Core Activities

Campaigns

One Billion Rising Campaign (OBR)

Sahyogi coordinates and functions as state secretariat of this campaign “One Billion Rising Campaign” in Bihar with the support of more than 50 NGOs, INGOs and social Activists. A series of events organized at district and local level by different NGOs. The main event of campaign organized in Panta. More than five thousand women, girls, transgender from different section participates in the programme. It has four mega state events with network partners. In 2020 the state level campaign selected and displayed at international website of OBR.

End Violence against Women (EVAW)

EVAW, End Violence against Women campaigns ,transforms adolescent and youth as agents of change, who will respond to violence against women and girls within their family and society. The focus of the programme is to capacitate adolescents and youth in recognizing VAW, responding to them and to link them with service delivery points like Mahila Thana, Police Station, Women Helpline, Sahyogi and other agencies working on the issue. It provides a  platform for dialogue of development workers and women rights activists in changing the stereotypes. Sahyogi organizes 16 Days Activism programme in Bihar with its themes like “Organge the World: Fund, Respond, Prevent, Collect” year 2020 and “Protect my rights, Not Me” in Year 2021. The programme starts on 25th of December, day of ending violence against women and ended on 10th December, International Day of Human Rights.  Several such programmes/events were organized during this fortnight which briefly included community leader’s discourse, sensitization of elected local bodies representatives, sensitization of police personnel, interaction between adolescent and adults on their dreams, using social media for spreading message, mass media and mid media engagement like street theatre at public places.

Reclaim the nights # I will go out

In Patna, Sahyogi launched “Reclaim the Nights” march against rape and male violence against women. The march is a way to protest the violence that women experienced while walking in public at night. The purpose of this march was to speak out against this violence and raise community awareness as a preventive measure against future violence. This initiative was widely appreciated by women journalists, women rights activist and intellectual. We organize it every year to amplify the voice of safe and secure public space for women and girls beyond the daylight.

Community Testing of Tools and Innovations

Forum Theatre

Forum theatre is a type of theatre created by the innovative and influential film director practitioner Augusto Boal, one of the techniques under the umbrella term of Theatre of the Oppressed (TO). This relates to the engagement of spectators influencing and engaging with the performance as both spectators and actors, termed “spect-actors”, with the power to stop and change the performance. Sahyogi decided to adapt this tool and is using it successfully with in-house capacity.

Swapping of traditional games

Creating social capital in form of cadre, creating common consensus on to stop Gender Based Violence, and increased knowledge on identifying and addressing it, it was felt that there is need to work on behaviour change. Sahyogi deployed tool of sports/games, adopted some traditional games which are meant for boys and girls. Both boys and girls were asked to play others game especially boys to play game that are traditionally looked upon as girls’ game. The subsequent discussion on different traditional norms which pushes gender stereotypes. This helps in changing the attitude towards looking gender norms.

Manoranjan Ka HaQ

Women do not have the opportunity to play certain games due to gender stereotype. Shayogi introduces  some games which women  have childhood memories and still want to play it. It started  “Manoranjan Ka HaQ”  initiative by creating opportunity for women  to play, which eventually helped them open-up and speak out also believe in change. It became a tool to establish that change is possible.

Gender Resource Centre

Sahyogi has created Gender Resource Centre (GRC) which is a small group of local women leaders and girls with one team members from Sahyogi with access to facility and skill. The small team of women and girls joins from different locations and interact, learn and express their voices. Now every GRC has a question box for adolescent and women if they want to ask something, event without disclosing their identity.