ABOUT US

SAHBHAGI SHIKSHAN KENDRA (SSK), a support organization and a center for Participatory Learning and Action, was founded in 1990 to promote and strengthen civil society organizations of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and Jharkhand. SSK strive for building and strengthening capacities of CSOs through people centric approach placing people at the center of all developmental initiatives. Partnership and reciprocal sharing of information with the target groups is the nucleus of our values. SSK works with grassroots organizations that strive for social change. We provide Capacity Building support to our partners through organizing training programs, workshops and providing intensive support in their programs. To harmonize/supplement our efforts and enhance the knowledge base, we also undertake studies and disseminate information and implement programs on vibrant and imperative developmental issues.

Our Profile

EMERGENCE

Sahbhagi Shikshan Kendra (SSK), a Center for Participatory Learning, was established in Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh), in 1990.

SSK emerged in response to the development scenario prevailing then in the Hindi speaking belt viz, North India, especially Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The Voluntary sector had its roots from the movements of a total revolution that had spread from Bihar in the late 1970s to other parts of the country in a bid to overthrow the existing social order and usher in a new society. However, there was no blueprint of the means to the end, and was a time-bound project without any sense of sustenance and development. The paradigm of "Development" was totally missing and there was an extreme dearth of awareness, knowledge, and capacity to effectively manage projects/programs, manage resources, establish linkages, etc. In other words, management of the organization was lacking which hampered the growth of a new social order and proved to be a hindrance for development. Responding to the need for strengthening the capacities of social organizations, communities, and PRIs working at the grassroots, SSK emerged as a support Organization, focusing its activities in India.

VISION

SSK strives for a society which is based on equity and justice that sustains itself through democracy and self-governance.

MISSION

The mission of SSK is to build and strengthen the capacity of communities, civil society organizations and local governance through an approach where people are placed at the centre of all development initiatives.

OUR PRINCIPLES

Participatory Approach

Gender Equality & Social Inclusion

Innovation & Adaptability

Transparency & Accountability

Integrity

Knowledge Promotion

SSK believes in the participatory philosophy of development. The participation of the community in self-governance is the key to institution building, accountability and sustainability. We believe in handing the power back to the community.

THE

APPROACH

THEMATIC EXPERTISE

Women Empowerment

SSK contains a component of gender mainstreaming and inclusion in all its projects. Our strategy always includes a focus on the capacity building of women and adolescent girls so that they can raise their voices and actively take part in gender-sensitive development and
decision-making processes.

Disaster Management

Floods resilience & management has been an important theme on which SSK has worked intensively. The thematic focus is to fill gaps in knowledge and resources for better coordination and implementation of disaster management and relief work by various government and non-government institutions. It also aims to create the capacity for local governments to plan against complex emergency situations and disasters.

Local Democracy & Self-governance

SSK promotes local initiatives for strengthening local self-governance. Its main objective is to empower Panchayats through training and
capacity building and developing, collecting, and disseminating resource materials on the issues of rural and urban self-governance. SSK has also
been working intensively on promoting effective GPDP (Gram Panchayat Development Plan) process for many years.

Holistic Rural Development

SSK has recently started working on projects designed to improve the condition of people residing in rural areas. These projects focus on various aspects of development, such as
empowerment (social, educational, and financial), health, and infrastructure. The objective is to work on all dimensions of development and develop model villages for continuous learning and future replication of
best practices.

Skill-building & Vocational training

SSK has independently developed a vocational training centre named Sahbhagi Vocational Training Centre. The idea behind this center is to enhance the employability skills of youth who come from marginalized sections of society, in order to and provide them with alternative livelihood opportunities. More specifically, SVTC targets adolescent girls, school dropouts, and women from marginalized sections by designing special vocational and employability skill enhancement courses.

Migration

One of SSK's most important thematic
intervention areas have been Migration (Rural to Urban temporary Migration). Through this intervention, SSK strives to promote and ensure safe migration by following a holistic approach in order to address multidimensional issues associated with this widespread phenomenon. The intervention framework includes a strategy where SSK works at both the source (origin of migrants) and the destination (working place of migrants).

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Years of Service