Advocacy & Public Policy Engagement
Joint ground action with public of Government like the traffic police against overcrowding of public transport buses and harassment of women and girl students in these busses resulted into a ground breaking initiative of 2018-19. Emergency initiatives like organizing meetings and creating public opinion against Braid- chopping in Kashmir and rights based issues acquired a centre stage in the main engagements of ELFA INTERNATIONAL this financial year. ELFA INTERNATIOANAL is planning to extend its outreach service in other part of the state of Jammu & Kashmir where more women and children are waiting for the support to fight more complex issues of education like female dropout, inclusive education landmine/conflict affected children and computer education. We continue to consolidate our work on improving the lives of children and women affected by unrest in Kashmir and supporting the state in disaster risk reduction and rescue initiatives. ELFA INTERNATIONAL believes that the responsibility of social and economic development lies not only with the government, but requires equal participation from the civil society. ELFA INTERNATIONAL aims at sensitizing the privileged section of society through advocacy child related issues and also seeks to involve them in the process of development. The participation in turn brings about qualitative change in the lives of under privileged people. When community decides on priorities, sets goals, harness and commit internal resources, draft plans and put in place mechanism to achieve their goals then only multi-dimensional and transformative change becomes possible.
The journey of development since the humble beginning in 2016 is almost unbelievable. We finished 2018-2019 with new initiatives and with long lasting impact and changes. ELFA INTERNATIONAL supports the government administration to undertake local actions involving media, civil society for generating the public opinion. Media advocacy, public gatherings, campaigns and events are some of the main policy engagement activities which ELFA INTERNATIONAL utilizes to accomplish such objectives. For events, awareness and mobilizing the public opinion ELFA INTERNATIONAL has coordinated with local actors and media organizations, radio stations like FM 92.7 BIG FM, DD KASHIR, local print media, social media etc.
ELFA INTERNATIONAL periodically organizes and participates in sensitization events and public campaigns to sensitize the civil society and government agencies of existing disparities in our society and engage them as change agents. This year too it was marked various campaigns and events/seminars like Women’s Day, Mother’s Day, Teachers Day, Drug de-addiction campaigns protection issues and disability issues in the state of Jammu and Kashmir and across. Meetings with religious scholars etc ELFA INTERNATIONAL got overwhelming response from mass media in sensitizing the society about the cause of under privileged. Besides several talk shows and advocacy interviews on leading television channels and radio stations numerous newspapers, magazines, online publications came forward and voiced their support with ELFA INTERNATIONAL’S shared vision. ELFA INTERNATIONAL extended its thematic areas of intervention by supporting human and civic, livelihood and women empowerment. Children, youth, their families and community become the target group for ELFA INTERNATIONAL’S activities.