Grassroots Empowerment Initiative (GEN)

Project Title:  Supporting a field team that backs empowerment of  villagers in the Tijara Block, Rajasthan, India
PHAST Associates:  Sue Burke, Chair of the GEN
Date:  July 2013

Summary of work supported by PHAST:

GEN is a registered UK based charity that supports a grassroots approach to social and economic development in rural India based on the principle of grassroots empowerment at village level.  It started as a low budget organisation in 2003 and in 2009 supported the foundation of an equally low budget India based non governmental organisation, End Poverty (EP).  EP  is now its implementation arm.  GEN provides core funding to EP so it can do this.  PHASTs support contributes to this at field team level.  GEN and EP pride themselves on achieving a lot with limited funding using a catalytic approach and engaging in partnerships with other organisations.

Together GEN, End Poverty and representatives of the villages where they work to carry out or support projects that focus on:  i) education to provide literacy, numeracy, health and horticulture learning to  unschooled girls from the predominantly Meo community in Rajasthan (this is a Muslim group that has incorporated quite a lot of Hindu practices)  ii) income generation for women based on handicrafts production using traditional Meo designs  iii) improvement of village conditions through establishment of village development groups that tackle priority issues such as water supplies, transport improvement, schemes to improve the village environment, upgrading marketing of agricultural produce  iv) piloting a rural  tourism project to improve livelihood opportunities 

Every year Sue Burke, Chair of the GEN, and other GEN trustees join a stakeholder meet with End Poverty and village representatives to review progress in the previous year and plan ahead for the coming year.  Project feedback is taken into account as well as emerging needs.

PHAST is supporting the work of the field team of End Poverty so its 3 members of staff can continue to work on the GEN / EP  projects with villagers in the Tijara Block of Rajasthan where the two organisations  are active.  This support is of great help to GEN which annually raise the core funds needed for EP to carry on its work in the field.

Websites:  www.gen-initiative.org    www.endpovertyindia.org

Next Steps:   ? PHAST and PHAST associates donations will continue to provide small grants to support the field work team that carries out the important educational and developmental work of the GEN and End Poverty in villages in the Tijara Block, Rajasthan, India.  It would be great if this was possible!

Individual donations to https://mydonate.bt.com/charities/gen