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Transform the backward and medieval valley of Warwan so that it could rapidly come to par
with the other regions of the J&K
Impact
Together we have supported
630
Children Per Year
18
Community Learning Centers
6
Villages
189
Youth
5000
(people) Community Mobilisation
The Need
Warwan is a remote medieval valley located in the Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir. It remains cut off for six months during winter. In 2016, CHINAR International collaborated with the Warwan Valley Ecotourism Society (WVETS) to conduct an extensive survey aimed at understanding the challenges faced by the community.
The following is a summary of our assessment:
● Warwan Valley, with a population of 13,000 across 15 villages, lacks basic amenities such as electricity, mobile phones, and internet connectivity. Socio-economic indicators are poor, and education and healthcare facilities are lacking. The living conditions resemble medieval times.
● The main livelihood sources are subsistence farming and unskilled labor. In summer, men engage in farming, while in winter, they seek work outside Warwan.
● Government schools are dysfunctional, and teachers have little accountability. During winter, most teachers migrate to warmer places, leading to a significant loss of study time and extremely low educational competencies for children. Education is not a priority and dropout rate at high school is significant.
● Young people in the valley feel hopeless and more than 50% young men leave during harsh winters in search of opportunities, mainly manual labor.
● Sanitation facilities are inadequate, with open pit toilets, and there has been a sharp rise in hepatitis cases due to a poor healthcare system.
● The valley heavily relies on the outside world for basic necessities.
● Due to the low competency levels of the remaining youth, especially in winter, there is a scarcity of teachers for educating the children.
Our Response
Based on the survey results mentioned above, CHINAR developed a plan to uplift the backward and medieval valley of Warwan, aiming to bring it on par with other regions of Jammu and Kashmir with focus on children, youth, education, and communities.
When CHINAR discovered a lack of qualified teachers, especially during the long winter months, we motivated a group of passionate young individuals, both men and women, to teach the students. However, they needed to undergo training.
In November 2017, CHINAR organized a three-week residential training boot camp for 15 community volunteers at the CHINAR Office in Srinagar. This decision proved pivotal to our progress in Warwan.
Timeline of CHINAR’s activities in Warwan that directly or indirectly benefited the region:
● In 2016, CHINAR International initiated a six-month education intervention in Mulwarwan village, Warwan Valley, providing winter tuition to 400 students through a highly motivated group of CHINAR-trained teachers.
● In November 2017, CHINAR conducted a three-week residential training boot camp for 15 community volunteers, a pivotal step in our progress in Warwan.
● In December 2017, V-SAT terminals were installed in Mulwarwan village, connecting 10,000 people to the outside world. This prompted the government to install five additional V-SATs the following year.
● Competency levels of children in our programs significantly improved, with a 35% increase in foundational skills.
● CHINAR trained approximately 189 youth in cutting and tailoring, equipping them with skills for livelihood opportunities.
● Education has gained momentum in the valley, leading to a 20% increase in the number of matriculates and graduates. Students have also started appearing for competitive exams outside the valley.
● School attendance has risen by approximately 40%, with students attending regularly.
● CHINAR has established strong relationships and credibility in six villages, with other villages in the valley requesting our intervention.
● There are currently 18 operational community learning centres in six Warwan villages, serving 630 children.
● The government has invested in telecom infrastructure, erecting mobile towers in four villages to improve connectivity.
● Significant improvements have been made to the road leading to Warwan, reducing travel time when the roads are open.
Our Response
Based on the survey results mentioned above, CHINAR developed a plan to uplift the backward and medieval valley of Warwan, aiming to bring it on par with other regions of Jammu and Kashmir with focus on children, youth, education, and communities.
When CHINAR discovered a lack of qualified teachers, especially during the long winter months, we motivated a group of passionate young individuals, both men and women, to teach the students. However, they needed to undergo training.
In November 2017, CHINAR organized a three-week residential training boot camp for 15 community volunteers at the CHINAR Office in Srinagar. This decision proved pivotal to our progress in Warwan.
Timeline of CHINAR’s activities in Warwan that directly or indirectly benefited the region:
● In 2016, CHINAR International initiated a six-month education intervention in Mulwarwan village, Warwan Valley, providing winter tuition to 400 students through a highly motivated group of CHINAR-trained teachers.
● In November 2017, CHINAR conducted a three-week residential training boot camp for 15 community volunteers, a pivotal step in our progress in Warwan.
● In December 2017, V-SAT terminals were installed in Mulwarwan village, connecting 10,000 people to the outside world. This prompted the government to install five additional V-SATs the following year.
● Competency levels of children in our programs significantly improved, with a 35% increase in foundational skills.
● CHINAR trained approximately 189 youth in cutting and tailoring, equipping them with skills for livelihood opportunities.
● Education has gained momentum in the valley, leading to a 20% increase in the number of matriculates and graduates. Students have also started appearing for competitive exams outside the valley.
● School attendance has risen by approximately 40%, with students attending regularly.
● CHINAR has established strong relationships and credibility in six villages, with other villages in the valley requesting our intervention.
● There are currently 18 operational community learning centres in six Warwan villages, serving 630 children.
● The government has invested in telecom infrastructure, erecting mobile towers in four villages to improve connectivity.
● Significant improvements have been made to the road leading to Warwan, reducing travel time when the roads are open.
Current Projects
Past Projects
Community Learning Centre
CLC is a safe space remedial program for bridging learning gaps through activity-based learning with a focus on socio-emotional competencies and parent engagement The idea is to provide children with foundational skills for becoming school-ready and bridge their learning gap by providing grade-appropriate 21st learning opportunities.
Highlights
● A full stationary kit of 20 items was provided for teaching and learning support.
● One community-level facilitator caters to 35 children multi-grade.
● Worksheet support for all centers
● Regular training for community-level teachers
● Baseline and Endline for assessment and evaluation
● There are 18 learning centers operational in 6 villages (2022-23)
YOUTH Development
Skills Development Initiative: CHINAR’s Skill Development Initiative provides marginalized youth with the tools to succeed in life. This program allows participants to acquire new skills or improve upon their current abilities to match industry standards and market demands. CHINAR has provided cutting and tailoring skill to youth in Warwan valley. Other skills are being explored for 2023.
COMMUNITY Outreach Initiative
Besides children and youth challenges, CHINAR International actively engages with communities to guide them on other community priorities and challenges and also introduce youth in community institutions and processes.
The focus has mainly been on the following areas:
● To strengthen community institutions and make them aware of their roles and responsibilities so they can play and active role in transforming Warwan valley
● To strengthen relationships with education stakeholders and communities institutions so that the community can help in prioritizing education amongst children and parents.
● Engage with communities and make them aware of critical living aspects like health & hygiene. In response to the outbreak of Hepatitis-B, CHINAR International prioritized preventive measures, particularly among high-risk groups and in areas most affected by the virus.
Photo Gallery
Ground assessment of Warwan valley began in 2015- 2016, 247 households and 8 schools were surveyed.
CHINAR conducted a 3-week residential training of 21 community volunteers in Srinagar – CHINAR Office
Training Boot camp for teachers
Children play time at tuition centers
Baseline assessment of children to assess their learning gain in Warwan
Interaction with youth on skill development and business opportunities
FAQ’s
Coming Soon
What is the beneficiary selection criteria?
We use well-defined selection criteria to identify potential beneficiaries for our Child Development program. The economic condition is one of the primary conditions for selecting the family. Secondary factors include whether the child is orphan, parental health, child labour, widows, no existing support from government or non-profit organization, etc. We conduct assessment surveys and consult with community heads, individual contacts and partner organizations to generate an initial list of deserving families. This is followed by a thorough verification process to shortlist the most deserving children and families for enrolment in the program. For more information, learn about our process and protocols HERE.
What is the program duration?
The program duration varies from beneficiary to beneficiary and eligibility for graduation from the program is evaluated on a regular basis. It depends on the age at which the child is enrolled in the program, how long it takes for the child’s guardian to reach self-reliance and the time it takes for the child to reach a logical conclusion i.e. to graduate from one of our programs and become self-reliant.
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