This AHMEDABAD WOMEN ACTION GROUP NGO charity is working on Key Issues of Disaster Management, Dalit Upliftment, Education & Literacy, Health & Family Welfare, Human Rights, Legal Awareness & Aid, Minority Issues, Nutrition, Panchayati Raj, Rural Development & Poverty Alleviation, Tribal Affairs, Urban Development & Poverty Alleviation, Women's Development & Empowerment, Youth Affairs

Gujarat

Ahmedabad, Kachchh, Patan

Ahmedabad Womens Action Group known largely by its acronym, AWAG, has been active from 1981 on issues of Women development and empowerment. AWAG has worked with Dalit and Muslim women on their social issues and have organized them in women committees which protest against oppressive social customs, protect victims of violence, look after their primary facilities in their living areas, promote health seeking behaviour, inculcate saving habits and join in demand of strict implementation of pro-woman legislation. AWAG works extensively on the issue of violence against women. Raising awareness of women on their exploitation oppression etc, offering them counselling, legal aid, shelter, training skills for rehabilitation. The income generation was initiated to provide for riot torn women in 1986 following heavy rioting in Ahmedabad. AWAG developed that well enough to get a secondary organization registered as AWAG- EKTA Industrial Co-operative Society which now provides work and income to more than 900 women, The income generating unit recently developed AWAGs own brand, EK-AWAG. Production of low-cost sanitary napkins to cater for the hygienic needs of women of low income groups was considered necessary. AWAG has recently set up a unit to produce low cost sanitary napkins. AWAG started working in rural areas in 1989 and collaborated with a Gandhian organization on the issues of riparian rights for the downstream people to get water, both for irrigation and domestic use. In the succeeding years, AWAG has been active on issues of womens development, especially in health. Health seeking behaviour from state run Primary Health Centres (PHCs) is encouraged. Consequently, the women started demanding the presence of health providers appointed by the state in their villages. The state has listened to them and responded positively. This activity later extended to next block Sami, with equally encouraging results. AWAG trained office bearers and members of village Panchayats of Radhanpur block in the running the Panchayats and in enthusing the women members and office bearers to perform their duties therein. Similar activity is extended to Rapar block of Kutchh district. In 2001 AWAG contributed to the disaster mitigation by constructing more than six hundred houses for six villages in Radhanpur block of Patan District. In Rapar block, the rural women have been organized in Women Committee and have undertaken activities mentioned earlier, with reference to such committees. In addition AWAG is leading them into nourishing kitchen gardens, primarily to offer them nutrition and then to earn by selling the rest. The area is drought prone so they are trained in using waste water and drip irrigation. AWAG has also participated in training of Sarva Shikhsha Abhiyan. In the aftermath of state wide riots in 2002, AWAG had done training for trauma counselling, opened a Widows Home for a short duration and is running a Short Stay Home thereafter. From 2003 onwards, AWAG engaged itself in building bonds of harmony between minority and majority communities. AWAG runs a network of Alliance of All Gujarat Women (AAGWOMEN) on the issue of violence against women. The members of the network indulge in advocacy on issues related to women like legislations passed in Gujarat Legislative Assembly. AWAG conducted research on Criminal Justice system in Gujarat with reference to the unnatural deaths of women, AWAG is also known as media critic and as such has got school textbook of the state improved from the point of view of gender equality. At the persistent request of AWAG, the department of Home Affairs included two circulars in the Police Manual of Gujarat. AWAG has enjoyed consultative status with the United Nations Economic Social Council from 2001.