In order to bring some respite to the problems of the girl child, TISS, along with Edelweiss Social Innovation Programme has selected nine NGOs from the country who have been actively working for women’s issues. “We started this programme to give recognition to the unique work by the NGOs. They have been actively working to improve the lives of young girls by laying emphasis on health and nutrition, education and employability. Further, we will select three winners from them and give them a prize of $60,000 to carry out their work,” said Aditi Thorat CEO Edelweiss. The winners will be announced on the International Women’s Day observed on March 8.

The NGOs were selected for their unique approach in dealing with the problems of women. A case in point is a Kolkata-based NGO that uses dance and music to rehabilitate and counsel victims of sexual violence. “Dance and other forms of art have a therapeutic effect. It eventually goes a long way to ease the pain,” said Sohini Chakraborty, founder and director of Sanved from Kolkata. The NGOs were selected by TISS after surveys and on field studies on the work conducted by them. “We judged the organisations based on the contextual relevance of their work, sustainability, replicability and direct social impact. We undertook field visits before drawing up the field report,” said Sharwari Karandekar, sociologist from TISS.