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Month: April 2021

A proud moment and a huge milestone – our 5000th Safe Village Program

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A proud moment and a huge milestone – our 5000th Safe Village Program

We are pleased to announce that we have completed our 5000th Safe Village Program in the state of Telangana, India thus making an impact on 2.5 million people since we began My Choices Foundation in 2012. The Safe Village Program (Surokhito Gram Karyakrom) is aimed at building child trafficking awareness among rural communities across villages […]

We are pleased to announce that we have completed our 5000th Safe Village Program in the state of Telangana, India thus making an impact on 2.5 million people since we began My Choices Foundation in 2012.

The Safe Village Program (Surokhito Gram Karyakrom) is aimed at building child trafficking awareness among rural communities across villages in India.

The programme adopts a holistic approach and focuses on sensitising at-risk community members about child trafficking, its causes, risk factors, creating awareness about ways to prevent child trafficking, sustaining the awareness and conducting vulnerability-reduction workshops. It aims to mobilise communities to keep their children safe from trafficking. With knowledge and collective action, we believe that we can end sex trafficking together.

Since the first Safe Village Program, it has consciously evolved: from our primary stakeholders – the Good Father, the Informed Mother, the Guardian Girl to the Smart Boy – to community stakeholders – Gram Mitras (friends of a village), Nodal Teachers (school teachers), Rakshaks (the vigilante) and the village leadership (the guide), who continues to spread the messages of Safe Village Program after it had taken place.

One of the interesting elements of the Safe Village Program is a comic book. The comic book is a storytelling tool for all age groups. It tells the story of heroes in a community who discover that a young girl has been sent away to a big city for work and may be at risk of child trafficking and child sexual exploitation. It outlines positive behaviours for girls, boys, mothers and fathers.

My Choices Foundation

This post was authored by the My Choices Foundation communications team. Our mission is to keep you informed on the cause, and hopeful that transformation is possible one story at a time.

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My Choices Foundation launches new campaign to address child sex trafficking in West Bengal

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  • CATEGORY: MY CHOICES FOUNDATION

My Choices Foundation launches new campaign to address child sex trafficking in West Bengal

My Choices Foundation, in partnership with the Global Fund to End Modern Slavery (GFEMS) and SEEFAR, has launched ‘Surokhito Gram Karyakrom’ (Safe Village Program in Bengali) to empower children, their families and their communities to end child trafficking (CT) and commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) in three districts – Birbhum, Bankura and Bardhaman – […]

My Choices Foundation, in partnership with the Global Fund to End Modern Slavery (GFEMS) and SEEFAR, has launched ‘Surokhito Gram Karyakrom’ (Safe Village Program in Bengali) to empower children, their families and their communities to end child trafficking (CT) and commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) in three districts – Birbhum, Bankura and Bardhaman – of West Bengal, India.

The GFEMS-study revealed gaps in knowledge and risk perception on the child trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation of children are among some of the key drivers for continued exploitation in the state. The study found that individual factors such as chronic poverty, unemployment and the lure of a better life make children more vulnerable to child marriage, child labour and unsafe migration that could lead to CT and CSEC. Additionally, COVID-19 has fueled cases of child marriage and school dropouts, triggered by financial pressures and increased harmful online practices, as children spend more time on the Internet.

If knowledge and risk perception gaps among children, families and the wider community are addressed, CT and CSEC can be prevented. My Choices Foundation and Seefar have utilised findings from the report to inform their integrated campaign ‘Surokhito Gram Karyakrom’, launched in three districts of West Bengal in February 2021. The campaign aims to promote the role that children, families and the wider community, including teachers, health workers, police and Panchayat leaders, can play in ending CT and CSEC.

Surokhito Gram Karyakrom, which means Safe Village Programme in Bengali, adopts a holistic approach and focuses on sensitising at-risk community members about child trafficking, its causes, risk factors, creating awareness about ways to prevent child trafficking and sustaining the awareness through a spectrum of activities, such as school-based events, community-based events and one-to-one counselling. It aims to mobilise communities to keep their children safe from trafficking. With knowledge and collective action, we believe that we can prevent child trafficking together.

My Choices Foundation

This post was authored by the My Choices Foundation communications team. Our mission is to keep you informed on the cause, and hopeful that transformation is possible one story at a time.

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Capacity Building Programme For Our Counsellors

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Capacity Building Programme For Our Counsellors

My Choices Foundation organized a series of ‘Capacity building training programmes for domestic violence counsellors’ across five centres located in Shah Ali Banda, Golconda, Lakdikapul, Secunderabad in Hyderabad and Hunter Road in Warangal during last month. Led by Dr. Sukriti Kushwaha, Chief Psychologist and Director of Programs at Emancipation India Foundation, 10 counsellors and 4 […]

My Choices Foundation organized a series of ‘Capacity building training programmes for domestic violence counsellors’ across five centres located in Shah Ali Banda, Golconda, Lakdikapul, Secunderabad in Hyderabad and Hunter Road in Warangal during last month. Led by Dr. Sukriti Kushwaha, Chief Psychologist and Director of Programs at Emancipation India Foundation, 10 counsellors and 4 support staff have attended the programme.

“Building capacity dissolves differences. It irons out inequalities”, said Abdul Kalam, the former President of India. Capacity building and training are key elements to equip our counsellors with knowledge and skills in diverse areas that support them in their work. It improves the quality of counselling practices and emphasizes the importance of ‘self-care while helping clients, looking to free themselves from domestic violence.

The sessions focused on ‘Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy’

– The role of the therapist
– Psychoeducation: Communication techniques
– Relaxation exercises
– Emotion management
– Cognitive processing

Therapists’ active and supportive agenda help the survivors to open up and release their stress and emotions. The second method to lower the psychological stress of clients are psychoeducation and communication techniques. Acknowledging and affirming with the clients help them to trust the counsellor and helps them release their tension. The next exercises used in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy are breathing relaxation exercises to help counsellors understand and express their feelings.

The emotion management exercises include recognising feelings and grounding exercise helps the clients to recognize trauma-related cognitive distortions and replace the negative thoughts with more helpful and positive thoughts. Cognitive processing revolves around a cognitive triangle, when an event happens there are three basic reactions given out; what we think, what we feel and what we do.

Feedback from our counsellors:

“The training helped me to understand the client’s problem in a structured way especially if the client is traumatised. It was an informative and educational programme.”

“The best of the training is the mix of theory and practice. I have thoroughly enjoyed all the exercises and when I applied, it showed great results. It helped to understand and solve our client’s problems as well as ours.”

My Choices Foundation

This post was authored by the My Choices Foundation communications team. Our mission is to keep you informed on the cause, and hopeful that transformation is possible one story at a time.

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Get fit, challenge yourself and raise awareness and funds for ending gender-based violence

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  • CATEGORY: MY CHOICES FOUNDATION

Get fit, challenge yourself and raise awareness and funds for ending gender-based violence

My Choices Foundation partners with Cycle for Good to mobilise people through the collective power of cycling and provide women and young girls with choices to live their lives free of violence, abuse, and exploitation. We encourage every cycling enthusiast to join the ride and support our journey to end gender-based violence and transform India […]

My Choices Foundation partners with Cycle for Good to mobilise people through the collective power of cycling and provide women and young girls with choices to live their lives free of violence, abuse, and exploitation. We encourage every cycling enthusiast to join the ride and support our journey to end gender-based violence and transform India into a safe and peaceful place to live in.

Cycle for Good is a virtual event inspired by being simple and “Doing Good”, covering 15 major cities in India. Through “Cycle for Good”, you can do good for yourself and others. You can choose and support the cause you are passionate about, the route, starting point, finishing point and time and date according to your convenience.

The coronavirus pandemic and the corresponding economic crisis impacted our fundraising efforts. We recognise the challenges are multiple, but the need to provide safe lives for children and women have risen as well. Recent studies indicate that lockdown and stay-at-home restrictions spiked domestic violence cases, child marriages and human trafficking. We ask for your help to meet the pressing need.

When you register for the “Cycle for Good’, a fixed amount of INR 100, 200 or the desired amount of your own will go towards fighting gender-based violence. My Choices Foundation, an NGO fighting gender-based violence will receive the fund based on the subject category. We encourage you to accept fitness as the new way of life as well as support a cause they believe in and register for the event. One participant can register for more than one category and can choose their own route and location. You will have to sync your activity through Google, Edomondo, GOQii, Fast Track, Run Keeper of any of the tracking device. E- certificates, medal, t-shirt, neck multi-wear will be awarded to the participant based on the selected category.

Cycling is a healthy low-impact exercise enjoyed by people of all ages. It is a fun- green activity bringing together society and decluttering the city. Apart from physical well-being cycling improves your mental well-being and boosts your immune system.

If you’re a cycling enthusiast or anyone who wants to be a change by being simple and “Doing Good”, seize this opportunity and be the change you wanted to be.

Click on the link below to sign up for Cycle for Good

https://youtoocanrun.com/races/cycle-for-good-my-choices-foundation/

Every ride. Every rider. Join us. Support us.

My Choices Foundation

This post was authored by the My Choices Foundation communications team. Our mission is to keep you informed on the cause, and hopeful that transformation is possible one story at a time.

Share this story

Support Our Work

Your donations make it possible for us to give women and girls the choice to live a life free from violence and exploitation.

I WANT TO DONATE

or sign up to our newsletter