Role of NGOs in Punjab to improve Society and Communities
NGOs in Punjab are working on drug de-addiction and conditions of the poor- peasants, oppressed and exploited section of the farmers who are having small fields or who are working in the fields of the others.
The organisations has been organising drug de-addiction camps to aware the youth and provide counselling and occupational therapy to them. Occupational trainings have been also provided by the experts to farmers to help them to earn by some other ways rather than farming only. Counselling of the farmers has been conducted by the experts to build up their self- esteem as the large number of poor farmers has been committing suicides because of their economic conditions.
NGOs have been working for the environment safety and to save the natural resources by organising awareness rallies and also by leafleting. Some of the NGOs have been working to promote the use of the paper bag and also provide training to the people of slums and rural area on paper bag making and it helps to various families as additional job for good earning and it also help them to improve their economic conditions.
For the socio-economic and overall development of the oppressed, exploited rural population and slum residents of Punjab number of non- governmental and non- profit organisations are working in slums of the major cities of Punjab. The main target of these groups of the dedicated social reformers is to uplift the standards of living of the rural population and empowerment of the weaker section of the society. They are working to provide education, shelter, food, basic health facilities and shelter to them. They have been working on various issues related to gender inequalities and focused on the major issue of women empowerment. The non- governmental organisations are not only working for the overall development of population but also working to aware the people for maintainace of surrounding environment, care of animals and birds and responsibility towards natural resources.
For women empowerment NGOs in Punjab has been working on the root cause of the societal evils to remove these cause form grass root level out of the society. The NGOs are working to reach to the goal of empowering women by organising schools for their basic study, by imparting useful occupational skills to up raise their economic status, organising various camps and rallies, organising adolescent awareness camps for young girls of the rural area and dalits, by organising medical camps for the females especially for the old aged ladies for their routine check-ups, teaching programmes for pregnant women to teach them about care during pregnancy and postnatal period, child care, child vaccination and also to prefer the exclusive breast feeding rather than other feeds up to 6mnths after the birth of child, about family planning methods, medical termination of pregnancy and STDs, RTIs ,HIV/AIDS and other communicable diseases.
Programmes on female feticide and infanticide in government schools and at other places for public awareness and also organises rallies for the awareness against societal evils that are the major obstacles in the way of achieving the target of women empowerment such as dowry system, child marriage, female feticide, domestic violence, crimes against women like harassment at work place, molestation, voyeurism, stalking and rape.
NGOs been organising cyclic march, motorcycle march and various other event to sensitize the public against the increasing cases of rape especially crime against dalit women. The social change makers are organising puppet shows and other interesting activities like street plays to convey their massages to a large section of population in short period of time. Special training programmes to give them vocational training by starting short term courses that help them to earn, these courses are stitching, hand craft, beautician courses, computer courses and various other courses. Embroidery training programme is one of the most successful training programmes out of the all programmes started by the NGOs for the rural, scheduled class and dalit women for their economic empowerment. There are the various groups of the social change makers who provide counselling to the women in jails and also in juvenile cell.