Apnalaya

The Problem Adolescents growing up in informal settlements like Mumbai’s M/E Ward face deep-rooted challenges—poverty, limited access to quality education, gender-based discrimination , and lack of career pathways . These issues are magnified for those from families engaged in informal waste work, at risk of child labour or early marriage, or dealing with chronic illness and disability at home. 🧱 68% of Mumbai’s workforce is employed in the informal sector (NSSO PLFS 2022–23) , comprising over 5 million daily wage workers in construction, sanitation, and services (BMC Labor Report 2023) . 🏙️ 42% of Mumbai’s 2.2 crore residents live in slums. By 2030 , this is expected to grow to 2.8 crores (Census 2011, BMC 2023, NFHS-5) . 👥 35% of this population is youth , often working as gig workers without formal education or skill development. The Goal - To build a generation of confident, self-reliant, and economically independent individuals who can shape their futures and uplift their communities. The Solution Apnalaya’s E3 Programme —Youth Education & Economic Empowerment—seeks to change this trajectory by equipping adolescents with: ✔ Life Skills ✔ Career & Employability Training ✔ Leadership Opportunities • Adolescents aged 15–19 in Shivaji Nagar and Bainganwadi • Parents and caregivers • Community Educators aged 18–25 from the same communities. Project Activities 1.    Life Skills Training – 56 hours/year covering SRHR, gender, mental health, and nutrition    • Weekly group sessions    • Counselling for at-risk youth 2.    Career Guidance & Employability Training – 50 hours of structured modules    • Career planning, communication, and time management    • Spoken English and digital literacy via self-guided learning 3.    Community Educator Development – 20 youth trained to facilitate sessions    • Weekly mentoring, outreach, and tracking    • Skill-building in facilitation, digital literacy, and leadership 4.    Learning Infrastructure – Community Learning Centres    • Equipped with computers, internet, and mini-libraries    • Satellite classrooms in safe and accessible spaces 5.    Parent Engagement – 1,000 parents reached annually    • Quarterly meetings to build awareness and support    • Encourage volunteering and school participation 6.    Community Leadership – Exposure visits, student-led activities, and civic engagement opportunities Project Goal To empower 500 adolescents and 20 Community Educators in Mumbai’s M/E Ward with life skills, career preparedness, and leadership capacities—paving the way for long-term economic and personal empowerment. Your contribution builds their confidence, work readiness, and ability to participate meaningfully in the city’s economy—empowering youth and, through them, entire families and communities. Alignment with the UN SDGs Direct SDG Impact: • SDG 4: Quality Education – Indicators 4.1.2, 4.3.1, 4.4.1 Indirect SDG Impact: • SDG 5: Gender Equality – Indicators 5.1.1, 5.3.1 • SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth – Indicators 8.1.2, 8.3.1, 8.6.1

Enabling Citizenship in Urban Informal Settlements in Mumbai! Background In India’s informal settlements, millions live without access to basic rights—clean water, sanitation, legal identity, or social protection—simply because the system isn’t designed to see or serve them. People are often excluded from government schemes and services not by policy, but by paperwork, process, and invisibility. When you lack documents, you lack access. And when you lack access, your voice is unheard, your rights denied, and your potential unrealised. Our Response At Apnalaya, we work at the intersection of citizenship, governance, and dignity . We enable people in underserved urban communities to become informed, organised, and active citizens—capable of engaging with institutions and advocating for their rights. Our model is simple but powerful: We build civic leadership and community participation, and connect people to the systems meant to serve them. Impact So Far 3,270 civic actions led by trained community leaders 1,797 persons with disabilities secured UDID cards 198 individuals linked to key welfare schemes 14,687 families gained access to basic services 1,618 people received government entitlements 460 registered for E-Shram cards through our facilitation These numbers reflect lives changed—individuals who are no longer invisible, families who now have water, ration cards, or health insurance, and communities who know how to demand their rights. Why It Matters Without awareness, access, and agency, no real change is possible. We often meet families who’ve lived in cities for decades but have never been counted in a survey, issued an identity card, or informed of their entitlements. They’re disconnected from the system—and the system is disconnected from them. By investing in civic empowerment, we break this cycle. We turn knowledge into action, and action into accountability. What We Need To scale and deepen this work across our intervention areas in Mumbai, we are seeking for your support for the coming year. Your contribution will help us: Train and mentor a new cadre of Community Resource Persons (CRPs) Facilitate documentation and access to entitlements Organise rights awareness campaigns and civic mobilisation drives Build stronger institutional linkages with local and state authorities Join Us Your support can transform the trajectory of an entire community—from exclusion to empowerment. Help us build a more just and inclusive city—where every person is seen, heard, and counted. EqualityMatters