About Us
Kislay was founded in 1992 by a group of young professionals who wanted to address the issues of urban poverty through developing capacity of urban poor. In another words, the organization was founded by the grounding principle that ‘community participation is key to peoples’ development’ and ‘empowering the poor communities’ especially casual workers, the women & youth is essential to identify their problems/issues, and mobilize community resources and motivate people to solve their own problems through collective action.’
The vision of the Kislay is to work towards creating an exploitation and discrimination free society. To achieve this purpose, Kislay aims to improve the situations of the marginalized and poor urban communities’ especially casual workers, women & youth, by advocating their right to a life with dignity.
Kislay’s main strategy is to build capacities – leadership, systems and human resources – of its Community Based Organizations which involves;
- Enabling informal sector workers in organizing awareness campaigns for community mobilization against gender discrimination, child marriage, sexual harassment at work place & domestic violence and grass root campaigns for fair wage, healthy working condition, regulation of employment & other social security provisions through awareness and effective leaderships among workers.
- Facilitating informal sector workers to develop interface with state government, labor department for legislative protection and receiving several benefits.
- Networking with other civil society organizations for building public opinion for state and national level policy environment for shelter and livelihoods security of the informal sector workers.
Major activities of the organization:
- Developing enabling environment & support structure in communities to address the issues of early/child marriage, gender discrimination at home and at workplace.
- Empowering informal working women in Delhi slums to address structural forms of gender oppression and violence.
- Strengthening participation of poor women in local governance by establishing women collectives in slum communities.
- Facilitating construction and domestic workers to link them with state welfare boards and welfare departments for receiving social security & other benefits.