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VOCATIONAL TRAINING: WOMEN EMPOWERMENT
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Quality training with clarity in instructional
method of teaching with equal attention to all
irrespective of caste, creed & religion has been
immediate & essential need of the area. The accreditation
of Yog Manav Vocational Training
Institute since Oct. 2002 for providing
education-cum-training in various courses was
the first major regular activity for poor rural
girls & women. The basic high quality
infrastructure with large common activity hall
for group functions and individual rooms for
theoretical & practical training is first of its
kind with any institute running such courses in
this region of state. |
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The
infrastructural facilities with high standard of
cleanliness and discipline / punctuality has
been truly appreciated by all resulting in
drawing more & more rural girls & boys now for
undertaking training through this reputed
institute run by devoted & dedicated team of
professional teachers & volunteers. The
beginning of day’s education commences with
period of moral teachings, also comprising of
daily meditation for personal development and is
innovative concept introduced by this Institute
only.
Yog Manav Vocational Training Institute is one
of the institutes accredited for large number of
courses in Northern Region comprising of Cutting
& Tailoring, Dress Making, Beauty Culture, PA/PS
Secretarial Practice, Stenography, Typewriting,
Certificate in Computer Application, Catering
Management, Electrician Trade, Fruits &
Vegetables preservation, Bakery & Confectionary,
Paripoorna Mahila. The Institute is equipped
with 12 Nos. computers (10 Nos. donated by Pemsylvania
University, USA) and Quality Sewing Machines,
Typewriters, Electrician test bench and other
necessary materials and tools etc.etc. Trust
also operates mobile branches for training for
remote villages on year-to-year basis depending
upon the need of rural youth / community.
More than 1200 girls / women and boys have
passed out various vocational training programmes since 2003. The recent survey
conducted reveals that many of its old students
have been in employment in State Govt services
or engaged through self employment earning their
livelihood and few of them are serving with
private hydro project developers / construction
companies.
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REHABILITATION
In its aim towards rehabilitation of parentless
children, and mentally retarded
children, parentless children were accorded first
priority in view of some of the parentless children
living under pathetic conditions with no shelter &
educational support and background.
Bal Ashray
was established in March 2003 in rental
building at Bhalai with 12 children admitted for full
care including boarding, lodging, formal education &
training. Bal Ashray presently is operating at Devi
Dehra successfully with 20 children (6 of them since
2003) under the care of fatherly warden and reinforced
education is arranged through additional evening classes
for strengthening their foundation at this raw age.
Quality food & health care for children is added
attraction. Trust undertakes responsibility of children
of Bal Ashray till they become independent as
self-employed or employed somewhere for their
livelihood. Brilliant boys are provided specialized
training after 10th / 12th class for technical
trades. In total, 35 children have been admitted since
2003, out of which 6 nos. are continuing since 2003.
One boy was trained for Advance Diploma course in Hardware & Networking
of PTU & is presently employed in BADDI, other is now doing Electrician
Technician course. One is pursuing Agricutural based Self Employed Service near
his village.
Construction of permanent BAL ASHRAY building near
Banikhet is to be taken up during 2009 with financial
assistance / donations from willing persons or
organizations.
COMMUNITY
CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT
For helping & facilitating rural youths including girls
to build their capacity to earn respectful livelihood
for themselves & families, number of schemes have been
executed by Trust in this short span. Prominent amongst
these are training of rural youths for incense sticks &
candle making, training under one year course of H.P.
Horticulture University, Solan on horticulture /
floriculture & other agriculture based education,
training through IHBT and H. P. Agricultural University,
Palampur, entering into MOU with IHBT. CSIR, Ministry of
Science & Technology for 10 years for providing services
of experts for training & causing awareness to farmers
of remote villages on off season vegetables and aromatic
plants etc etc.
Trust also implemented following community support
programmes –
• Lift Irrigation Scheme for Village Saili by installing
submersible pumps at river Siul, 1200 metre pipeline,
storage tank and distribution network to farmers’ fields
in the year 2005.
• Lift Irrigation Scheme for Village Brangal under small
grants scheme of UNDP with financial aid of Rs.15.4 lacs
during year 2005-2006 and formation of Yog Manav Brangal
Cooperative Society of locals for its proper functioning
on long term basis.
• Growing of Aromatic plants of Lavander and Geranium at
wastelands & other fields to provide cash crops to
farmers for additional income. IHBT provided Lavender
plants & training free of cost initially and also
installed an advanced oil extraction plant costing
approx. Rs. 9 lacs at Jassoregarh for Oil Extraction
from flowers of Lavender plants. “Yog Manav Aromatic
Plants Growers Society” was also formed for motivation &
promotion of growth of Aromatic Plants in Chamba
District.
HELPLINES
Helpline for women in distress
Besides facilitating community development which also
needs help / assistance of various kind, the Trust is
seriously sensitive & concerned towards the need of
widows, poor children & women in distress.
H. P. State Commission of Women assigned its third
HELPLINE for women in distress to Yog Manav Vikas Trust
in Sept. 2002 under which any distressed women could
write or call for help through telephone service or
otherwise. Helpline service provided the help of
counseling, legal & administration support for
elimination of the afflictions upon the women. This
HELPLINE service operated successfully till 2007.
Shiksha Sahayta Abhiyan
For fulfilling its aims & objectives towards helping
poor rural children in education and women in distress,
the Trust under its “Shiksha Sahayta Abhiyan” commenced
scheme of providing education support materials
including uniform, shoes, books, copies etc. alongwith
scholarships to needy & brilliant poor children of 25
villages initially.
Education Help Centres
Another novel & innovative scheme of providing
reinforced / additional coaching cum tuition to poor
village children studying in State Govt run schools.
Such scheme under Trust’s SHIKSHA SAHAYTA ABHIYAN
was launched initially in 4 villages in 2007 under
which 12th class / graduate unemployed young girls &
boys in each village provide additional coaching for Two
to Three hours daily evening to needy willing children
on free of cost basis and the results have been found to
be encouraging. This was considered essential in view of
falling educational standards of Govt Schools. Trust
presently has opened such centers in 30 villages of Chamba
District and solicits financial assistance from
individuals / organizations for meeting with increasing
expenditure of such centers.
YMVT HELPLINE
YMVT has established its own HELPLINE in Chamba district
to provide needed help/assistance to un-privileged,
poor, downtrodden/brilliant rural students, living below
the poverty line families. This HELPLINE is also to
provide help, assistance and services to distressed
people including men, women and children, the orphan
children under the age of 10 years for the purposes of
rehabilitation through YMVT BAL ASHRAY shall also be
benefited from such helpline. This Helpline has also
been established for providing services for Education to
disadvantaged, disabled, handicapped and special need
children of the age group 4-10 years. Coordination
centres at Khairi, Barangal, Dharwala & Durgathi, Saili
and Baroti are established for approach by locals on
these aspects.
Raising Education
Standard - YMVT Effort
Centres have been established in 29 village at Devidehra,
Kanda, Bagdhar, Dhalog, Duer, Airwan, Dughar, Sopahan,
Maloora, Churi, Lothal, Gehra, Neri, Sanjap, Kandai,
Simbleu, Deola, Balala, Guad, Jnawa, Kathelu, Mailah,
Hibra, Bharootha, Brehi, Kutt-Sihl, Laddo, Sadun, Guan
in Chamba district. Efforts made so far are achieving
better standard of Education for Primary classes
children of these villages as serious attention is paid
to poor/lower level children. From next academic
session, progressive concept would be adopted under
which in the first year only first class children would
be covered, followed by first & second class children in
second year first, second & third class children in
third year and so on, to ultimately see that the
children adopted 5 years ago has much different & better
standard of education than seen in other school children
not having been adopted with this kind of teaching
practices. More than 1000 children are being covered
through these centers besides providing some amount of
livelihood and means of income to unemployed youth of
these villages.
HEALTH &
ENVIRONMENT
Inter-related aspects of Health and Environment have
been accorded no less attention by the Trust with higher
priorities assigned to care of children and women.
Health
Trust is equally sensitive to the subject-matter of
health of poor children and inhabitants of Chamba
District in view of fast increasing trend of various
kind of diseases and ailments due to pollution, global
warming and other disturbing reasons in the hilly areas
also.
With this aim, various kinds of medical camps have been
organized from time to time at remote areas including
Barangal, Bhalai, Dharwala, Jassoregarh & Himgiri
besides Banikhet with the help & sponsorship of reputed
doctors, clinics and organizations from Pathankot,
Ludhiana & BBC Heart Care & Tagore Hospital, Jallander
etc. 2000 number of children & inhabitants availed the
benefit of such medical camps, also providing medicines
free of costs. The exercise of conducting annual health
check for school children of 30 villages covering over
1500 students were initiated by Trust during the year
2005 itself while besides creating awareness regarding
the general physique, the poor eye sight & some other
ailments in the children were diagnosed and treated in
time. In the Vocational Training Institute & BAL ASHRAY,
the exercises and pranayams are conducted on daily basis
as a routine with specialized yoga programmes conducted
periodically for updating the health related
requirements. The programmes by Art of Living
organization on basic course also providing training in
Sudarshan Kirya and alternate healing technique like
Reki etc. have also been organized from time to time.
Environment
World Environment Day is celebrated every year on 5th
June by the Trust since 2003 while besides organizing a
rally of school children from Paddar ground to the Trust
premises via Banikhet market chanting motivational
slogans on environmental aspects, painting & essay
competition for school children of Banikhet & Dalhousie
are conducted. The team of WWF from Jammu & other
experts from the Forests Department relating to
environmental field also participate in the programme
organized in the Trust premises immediately after rally.
Prominent dignitaries including Sh. Jaiprakash Gaur,
Founder Chairman Jaypee Group, Sh. Sunil Sharma, Vice Chairman Jaypee Group, Director IHBT,
Conservator of Forests, Executive Directors NHPC,
Director HP Horticultural University have been the Chief
Guests of WED in past. Trust also promotes formation of Eco / Nature-club in
school and villages. Fruit bearing trees and other sapplings are also distributed & planted in and around
villages.
SPIRITUAL ACTIVITIES
The prime objective of the Trust is mainly to draw human
beings towards spiritualism but in view of common
persons not being in position to absorb the
understandings, their poor state needing them to earn
their livelihood first, leading too materialistic &
ritual base life and past conditionings, the path of
their general upliftment, followed with motivation
towards entering into this path of spirituality was
considered appropriate. Children & women having better
aptitude and acumen in view of introvertness were
initiated towards such learnings and hence the practice
of meditation / spirituality in young lot of boys and
girls studying in Vocational Training Institute & BAL
ASHRAY were introduced for them as compulsory, with
prayers and meditation organized for first hour of
beginning of their academic / practical session.
Param Sant Thakar Singh Ji Maharaj, the then Chief Head
of Ruhani Satsang Society imparted discourses with
participants initiated to the ‘surat sabad sadhna’.
Brahmrishi Shri Kumar Swami Ji of Bhagwan Shri Lakshmi
Narayan Dhan Trust, New Delhi also visited the Trust
premises during the year 2006 and selected the venue for
conducting weekly commune every Sunday Forenoon and
since then the prayers are conducted regularly by the
followers (the name of Trust appears as Centre for
Satsang in monthly published magazine ‘Prabhu Kirpa’ of
organization).
The devotees of various religions also hold their
congregation & prayers availing the facility of main
activity hall of the Trust from time to time.
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