Description: Avani’swork includes creating and mobilizing self -help groups (SHG) in the waste pickers slum communities. Avani is helping in creating dry waste zones, contract for vegetable market cleaning, mobile libraries for the waste pickers children, leadership training, and to help children complete high school education. IDS funds were used mostly to organize waste pickers; focusing on leadership training, mobile libraries for 9 slums, educating them about how to start green businesses with the waste collection, about segregating dry and wet waste, and also conducted health education and health checkups.
With the IDS funds, Avani helped 2,275 women in 11 slums in several activities. Avani also helped 500 children for pre-metric scholarship. Avani is very active in Child Rights group. Now the children, themselves, have the knowledge and training to approach the government on solving the child labor issues.
Case study: Joti Gosavi is a 13 year old girl; both her parents are waste pickers. Avni helped her to continue her school studies. Her Father, an alcoholic, decided to marry her off at that early age. He even took out a loan for the wedding. However, Joti, a member of the Child Rights group of Avani, ran away from home and met with the leader of the child Rights group. The leader, Vanita, then went to the village and talked with her parents. Needless to say, Joti’s father was very angry. The group then went and met with the boy, who was going to marry Joti, and his family and explained to them about the Child Marriage Act and possible imprisonment, if they proceeded with the wedding. Joti stood firm, as a result of all the support from Avani’s child rights group. Her father has finally come around and agreed to support her. Joti has become a real inspiration to other adolescent girls in her community
