A Catalyst for Social Change

35 Years of Impact: SPAN's Journey of Empowerment

A Catalyst for Social Change

35 Years of Impact: SPAN's Journey of Empowerment

SPAN, a 35-year-old NGO, empowers the marginalized. We ensure quality education, rescue and rehabilitate trafficked girls, skill youth, empower women, and promote youth leadership. Collaborating with partners, we strive for a sustainable and equitable future for all.
Our Programs

Building a Brighter Future, One Program at a Time

Category: Skill Training of Youth

Description

SPAN operates skill training centers in North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Kolkata, and Jalpaiguri for youth aged 18-25. These centers offer vocational training in fields such as beautician services and computer skills. The training programs last for six months, and upon completion, participants receive a certificate.

Employment Opportunities: Career counselling and personality development training are provided to help individuals enhance their professional skills. Additionally, employment initiatives are actively pursued by connecting youth with potential employers and job placement opportunities.

Category: Early Childhood Care and Development

Description

Local women council members and mother’s group are capacitated on Reproductive and child health and Early Childhood Care and Development with the help of ASHA workers, Anganwadi Workers and ANM to supplement the effort Anganwadi. They identified severely Mal-nutrient children and sending them for special care in NRC, organize vegetable garden at their home to meet up the need of supplementary nutrition for their children,  they demanded for infrastructure and proper functioning of their local Anganwadi centres and monitor the functioning of local Anganwadi Centre.

Alipurduar and Coochbehar – Women council member regularly visit local Anganwadi centre and check quality of the food distributed as supplementary nutrition.

South 24 Parganas - The youth and women council members have identified cases of child malnutrition among family members of council and discussed their condition with

ICDS workers to improve the children’s health. The council members also held discussions with ICDS workers on child and maternal nutrition and health.

Purulia – Women council members are trained on child Nutrition and survival issues. They cultivated vegetables on the land adjacent to their home (Kitchen Garden) to supplement nutrition of their children. They also involved in identifying severely malnourished children of their village along with Anganwadi workers and ASHA Workers and send those children to NRC (nutrition rehabilitation centre) for special care.

Category: Leadership Building

Description

The Children’s Parliament is an initiative within the community where children, through informal elections, take on various leadership roles. It serves as a platform for children to come together and discuss issues they face, both individually and within their peer groups. These discussions are facilitated under the supervision of the SPAN team. If any concerns raised are deemed serious, they are escalated for appropriate action.

The forum encourages open dialogue, amplifies children's voices, and raises awareness about their rights and needs. It also fosters the development of problem-solving and decision-making skills. In some cases, children are supported in taking their demands further, such as advocating for the creation of community resources like football grounds, by engaging with local municipalities.

The Children’s Parliament holds weekly meetings and operates in all districts where SPAN is active. The Children’s Parliament consists of two houses: the Lower House, named ‘Ankur,’ which includes children aged 11 to 14, and the Upper House, named ‘Kishalaya,’ comprising children aged 15 to 18.

Category: Leadership Building

Description

The goal of this program is to empower youth in local communities by providing access to knowledge and opportunities that inspire personal growth and foster responsible, active participation in society. It targets young people aged 14 to 25 from all districts where SPAN operates.

In each community, participants are organized into four sub-groups: Agriculture, Migrant Labor, Married Women under 25, and Students currently pursuing education in schools or colleges. These groups are designed to facilitate shared learning and exchange of experiences, helping each participant grow and contribute meaningfully to their community.

Activities carried out under this program are:

  1. Knowledge Sharing: Sharing information and knowledge based on people's socio-economic backgrounds through meetings and discussions. This helps them learn about opportunities available and discover their interests and potential.
  2. Providing Access: SPAN helps individuals access institutional support and entitlements, enabling youth to pursue skill development training and benefit from government schemes and support.
  3.  Skill Training: SPAN operates skill training centers in North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Kolkata, and Jalpaiguri for youth aged 18-25. These centers offer vocational training in fields such as beautician services and computer skills. The training programs last for six months, and upon completion, participants receive a certificate.
  4. Employment Opportunities: Career counselling and personality development training are provided to help individuals enhance their professional skills. Additionally, employment initiatives are actively pursued by connecting youth with potential employers and job placement opportunities.
  5. Responsible Citizenship: Through interactions and training, youth are encouraged to take responsibility for their actions and actively contribute to the development and empowerment of their communities.
  6. Climate Action: Youth in the communities are made aware of environmental issues through training sessions on topics like waste segregation, waste management, and green practices for daily life. These sessions are followed by action, where youth participate in cleanliness drives, recycling, tree plantation, and other initiatives. They are also encouraged to promote these practices within their communities. The aim is to foster environmental awareness and encourage sustainable habits among youth. Monthly meetings of the Youth Council help decide climate action activities and interventions.

Category: Leadership Building

Description

Narishakti (Women Council) is platform women, irrespective of caste, creed, and community, who are industrious to change her life situation and in the process become role model for others.

This program is designed for women aged 25-35 in the regions where SPAN operates. Its goals are threefold: first, to encourage greater participation of women in the economic workforce. Second, to aid their economic empowerment so that they are aware about their rights and are able to negotiate for fair wages. And third, to enhance their socio-economic capabilities, fostering their involvement in local governance and ensuring their representation in socio-political and development processes.

Activities carried out under this program are:

  1. Capacity building and Handholding support to access their rights and entitlements: As part of the program, informative sessions are organized to raise awareness among women about various issues and opportunities. Regarding opportunities, the sessions provide information on entitlements, government schemes, the functioning of panchayats, and women’s role in these processes. On the issue side, women are sensitized on topics such as health, nutrition, childcare, development, and domestic violence. To further support these discussions, the program offers training and assistance to help women access their entitlements and address the issues they face effectively.
  2. Capacity Building for Livelihood: Training sessions and interactions are organized to help women explore livelihood opportunities aligned with their interests and the available resources. Based on community needs and opportunities, relevant training programs are also offered. Additionally, support is provided to help women access government schemes to establish their own enterprises. SPAN primarily delivers these training sessions or facilitates connections to suitable opportunities that meet the women’s needs. Training areas include agriculture (e.g., vermicomposting), animal husbandry, tailoring, beautician services, healthcare (General Duty Assistant), personality development, and more.
  3. Enabling Employment: Once women successfully complete their training and acquire the necessary skills for employment, SPAN provides support by connecting them with potential employers. For example, when a woman completes training in beautician services, she is linked to a beauty parlour for job opportunities.

Category: Early Childhood Care and Development

Description

PHULJHURI is the Creche Program for the children of 6 months - 3 Years of age group from the families where parents particularly mothers are engaged as informal workers and deprived from creche facilities for their children either from the employers of the government. SPAN runs 3 Creches for 90 children of tea garden labourers Kilkotte, Kalagatti and Washabari Tea gardens of Jalpaiguri District. These creches are organised in collaboration with respective Tea Garden Management. SPAN also Run 1 Creche at New Town, Kolkata for 20  children of urban informal labourers in collaboration with NKDA.

Gender based division of work assigns mothers, and in her absence other female members of the household, the responsibility of childcare. As a result, women, especially the poor and marginalized ones, bear the triple burden of housework, care work and paid work. Towards operationalizing the women led development SPAN runs these crèches in its operational area particularly in Jalpaiguri Tea Gardens  and Newtown Rajarhat, Kolkata.

Each of the creches under PHULJHURI Program have trained caregivers and teachers who provides following services to the children and parents for their optimum development.

  1. Nutrition support
    • Providing meals 3 times a day (Breakfast, Lunch and evening snacks).
    • Children below normal grade are provided extra diet.
  2. Health & Safety Measure
    • Monthly Doctor’s checkup and further interventions as advised by the Doctor.
    • Height weight monitoring and health card maintenance.
    • Capacitating with parents regarding hygeine and healthy habits.
    • Immunization tracking as per age.
    • Maintaining food chart.
  3. Educational – Theme and Curriculum based Learning
    • Creche :- Khelpitara and other physical activities , cultural activities like music and dance.
    • Balwadi :- Me and my family, My family and house, domestic animal, wild animal, bird, plant, cultural activities like music and dance.
  4. Community engagement & Parental Environment 
    • Regular FGD and meetings with parents,
    • Taking care of pregnant mothers.
    • Administering polio and other vaccines.
    • Days observation including parents.
    • 'Sathi Samuha' meeting.
    • Involved the parents with the help of youth volunteers in decorating the center.
About SPAN

Building Sustainable Communities

SPAN's Work

The Society for People’s Awareness (SPAN) is an NGO dedicated to empowering marginalized communities in West Bengal and Jharkhand through democratic, participatory approaches that foster active citizenship and community ownership. Focusing on women, youth, and children from Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Other Backward Classes (OBC), minorities, and socio-economically disadvantaged groups, SPAN’s programs span urban and rural areas in West Bengal and Dumka district in Jharkhand. 

A Glimpse into Our Impact

Making a Difference: Our Key Achievements

SPAN has been making a significant difference in the lives of thousands. Over the past 35 years, we’ve ensured quality education for 10,000+ children, rescued and rehabilitated 500+ trafficked girls, skilled and placed 1,450+ youth, empowered 1,500+ women workers, and fostered youth leadership through 55+ councils. Join us in our journey of positive change.

1,450 +

Skill & Placed Youth

10,000 +

Educate Children

35+

years of experience

100 +

Team Members

Get Involved

Join the Movement

Become a Changemaker Today!

Become a part of SPAN’s mission to empower the underprivileged. Volunteer your time and skills to make a real difference. Whether it’s mentoring youth, tutoring children, or organizing community events, your contribution can transform lives.

Our Partners in Development

Misereor

Kindermissionswrek

Mobile Crèches

Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation

Case Study

Inspiring Change, One Story at a Time

Discover the inspiring stories of individuals whose lives have been changed by SPAN’s interventions. From rescued girls to empowered women and skilled youth, witness the power of our programs in action.

The Journey of 19 Landless Families in South 24 Parganas getting their “Land Patta”.

14 years old girl from Tea Gardens of Jalpaiguri trafficked to Sikim for Labour, rescued by the intervention SPAN and local Youth Council.

11 years old girl Ambia Khatun was working as Domestic help in Kolkata, removed from work and regularize in school by SPAN.

Upcoming Events

Community Events and Gatherings

Join us for our upcoming events and be a part of our mission to empower communities. From workshops and seminars to fundraising galas, there’s something for everyone. Stay tuned for exciting opportunities to learn, contribute, and make a difference.

NEWS & Update

Stay Updated with the Latest

Keep up-to-date with the latest news, events, and initiatives from Spanvoice. From inspiring stories to impactful campaigns, we’re committed to keeping you informed.

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