The overall goal of RAF Global's programme on economic integration and livelihood support for women and youth is to promote the economic well-being of women, especially youth, by aiding their income-generating skills as well as providing them with enabling financial and market linkages. The programme has three sub-themes namely,
RAF Global promotes and strengthens self-help groups (SHGs) of economically marginalised women to improve and deepen their access to finance and a wide array of financial services. Presently working with 800 groups in three states, RAF Global nurtures their savings and credit activities, while building their capacity to employ their knowledge and awareness to leverage economic empowerment opportunities.
SHGs are not only vehicles for promoting finance access but also platforms for socio-economic empowerment. More than 800 members have been trained across themes of leadership, financial management, micro-business, group management, and a range of social issues. Further, 1,189 members have been trained in kitchen gardening, chemical-free/organic farming, goat rearing, bamboo craft, and other on-farm, off-farm, and non-farm livelihood activities which are expected to augment their incomes.
Linking SHGs with banks, microfinance institutions, and government programmes has strengthened their microfinance functions and helped them access low-cost capital for credit needs.
Through coaching, members have been supported in the generation of large-scale business ideas, which in turn has ensured an enhanced deployment of credit for augmenting income rather than meeting consumption and exigency needs alone. Close to 1,989 women have deployed their credit into income-generating assets and micro-business ventures. Through linkages with Common Service Centres, better flow and reach of government programmes and schemes have been enabled for 2,541 women.
Exposure to grading and auditing systems has resulted in 293 groups employing fiscal governance and practising financial transparency in their operations.
RAF Global has laid emphasis on improving women’s access to digital financial services as well as access to public and private financial products. Members of 65 SHGs have been covered under the effort to help them manage their transactions and beyond, digitally.
All the activities have been carried out in close collaboration with the State Rural Livelihood Machineries in Gujarat, Jharkhand, and Rajasthan.
RAF Global’s skill-building initiative is geared to address the issue of skill gap in youth and women in their productive years. They constitute a major part of the potential labour force. The effort is to provide access to skilling and up-skilling opportunities in sectors and industries with high workforce demand. In addition, an ecosystem of services and support is facilitated which enables their businesses to grow, aiming to reduce their dependency on national and global markets for job creation. The initiatives are in line with the government’s vision and Sustainable Development Goals 4 and 8.
RAF Global upskills, reskills, and further mainstreams youth on a large scale to become a part of the job market. It has trained 1434 unemployed youth, school and college dropouts across 13 trades which are outcome-based, market-linked, and have growth potential in revenue generation and employability. In addition, nine skill-building centres have been established in Gujarat and Rajasthan, which include, apprenticeships and placement with experts, as part of the curriculum.
RAF Global extends placement services as well as technology-enabled support to the trained youth. Nurturing women-focused home-based beauty and wellness services has been made possible through initiatives like Janani. Collaborating partners, Akzonobel Painting Academy and Tata Motors franchise service centres have conducted specialised training for youth.
In keeping with its commitment to create decent work opportunities across the spectrum of wage employment, self-employment, and enterprise development, RAF Global has provided interest-free capital through a district-level Social Enterprise Fund in four districts of Gujarat and Rajasthan.
The fund has been extended to SHG members and youth to start new micro-enterprises and expand small businesses. The capital is provided after a period of assistance to develop a business plan and examine viability. Support is also provided for marketing and establishing a supply chain. In two years, the fund has benefitted 103 micro-entrepreneurs and enabled them to expand their source of income and increase it.
RAF Global's Climate Smart Agriculture programme is aligned to RAF Global's Climate Smart Agriculture programme is aligned with improving farming practices for small and marginal landholders, ensuring climate resilience, sustainable income, and food security. RAF Global emphasises gender-specific responses, involving women in strategies for enhanced food security and livelihoods by encouraging them to adopt climate-responsive agriculture. Skill training in farming practices, soil enrichment, and knowledge dissemination on Climate Smart Agriculture are important elements of the programme encapsulated in the following interventions:
RAF Global has set up four Farmer Resource Centres (FRC) along with local farmers in Junagadh and Porbandar districts to serve as a hub for demonstrating natural farming methods and techniques. The FRCs promote organic farming and encourage its widespread adoption through training, interactive learning knowledge sharing, and further creating networking opportunities among farmers. RAF Global provides the technical support, and guidance while the partnering farmers implement these methods, turning their farms into organic demonstration sites.
Through FRCs, Farmers receive diverse services including training in Organic Farming, soil fertility, organic fertiliser making, horticulture farming, and even selection of plants/crops. Providing insights into new technologies and innovations, along with facilitating market information for organic products, the centre acts as a pivotal forum for information exchange. So far, 849 farmers, including college students, have gained exposure at the Centres. Nearly 450 farmers among them, from four districts, have proceeded to initiate organic farming practices with further technical support of RAF Global.
RAF Global sets up horticulture demonstration plots in Farmer Resource Centres, with partners, to showcase the varieties of fruit plants that are suitable for the region for better livelihoods. One plot has been set up in Maliya Hatina block of Junagadh and another, in collaboration with Krishi Vigyan Kendra in Gudamalani, in Barmer. Every year 500-700 farmers visit the demonstration plots.
RAF Global has trained 579 farmers in the System of Rice and Wheat Intensification a method by which it is expected that there will be greater resource efficiency, climate resilience, and improved soil fertility. Consequently, 511 farmers have initiated cultivation of wheat and rice using this method of intensification as part of a pilot to assess the viability for scale.
RAF Global provides support and technical guidance for setting up vermicompost beds, to segue farmers from chemical-based pesticides towards organic fertilisers. In all, 346 farmers from Porbandar and Junagadh districts have set up high-density polythene and land-based beds on their farms. They sold more than 70,000 kg of surplus vermicompost to fellow farmers, who are now inviting RAF Global to set up beds in their fields.
RAF Global has trained 879 farmers in organic farming through a series of structured programmes with Farmer Field Schools and Webinars bringing farmers onto a digital platform to learn and share experiences. Most importantly, the webinars build a well-informed, inclusive, agricultural community, celebrating success stories. They provide a platform for knowledge exchange and collective problem-solving. More than 500 farmers have participated and benefitted from the digital platform.
RAF Global’s programme on Education and Technology strives to equip girls, boys, and young adults with knowledge, skills, technology, and values so that they can maximize their potential and further contribute to the process of nation-building by becoming responsible citizens. Considerable emphasis is laid on facilitating equal opportunities in access to quality learning opportunities at all levels of education for underserved communities.
Under the theme of Education and Technology, RAF Global has undertaken the following subthemes in line with its mandate.
The objective of this programme is to provide comprehensive and long-term capacity-building support around every aspect of school education in creating an enabling learning environment for students towards improving learning outcomes. The following components are being facilitated under the School Improvement Programme.
FLIP programme is designed to address the learning deficits of students in language and numeracy skills across grades 3 to 5, to align them with their appropriate grade levels. A baseline assessment was conducted for students in 83 government schools, in six districts of Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Jharkhand. Following the assessment, 30-35 students from each school were identified for enrolment in the FLIP class. In all, 2,662 students are enrolled and are being supported to overcome their learning deficits using the precisely designed, developed, and field-tested curriculum.
RAF Global recognises the lack of conceptual clarity in Science and Mathematics among upper primary students in government schools. This can come in the way of developing critical thinking and problem-solving abilities. In six schools in two districts of Gujarat, the organisation facilitates classes for students requiring support in both subjects. The students lack resources for additional help and tuition. RAF Global’s classes enhance their conceptual clarity, enabling them to understand the curriculum in school. Students across grades 6 to 8 who need such support, have been identified through baseline tests. They are enrolled in special classes conducted six days a week for one and a half hours each day. The trained facilitators conduct the classes with the Teaching Learning Materials and audio-visual aids that make the learning experience more engaging.
Across six government schools, 175 students are enrolled in these classes.
RAF Global has established Science Activity Centres at eight government schools in four districts of Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Jharkhand that showcase science experiments and models in Chemistry, Physics, and Biology. They are designed for students in classes 6 to 8 and have benefitted 2511 of them. The Centres aim to foster interest and curiosity among students through experiential, hands-on activities in science education aligned with the curriculum to cultivate curiosity, critical thinking, and creativity. The initiative has been effectively implemented through a collaboration with the Vikram A Sarabhai Community Science Centre, in Ahmedabad and with district and block education departments, to ensure its accessibility for students in the region. The Centres operate on a hub-and-spoke model, where the Hub, Science Activity Centre serves three schools around it, twice a week.
RAF Global organises training of government school teachers in FLIP pedagogy to equip them to continue facilitating sessions even after the project period is over. Trained teachers can replicate the FLIP method to minimise learning deficits among students from early grades. More than 160 teachers in 77 schools have been trained in Gujarat. Science teachers have been trained in Jaisalmer block focusing on science including, how to utilise the Science Activity Centre to enhance curiosity. The training was organised for 37 teachers in response to a request from the District Education Department.
RAF Global is committed to strengthening the infrastructure of government schools with a view to creating conducive learning environments and, subsequently, improved teaching quality and better learning outcomes. The organisation has supported infrastructure improvement in 15 government schools in three districts of Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Jharkhand. They include improved classrooms, better sanitation, clean drinking water supply, IT labs, and libraries. The work has been carried out in coordination with the respective district and block education departments.
Early childhood education is a key investment for influencing a positive trajectory for children's educational life journeys. RAF Global facilitates early childhood education for 3511 children from over 150 Anganwadi centres in four districts of Gujarat and Rajasthan. The facilitation includes: enhancing conducive infrastructure, developing a robust curriculum with expert consultations, and establishing an assessment methodology to track child development.
In six government schools, in as many districts across Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Jharkhand, RAF Global has supported the mainstreaming of IT education. It has upgraded IT facilities in the schools with an eye on making them accessible to students. Centred around its commitment to inclusion, RAF Global works to equip students with essential digital literacy and prepare them for a future where technology proficiency will be fundamental.
RAF Global endeavours to improve the health of women, children, adolescents, and the elderly belonging to the most marginalised section of society in selected geographies across India through integrated solutions.
The public health and nutrition portfolio is driven by the goal of enabling marginalised and disadvantaged individuals and communities to access better health services to optimise their health and well-being and realise their full potential.
The programme has the following sub-themes;
RAF Global focuses primarily on the critical conditions of cancer, leprosy, and thalassemia. It supported Bharat Sevasram to set up a cancer hostel in Vashigoan, Navi Mumbai to provide access to economically marginalised cancer patients who travel to the city for quality cancer treatment. The cancer awareness clinics are run with the Lions Club in Porbandar, where resource-poor communities are screened for early signs of cancer.
RAF Global completed a leprosy control project in East and West Singhbhum districts of Jharkhand, supporting Bharat Sevashram to run a 35-bed, fully integrated and equipped, leprosy hospital. The hospital was complemented with a village-level, awareness campaign and early detection camps covering more than 300,000 people. Consequently, 955 patients with early and advanced symptoms of leprosy were diagnosed and treated.
RAF Global has adopted a 360-degree approach for addressing Thalassemia in Junagadh and Porbandar – awareness building, testing of college youth with the Indian Red Cross Society, mobilising blood for patients, and setting up paediatric thalassemia centres in public hospitals. A 30-bed Centre has been established in the GMERS Hospital, Junagadh in collaboration with the state government and discussions are in advanced stages to set up two Centres in Porbandar and Barmer.
RAF Global is committed to ensuring that people in underserved areas can access better quality and affordable healthcare. In its core geographies, the organisation has supported the strengthening of public health infrastructure, provided emergency care, ensured vaccinations, and conducted diagnosis camps. RAF Global has strengthened services in three district hospitals, four community health centres, and six primary health centres (PHC), covering critical lifesaving capacities and infrastructure; diagnostic capabilities; health service diversification; and outreach to resource-poor communities, schools, and colleges. In Gujarat and Rajasthan, five PHCs have been adopted for developing them into SMART PHCs. An oxygen generation plant of 960 LPM capacity has been set up at GMERS hospital, Junagadh and the district hospitals of Porbandar and Barmer have also been supported for improved oxygen supply.
Asha Charitable Hospital in Porbandar was supported to establish a neonatal ICU. Over 50 health camps have been conducted in collaboration with the government as well as the private health systems, in which 2,570 patients were screened for cataracts and 740 were referred to charitable hospitals for free surgeries.
Under its commitment to Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene, RAF Global has built water tanks and latrines in under-resourced settings, created awareness among school children on hand-washing practices and menstrual hygiene, and set up safe drinking water facilities and toilets in five schools and public places, like PHCs. A sustainable system of solid waste management is being set up in Malia Hatina of Junagadh, in partnership with the local panchayat.
Central to RAF Global’s effort to work with marginalised communities in the Thar desert, is its focus on reviving traditional wells and defunct tankas (underground cisterns), for safe drinking water. With technical expertise, it facilitated the revival of a community well which now serves as a drinking water source for more than 250 families in three villages of Jaisalmer. The team has systematically identified tankas that have been in disuse and revived 364 of them.
RAF Global and Alkem Foundation have implemented Project AAMA (Alkem Anaemia Mukti Abhiyan) in four districts of Rajasthan and Gujarat, creating awareness on anaemia in 95 villages, encouraging residents to adopt behaviour changes that align with the government’s effort towards an anaemia-free country.
More than 7,000 people have been tested for anaemia in village camps and symptomatic patients have been identified based on haemoglobin levels
Through a combination of regular activities – screening and awareness sessions, godh bharai, distribution of nutrition kits to pregnant women, and capacity building – 43250 women and adolescent girls have been covered. More than 3,500 people have been identified as anaemic and are followed up with weekly meetings to ensure that they are consuming IFA tablets and nutritious food.
The midline results stand as a testament to the enhanced awareness and behaviour change achieved – 42 per cent of anaemic women and girls have shown improvement in their haemoglobin levels.
Governance is a significant determinant of poverty. The World Development Report produced by the World Bank in the last three decades has conclusively proven that anything less than good governance is an economy’s Achilles’ heel –a vulnerable point that can hobble growth and inclusive development in otherwise functional democracies.
RAF Global believes that good governance has a fundamental bearing on the overall quality of life. Prioritising and provisioning of public services to best reflect the pressing local demand remains a daunting task in the specific geographies where RAF Global remains active in India. RAF Global attempts to connect the demand and supply side of governance by developing multiple mechanisms and empowering channels that interface citizens with their immediate governments, in order to align public resources around the needs and aspirations of the local communities, especially women.
Common Service Centres in Gujarat and Rajasthan have been supported by RAF Global with infrastructure, equipment, and technology to reach out to an increasing number of people with government schemes and entitlements. These are complemented by camps organised in collaboration with relevant district government departments. The Centres have been linked with self-help and other village groups to reach clients at scale. Resultantly, more than 4574 households have accessed government programmes and entitlements and subscribed to national insurance programmes.
RAF Global has provided enabling assistance to develop two SMART panchayats that can leverage resources and technology to create and implement long-term, participatory, multi-sector, development plans. The micro plans thus developed reflect the needs of the marginalised section of society, especially women.
In the event of a natural calamity or public health crisis, RAF Global has worked with volunteers, inter-agency networks, and local administration for coordinated response. RAF Global’s approach to relief work addresses the needs of women, girls, persons with disabilities, and other vulnerable groups. It aims to protect their already fragile livelihoods and guard them against slipping into further and extreme poverty.
Through its support to villages in the Marathwada region of Maharashtra, RAF Global has ensured access to water to 7,000 people in the drought-prone region. In 2022, in response to the severe flood in Porbandar and Junagadh, the organisation supported the construction of concrete houses for 12 ultra-poor families, including 5 belonging to widows.
During the first phase of COVID-19, RAF Global distributed dry rations and food supplies to about 900 families in the slums and villages of Porbandar and Junagadh. In the second phase, it provided support to four district administrations - a 100-bedded COVID care facility was set up in Jaisalmer, with equipment, infrastructure, and supplies.
RAF Global supported Bharat Sevashram Sangha in Mumbai and Goa with medical kits and preventive care support items for cancer patients. With the Afghan embassy in Delhi, RAF Global provided essential food supplies to 300 refugee families, through schools.
