about the benefits of regional dishes and their significance for overall health, according to different seasons. Women shared their home-cooked food and their recipes. The festival was concluded by Dr Sunil, Nodal Officer, NMPB, where he spoke about the benefits of medicinal herbs and value addition to increase livelihood.
Women’s Meet
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On the 19th and 20th of December 2021, the Jagori Rural Charitable Trust organised a Women’s Meet as part of the Women Leadership Program. Women from Kangra, Dharamshala, and Rait block attended the event. The programme drew a total of 96 participants . The event was held at Chambi Ground.
The purpose of the gathering was to raise women's awareness on domestic abuse, organic farming, and mother-daughter relationships.
On the second day, games were organised in order to reminisce about their youth and develop confidence in their public speaking skills.
Workshop with Anganwadi workers
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A 3-day residential workshop with 35 Anganwadi workers from Nagrota Bagwan block of Kangra District was organized from 16th Dec to18th Dec, 2021. The objective of this workshop was to increase the understanding of Anganwadi workers on issues like gender-based discrimination, develop understanding on POCSO and POSH Act and educate them about general and mental health.
For the workshop, impact of gender-inequality on girls and women in the society and the importance of building gender-equal communities were discussed. A full day session on POSH was conducted. Dr. Anita, renowned psychiatrist from Tanda Government Medical Hospital and College conducted a session on mental health. The participants were enthusiastic for the discussions and activities throughout the workshop.
Felicitation of ASHA workers
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Jagori Rural Charitable Trust organized an event for felicitation of ASHA workers. 45 ASHA workers were given certificate of appreciation for the exemplary work they did during the Covid19 pandemic. The Chief Guest, Dr. Sahil from Shahpur, said – “ASHA workers face many challenges during COVID times and yet they performed their duties very well. Ms. Archana, Health Educator praised ASHA workers for their hard work. A few ASHA workers shared their stories of dealing with challenges as community health workers. Dr. Rashmi, Program Co-ordinator at Jagori Rural appreciated them saying that ASHA Workers gave their best during the times when people were afraid to get out of their homes.
Workshop with Anganwari workers
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A 2-day residential workshop with 30 Anganwadi workers from four blocks of Kangra Districts was organized on 22 nd Nov- 23 rd Nov, 2021 with the objective to educate them about POSH and POCSO.
These AWWs have already developed understanding about social gender construction and women’s reproductive health in previous workshops. In this particular workshop, they have been sensitized about different laws. The participants shared their personal experience on sexual harassment and actively participated in the discussions.
Ms. Suresh Kumari, 49 years, said – “There is a LCC for AWWs but we never tried to find about the details. After going back to work, we will find about the LCC and give proper information to other AWWs about its functions.”
Manjna Devi, 40 years, said-“I always learn new things at JR. That is why I was keen to attend this workshop. This time I acquired proper knowledge on POCSO from lawyers. I will organize meetings with children and adolescent girls to tell them about ‘Good touch- Bad touch’.”
Training with Newly Wedded Couples
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During COVID-19, many young people in the community got into arranged marriages without any understanding towards each other or the institution of marriage. For the newly-wed couples to have a space to form emotional bonding and learn about reproductive health, AWAJ Health Program organized a 2-day residential workshop on 13-14th February, 2021. The couples were educated about sexual and reproductive health especially focusing on the importance of family planning and knowledge of different contraceptive measures. A special session was on women adapting in the new environment, physically and emotionally, after marriage. The men accompanied their partners develop understanding on how they could be supportive. This
workshop also aimed to develop sensitivity towards gender-based discrimination that prevails in the community. The workshop ended with men acknowledging the expectations and dreams of their partners and gifting flower plants to each other as a part of OBR event, symbolizing the importance of growing love, understanding and respect in relationship.
Pedals for Women Safety
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Around 250+ women gathered in Shahpur as a part of ‘Pedals for Women Safety’ and welcomed two young inspiring cyclists on a journey, Sabita Mahato and Shruti Rawat.
Sabita, 23,a brave Cyclist & Mountaineer from Bihar, has travelled earlier from Delhi to Nepal on a solo cycle trip to promote Women Safety.
They are now on a Trans Himalayan Cycling Expedition across 5600 kilometres to inspire young women and address issues that lead to such a staggering amount of violence in India against women and children.
Shahpur’s SDM supported this campaign and gave a heartfelt message to all young girls to follow their dreams and progress further in the
direction of their aspirations without apprehension.
Director, Jagori Grameen, Abha Bhaiya addressed the community members and inspired them to break the fetters of patriarchy.
Songs revolving around freedom, resistance, peace, compassion and womanhood were sung alongwith poetry and personal narratives around violence against women were shared.
Three day training with sub constables from Police
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Freedom from Violence’ program organised a three day training 30 January to 1st February, 2021 with sub constables from Police Training College, Daroh on probation at Jagori Grameen. The objective of the training was to underline gender based violence and how it affects women in particular and other marginal identities in general. Nandini Rao, a feminist activist from Delhi, conducted the training. The discussion revolved around gender specific laws such Domestic Violence act, POCSO act and also understanding the meaning of consent, patriarchal structure as well how power operates in our everyday lives. There was a deep engagement with the question of sexual harassment,
rape and what it means to be in a position of vulnerability in terms of gender, caste, religion etc. The most interesting was the conversation on ‘consent’ since the feminist movement has been grappling with this very question. One could see a shift in the participants’ understanding of patriarchal expectations of femininity and masculinity and how ‘its okay to be different’, as one of the participants lucidly put in their feedback form.
Team Meeting
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Abha took a session with the team on caste and the concept of intersectionality during the first half. The session was reflective, with team members reflecting on their own social locations and biases.
The second half consisted of discussions on the issues of team management. Block teams also presented various strategies for making field work more efficient and planned.
A networking meeting was conducted with adolescent girls
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A networking meeting was conducted with adolescent girls from Rait on 8 Nov, Sunday.
Girls were asked to reflect on characteristics of a boy and a girl. They finally concluded that both boys and girls are equal and their shouldn’t be discrimination based on gender. Girls also understood opportunities and hurdles that one faces due to the prevalence of gender discrimination in the society through the game of snakes and ladders. Muskaan film was also screened which helped them reflect even more deeply.
Girls played some fun games as well.
Wenlido workshop with Adolescents Girls
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Wenlido workshop was conducted with 16 AGs on 17-18th October.
While the notion of safety and self defense for women has a patriarchal underline, Wenlido offers physical and emotional ways out of situations in which we feel powerless. It helps women to generate self awareness and safety in everyday situations. It trains us to find solutions that make us strong individuals.
Through the two days, girls learned many new things and discovered their physical strength along with the confidence.
Creative Workshop
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Owing to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, many young girls currently have substantially fewer opportunities to interact with their peers at a time in their lives when this is crucial for their development. This has cut off them from friends and outlets of emotions. Keeping this in mind JRCT organised a 12 days long Creative Workshop with a girls’ collective of Dharamshala.
In the workshop, they learnt Yoga, Dance and English Speaking. The girls shared that learning English songs and dancing on them was a new and exciting experience for them. The progress they made in doing different yoga postures was thrilling for some. They have planned to continue doing what they have learnt from now onwards.
Gender and General Health Training Workshop for VHNSC members and ASHA workers
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A residential workshop for ASHA workers, who are members of VHNS Committee members, took place in JRCT Campus on 9-10 October, 2020. The capacity building workshop organized by the Health Programme was attended by 15 participants. The sessions of the workshop focused on patriarchy and the role of gender in shaping the society. ASHA workers role in VHNS Committees in developing comprehensive village health plans, and promoting convergent actions on social determinants of health were discussed in detail. The participants gained a clear understanding on working of VHNS Committees.
They shared the challenges they face at work. The participants shared that the workshop created a learning opportunity for them and said that they would be eager to attend future workshops organized by Jagori.
A workshop for Protection Officers and Anganwadi Workers
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A workshop for Protection Officers and Anganwadi Workers was held at JRCT campus from 8-10 October, 2020. The objective of the workshop was to raise awareness among the participants on sensitive issues like gender, patriarchy and domestic violence laws along with sexual harassment at workplace, and develop basic understanding on POCSO. The workshop helped participants to understand gender based inequality from a feminist perspective. The participants were of the opinion that they will be able to solve the women related issues with sensitivity because of the training.
Freedom from Violence
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A 2-day workshop was organized by Freedom from Violence Program Team with 24 violence survivors in Jagori Campus. The objective of workshop was to create a strong support group of survivors who will work with women affected with domestic abuse and violence in the community. The survivors narrated their life experiences in the workshop and acknowledged the role of Nari Adalat in helping them dealing with their problems. The sessions of the workshop focused on sharing information on laws related to women’s rights.
Health Awareness and Gender Workshop for mid-wives
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The Health Programme Team organized a two-day Health Awareness and Gender Workshop for mid-wives at JRCT Campus on 29th-30th September 2020. 18 mid-wives from different blocks of Kangra District attended the workshop. The workshop focused on improving their understanding on sexual and reproductive health from a scientific point of view. The benefits of traditional medicines and its effective use in treating issues concerning reproductive health have been discussed in detail by the participants. The workshop also held sessions on the role of patriarchy in society and gender. The participants actively took part in discussions and sharing.
Herb Gardening
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Taking into account the benefits of herbal plants and the increasing demand of herbal medicines during the COVID-19, the Health Programme Team prepared a herbal garden in Jagori campus. The objective of the initiative is to grow herbs and medicinal plants through herbal home gardens and to promote its use and benefits widely. Team members enthusiastically participated in the preparation of the garden. This is a continuation of the programme activities and the garden was set up by the team during the 2-days workshop held at Jagori on 20-21 September 2020. The workshop reviewed the work completed in last three months (July- Sept 2020) and discussed the plan for the next three months (Oct- Dec 2020).
