Tucked away, forgotten
Bandhwari Village is located in Gurgaon, Haryana, 18 kms from New Delhi. It is set about 3 kms off the highway and there is no permanent public transportation facility to reach the village. Bandhwari has about 650 households with a population of approximately 4000.
Loss of livlihoods
In the past, agriculture was the main source of income. With the development of the nearby city of Gurgaon and massive urbanisation, many of the poorer villagers lost their livelihood and have had to take up menial jobs like driving, security guards and other casual employment outside the village in order to sustain themselves. This has led to irregular and unstable household incomes, leading to greater vulnerability and higher indebtedness.
Rigid social structures
The village has a patriarchal family system, where men control all economic and social functions and have all decision–making powers. The women are mostly engaged in household work and there is little financial inclusion. Adolescents and adults constitute more than half of the total population and most of the youth are uneducated and unemployed, with many of them working as drivers, cleaners on trucks or as labourers.
No way out
There are no avenues for vocational training or any local employment opportunities. Girls are usually married off at an early age and very few are qualified or gainfully employed. Unemployment, alcoholism, domestic conflicts, caste differences and poor health and sanitation are the major areas of concern in the village and a cause for its backwardness. Some form of infrastructural development like sewage drains and potable water have only come into the village as late as 1999.
Doing what we can
While the current intervention by Incentive Foundation is making a very small positive impact, the other social and economic aspects of the village remain unnoticed and unattended to, making the whole process of development extremely slow.
Enhancing Education
with the main focus on THE GIRL CHILD.
Empowering Women
through collective action.
Building a Safe Community
breaking social and economic barriers.
Creating Change Makers
providing internship opportunities.
FIU IBHS – Association With Bandhwari Village
The International Business Honor Society of FIU, Miami has been working with Incentive Foundation since 2016 and is helping towards building a sustainable business model for the women of Bandhwari village.
Every year students come to Bandhwari village on their Service Learning trip, led by Dr David Wernick and work with the women for an entire week. They train the women and apply what they’ve learned in the classroom towards achieving better variety, quality, and productivity. Products are tailor-made and shipped to the US and sold on Campus and elsewhere, helping the women work towards financial independence.
Incentive Foundation is convinced that a continuing focus on sustainable development initiatives will help the poor in the village of Bandhwari break out of their
cycle of poverty.
Contact Us Today.
Phone
+91-124-4540910
Address
D-256 Whispering Meadows
Sushant Lok – 1
Gurgaon – 122002
Haryana, India
Women’s Empowerment –
Skilling Program
Incentive Foundation’s women’s economic empowerment program helps disadvantaged women earn money through a self–help group. Today, this group is running very effectively and many women have been able to break out of their traditional roles and give wings to their dreams.
The Foundation has set up a centre where the women congregate and are trained to produce ethnic artisanal fabric-based products, like bags, folders and pouches, several with repurposed materials. They are provided with technical support for material selection, design and quality control. Support is sought from crafts persons and organisations to help boost entrepreneurship and aesthetic acumen.
The Foundation also assists the women by setting up outlets for their products, especially in exporting finished products overseas to interested buyers. Many of these product ideas and sales avenues have been developed by the students from visiting university groups from the US, working in collaboration with Inspiration India. This is however ‘work in progress’ and there is still many miles to go. The enthusiasm and stories of these women validate our efforts and inspire us to keep working for a better society.
Continuing Work on Education
Improving teaching methodology in the Government School, Bandhwari
Increasing attendance in the classroom
Sending dropouts back to school
Ensuring Right to Education
Adult literacy
Education of the girl child
Now we have 2 girls from the poorest families studying in a private school, making it a 15 year long commitment for the Foundation.
Incentive Foundation is convinced that a continuing focus on sustainable development initiatives will help the poor in the village of Bandhwari break out of their cycle of poverty.