Lessons

The project aimed to support elected members of selected village councils in Haryana and Uttarakhand States - especially women - , to fulfill their roles: planning and implementing village public works and their maintenance; local social and welfare activities; and contributing to community harmony and social justice. The findings from the baseline survey were considered for inclusion in the project plans to ensure that the reasons preventing women village council members executing their functions were addressed. The integration of both elected council members and Self-Help Group members into a single target group enhanced the project's focus on social and developmental community issues. The project achieved its long-term objective to increase the participation of women in local decision-making processes. Elected council members confirmed that they understood their rights and obligations to contribute to the improvement of local democracy. Anecdotal evidence suggests that women were empowered and that they have begun to intervene openly and more frequently during village council meetings.

The project aimed to support elected members of selected village councils in Haryana and Uttarakhand States - especially women - , to fulfill their roles: planning and implementing village public works and their maintenance; local social and welfare activities; and contributing to community harmony and social justice. The findings from the baseline survey were considered for inclusion in the project plans to ensure that the reasons preventing women village council members executing their functions were addressed. The integration of both elected council members and Self-Help Group members into a single target group enhanced the project's focus on social and developmental community issues. The project achieved its long-term objective to increase the participation of women in local decision-making processes. Elected council members confirmed that they understood their rights and obligations to contribute to the improvement of local democracy. Anecdotal evidence suggests that women were empowered and that they have begun to intervene openly and more frequently during village council meetings.

The project aimed to support elected members of selected village councils in Haryana and Uttarakhand States - especially women - , to fulfill their roles: planning and implementing village public works and their maintenance; local social and welfare activities; and contributing to community harmony and social justice. The findings from the baseline survey were considered for inclusion in the project plans to ensure that the reasons preventing women village council members executing their functions were addressed. The integration of both elected council members and Self-Help Group members into a single target group enhanced the project's focus on social and developmental community issues. The project achieved its long-term objective to increase the participation of women in local decision-making processes. Elected council members confirmed that they understood their rights and obligations to contribute to the improvement of local democracy. Anecdotal evidence suggests that women were empowered and that they have begun to intervene openly and more frequently during village council meetings.

The project aimed to support elected members of selected village councils in Haryana and Uttarakhand States - especially women - , to fulfill their roles: planning and implementing village public works and their maintenance; local social and welfare activities; and contributing to community harmony and social justice. The findings from the baseline survey were considered for inclusion in the project plans to ensure that the reasons preventing women village council members executing their functions were addressed. The integration of both elected council members and Self-Help Group members into a single target group enhanced the project's focus on social and developmental community issues. The project achieved its long-term objective to increase the participation of women in local decision-making processes. Elected council members confirmed that they understood their rights and obligations to contribute to the improvement of local democracy. Anecdotal evidence suggests that women were empowered and that they have begun to intervene openly and more frequently during village council meetings.

The project sought to support and empower grassroots Roma organizations in six countries in Central and Southern Europe to advocate for laws, policies and practices to combat racial discrimination, and to promote the application of international human rights standards concerning housing in national legislation. Working with Roma youth activists to lobby policy makers the grantee hoped to strengthen working relationships. A separate project component aimed to raise awareness among the Roma population of using legal means to challenge rights abuses. By focusing on the themes of anti-discrimination laws and housing and shelter rights, the project emphasized particular spheres where action was urgently required. Targeting Roma youth and young activists, the project sought to address in a practical way the weakness of Roma civil society organizations in undertaking advocacy on behalf of their own people. The litigation component finally was to demonstrate to the Roma people the viability of taking legal action as a means through which the state might be held accountable for its failure to uphold their rights.

The project sought to support and empower grassroots Roma organizations in six countries in Central and Southern Europe to advocate for laws, policies and practices to combat racial discrimination, and to promote the application of international human rights standards concerning housing in national legislation. Working with Roma youth activists to lobby policy makers the grantee hoped to strengthen working relationships. A separate project component aimed to raise awareness among the Roma population of using legal means to challenge rights abuses. By focusing on the themes of anti-discrimination laws and housing and shelter rights, the project emphasized particular spheres where action was urgently required. Targeting Roma youth and young activists, the project sought to address in a practical way the weakness of Roma civil society organizations in undertaking advocacy on behalf of their own people. The litigation component finally was to demonstrate to the Roma people the viability of taking legal action as a means through which the state might be held accountable for its failure to uphold their rights.

The project sought to support and empower grassroots Roma organizations in six countries in Central and Southern Europe to advocate for laws, policies and practices to combat racial discrimination, and to promote the application of international human rights standards concerning housing in national legislation. Working with Roma youth activists to lobby policy makers the grantee hoped to strengthen working relationships. A separate project component aimed to raise awareness among the Roma population of using legal means to challenge rights abuses. By focusing on the themes of anti-discrimination laws and housing and shelter rights, the project emphasized particular spheres where action was urgently required. Targeting Roma youth and young activists, the project sought to address in a practical way the weakness of Roma civil society organizations in undertaking advocacy on behalf of their own people. The litigation component finally was to demonstrate to the Roma people the viability of taking legal action as a means through which the state might be held accountable for its failure to uphold their rights.

The project sought to support and empower grassroots Roma organizations in six countries in Central and Southern Europe to advocate for laws, policies and practices to combat racial discrimination, and to promote the application of international human rights standards concerning housing in national legislation. Working with Roma youth activists to lobby policy makers the grantee hoped to strengthen working relationships. A separate project component aimed to raise awareness among the Roma population of using legal means to challenge rights abuses. By focusing on the themes of anti-discrimination laws and housing and shelter rights, the project emphasized particular spheres where action was urgently required. Targeting Roma youth and young activists, the project sought to address in a practical way the weakness of Roma civil society organizations in undertaking advocacy on behalf of their own people. The litigation component finally was to demonstrate to the Roma people the viability of taking legal action as a means through which the state might be held accountable for its failure to uphold their rights.

The project sought to support and empower grassroots Roma organizations in six countries in Central and Southern Europe to advocate for laws, policies and practices to combat racial discrimination, and to promote the application of international human rights standards concerning housing in national legislation. Working with Roma youth activists to lobby policy makers the grantee hoped to strengthen working relationships. A separate project component aimed to raise awareness among the Roma population of using legal means to challenge rights abuses. By focusing on the themes of anti-discrimination laws and housing and shelter rights, the project emphasized particular spheres where action was urgently required. Targeting Roma youth and young activists, the project sought to address in a practical way the weakness of Roma civil society organizations in undertaking advocacy on behalf of their own people. The litigation component finally was to demonstrate to the Roma people the viability of taking legal action as a means through which the state might be held accountable for its failure to uphold their rights.

The project sought to support and empower grassroots Roma organizations in six countries in Central and Southern Europe to advocate for laws, policies and practices to combat racial discrimination, and to promote the application of international human rights standards concerning housing in national legislation. Working with Roma youth activists to lobby policy makers the grantee hoped to strengthen working relationships. A separate project component aimed to raise awareness among the Roma population of using legal means to challenge rights abuses. By focusing on the themes of anti-discrimination laws and housing and shelter rights, the project emphasized particular spheres where action was urgently required. Targeting Roma youth and young activists, the project sought to address in a practical way the weakness of Roma civil society organizations in undertaking advocacy on behalf of their own people. The litigation component finally was to demonstrate to the Roma people the viability of taking legal action as a means through which the state might be held accountable for its failure to uphold their rights.