Project History and Mission

Kadam, came into existence after the 2002 communal riots in Gujarat which lead to the displacement of thousands of lower income Dalit and Muslim families. Kadam has been working with these displaced families trying to provide them with basic education and livelihood facilities. In 2006, due to the town-planning scheme of Ahmedabad, these already displaced people were further displaced to the outskirts of the city in an area called Piplaj. When Asha for Education started working with Kadam there were nearly 200 families in the area – today there are over 7000 families in the area and more families are getting displaced everyday.
Kadam’s primary focus in this area is to provide education to the children in order to bring them up – to – speed so they can be integrated back into schools. With this aim, Kadam runs six education centers in the area from grades I-VII, and also a nursery for very young kids. Last year 25 children graduated from class VII and some have joined nearby schools in the area.

WAH Budget Proposal

More on Kadam

Kadam's primary focus in this area is to provide education to the children in order to bring them up – to – speed so they can be integrated back into schools. With this aim, Kadam runs six education centers in the area from grades I-VII, and also a nursery for very young kids. Last year 25 children graduated from class VII and some have joined nearby schools in the area. They also run an after-hours library where young girls can come and spend time till their parents come home. This effort was started after there were increasing reports of young girls being raped while their parents were out working. Due to girls now spending time in a safe location, the incidence of rape in the area has decreased considerably.
There is growing concern among parents to send their children to schools outside the area for fear of their children’s well-being. Hence there is increasing demand to provide education up to grade tenth, and Kadam is currently involved in efforts to garner support to build a school in the area. Kadam has recently received support from a UK agency called “Child Reach” towards supporting additional educational centers.
In addition to formal education, Kadam also provides training to the women in the society to learn different trades that would help them acquire employment. Women are trained in areas like driving, cell phone repair, office assistant, housemaids, etc. All women who have received this training have gone on to secure employment. Kadam plans to continue this effort and extend it to older kids as well. Funding for this effort is provided by “FVRTS (Functional Vocational Training and Research Center)”.
Another effort that has become extremely popular in the area is the “Nari Adalat” (Women’s court), which is run by the local women to prevent physical abuse of women in this area. This effort has stopped women’s abuse by their husbands in nearly 90% of cases. This effort is being funded by "Oxfam".

Success Stories:

Twenty five children graduated from class VII last year and some have gone on to get higher education in formal schools.

Relevant Resources: