Eka - A collective safe space for women and children - By Vamika Jain

The rooms of the center are filled with girls and women talking and laughing with each other; here, they learn together and help each other grow.

Shabnam ji has been working with Eka for two years now. She supervises the stitching workshops and has been teaching young girls and women how to make cotton masks, bags, dresses, and books throughout the pandemic lockdown.

During the COVID lockdown, Shabnam ji has been teaching how to stitch cotton marks with traditional print fabrics which are sustainable and reusable in an effort to raise money.

The girls gather around and sit together in the central area to learn various techniques of stitching and material handling from Shabnam ji.

The cotton masks, bags, books, cushion covers, and dresses stitched at Eka are sold at local organisations and also distributed to children in the nearby localities.

At Eka, children are encouraged to use computer applications. They are given the freedom to choose what they learn, which keeps them engaged as they shift between typing or Paint or games.

Apart from learning computer applications, children are also given two computers to learn their hardware design by dismantling and then reinstalling everything together. The variety and freedom given in exercises hold the children together.

Children are fond of learning MS Paint as it provides them a tool to explore the visuality of their thoughts.

Along with other members and volunteers, bi-monthly social protection camps are organised in the bastis to create awareness around cases of women, youth, and children facing violence and abuse. The camps also assist the community in accessing support for these causes.

Eka's Community Development Initiative is based in the marginalized urban slum communities of Bhopal. They work intensively with communities and duty-bearers at various levels, often engaging them in inter-faces for dialogue and pooling of energies for collective community action on local issues.

Having been a part of Eka for the last 5 years, Anam, along with other members and volunteers has managed Baccha Rasoi during COVID lockdown and ensured food delivery to newborn babies, young kids, and pregnant women in the nearby slum settlements according to their nutrition requirements.

Along with the office management, Amreen has been engaged in the fieldwork at Eka in organising workshops and conversations with women and young children in the urban settlements. During the lockdown, she assisted in creating a library for the kids at the center and is actively working with teenage girls.

The central space at Eka, where sewing machines are installed, is for skill development and stitching workshops.

On a regular day at Eka, every room hosts a different activity and works with a diverse range of people.

Shabnam ji and Anam discuss the inventory of workshop materials and activities of the past week.

Hunar, at Eka, aspires to create livelihood opportunities for artisans from the poorest families by engaging them in the revival of traditional art and crafts subsequently leading to the financial independence of women and their families.

The entrance of Eka headquarters in Bhopal. 

Eka is now a safe learning space for children and women of the nearby communities.

Eka is a vibrant place full of children of all age groups, coming together to learn.

By creating learning spaces for women, Eka aspires to make them financially independent.

The walls of the space are filled with artworks by the children to encourage them to express their thoughts and motivate them to pursue their artistic endeavours.