Gender Perspective Conference Held at Guild of Service, Rahat Ghar:
Dialogue at different levels to explore the problems of employment, livelihood and empowerment.
Submitted by Dr. V. Mohini Giri

Since, 2001 the Guild of Service started and initiated Rahat Ghar under the Swadhar Scheme of the Government of India, for empowerment of militancy-affected women, women in distress and women needing care. Our activities have carved a unique niche for ourselves as an initiative, which is transforming women and children from insecure to a totally secure transformation.

Our activities include a range of initiatives that include – active listening, counseling, articulation of concerns of women about livelihood and employment. Our initiative facilitates women to come together and become a vibrant voice for peace and justice. In an atmosphere marked by mistrust and suspicion the Guild promotes reconciliation through constant dialogue.

Today’s ‘get together’ is also a continuation of that process where women come together to share their common concerns. Today’s meeting will bring together 50 marginalized women from the Srinagar Valley to brainstorm on concrete steps that can be taken for their resettlement and empowerment.

Our aim is to give a voice to women who have so far been victims to transform themselves into peace builders and identify the skills they have to become economically independent.

The Guild also has a vision for the children who are victims of conflict and insecurity. A concentrated effort is made to help the children to get over trauma through theatre workshops, music and story telling. Trauma counselling sessions are held by Sri Ravi Shankar Foundation so that these children could leave behind their troubled past and develop a positive attitude for a secure future.

Our aim is to empower this new generation in expertise of either skills or through good schooling and training programmes. So far 70 children from our home are receiving boarding and lodging, schooling at the Badami Bagh Cantt. School. The children are aged between 3 and 16.

The children are taught simple skills at the home and a lot of emphasis is given to build synergy at various levels of education, games, and cultural activities. The children and the widows are equipped to cope with various situations of co-existence. To the women in our home, apart from skill development, gender sensitive training is imparted. Our programmes are aimed at wide range of methodologies for capacity building.

Events of Rahat Ghar