Ujjawal Women’s Association (UWA) came into being on 14th July 1989 in East Delhi, one of the neglected areas in Delhi, with the sole aim of empowering girls and women from all strata of Society. Ujjawal, as it is popularly known, is registered under the Societies Registration Act XXI of 1860.

Ujjawal was founded by Smt.Bina Jain, an eminent social worker in the field of women empowerment with the support of a few dedicated like-minded volunteers. It has been working relentlessly over the years to bring “social fitness” for women by empowering them and creating awareness about their rights and responsibilities. In line with the vision of the UN Ujjawal works for the “mainstreaming” of women.

Ujjawal Women’s Association went ahead with their work of helping the society in this hour of dire need. This was further reinforced by the various guidelines given by NGO Darpan of Niti Ayog,the NGO hub of GOI to which we got registered by April 2020. The activities of UWA members during this period included:

• Online Lecture/interaction series for the members and others
  The first talk was by Dr. P.K. Mishra, Senior Surgeon and Director Max Hospital. He explained about the general health related issues and also put to rest some of the anxieties of the members related to Covid 19 situation.
  Mrs. Jyotika Kalra, member NHRC, was invited to throw light on the issue of Migrant labourers, workers and students who started leaving Delhi enmass, and discuss the situation and address members’ concerns. This problem became an all India phenomenon and Ujjawal members were very much concerned about this.
  An inspirational talk was organized with the Support of Brahma Kumaris of Manesar. BK Aditi Singhal ji gave a beautiful talk on relationships and happiness during lockdown and rejuvenated the spirit of the attendees.
• Food Distribution
  Distribution of dry rations was the priority of the members. Mrs. Nirmala Singh distributed food as well as sanitizers and masks on large scale. Mrs. Rashmi Nigam got cloth masks made by the girls of UWA stitching project at Pandav Nagar and distributed to the needy like the guards, maids, police personnel etc.in the surrounding areas.

It is with great happiness and pride that we are reporting the activities of our permanent project at Shri Sanatan Dharma Radha Krishna Mandir Sabha, C-Block, Pandav Nagar in east Delhi. The Cutting and Stitching Center at Pandav Nagar Gurudwara has been running for past several years now and we are thankful to the Sanatan Sabha, administration for their graciousness.

This is a six month course where girls are learning cutting and tailoring under a prescribed syllabus which not only covers the essentials of garment stitching but also trains them to take up tailoring as their vocation. As a result several of the girls have been able to become self- dependent and are supporting their families.