Women in Need (WIN) completed fifth year of its service to the under privileged women and children of slums and street dwellers in and around Tollygunge and Tangra areas of Calcutta and in Diamond Harbour, South 24 Parganas. WIN came into existence in 1996 with the help and support of Mrs. Marie Paul Baudot and Mr. Tor Mutton of Belgium, for imparting education, vocational training and medical care to needy women and their children. 

Objective

The objective of Win is to enable these women to lead a meaningful, healthy and dignified life, to help them achieve financial independence and enable them to bring up their children with due care.

WIN- PRERANA PROGRAM

The WIN-PRERANA programme started in 1997 with a survey in 100 houses in Kalibazar and Madhabpur area of Diamond Harbour. PRERANA and WIN jointly undertook the survey.200 nos. children were identified as potential beneficiaries, but initially 70 nos. children were brought into the WIN Sponsorship Programme. Later, the other 130 children were also included in the WIN activities.

At present, out of 200, 141 have already been admitted in local Govt. School. They are getting educational, medical and nutritional help from the PRERANA-WIN Programme. This also has a medical care programme for the mothers. Trained field workers of WIN-PRERANA pay regular visits to the houses for creating an awareness on the Reproductive health for the women.

A special effort is made to motivate the adolescent girls so that they do not join the profession of commercial sex workers like their mothers. In order to present them with other opportunities, 4 girls have been supported to undergo a tailoring course in Usha Tailoring School. One girl has been sent to a hostel for one year to learn the social ethics and how to live in dignity in the mainstream of the society.

WOMEN DEPARTMENT

150 women are enrolled in the women department.

In the academic section, 80 women are attending literacy program from pre-primary to Class VI level. This program not only aims to spread the necessary of literacy among women but also to foster a saving habit in them. Regular awareness programs are also organised for these women on management of their family within low budget, how to take care of their children, how to make healthy food at low cost, how they can enhance their income. Major focus is given on comprehensive health care and hygiene and reproductive health, HIV/AIDs and family planning.

SPONSOR DEPARTMENT

A survey undertaken in 1996-97 found that undernourishment among the mothers is the major cause of low birth weight. Most of the 

slum women work very hard and are unable to have sufficient food especially during pregnancy. These women neither do have knowledge on breast-feeding practice nor have they acquired the modern practice of supplementary feeding to their children, resulting diarrhoea and malnutrition among the children. Moreover, frequent pregnancies cause lack of proper care to the children.

The WIN Sponsorship is basically a community based programme where mothers and children are given help with special attention on diet, medical care and counseling and immunisation. Mothers with 6 months’ pregnancy are adopted for care which usually continues up to the lactating period. Children below 3 years are also taken care of for all round care and development.