Bhubaneswar: Braving all odds and setting an example for others, girls from the slum areas of the Capital city have started making bigger strides in exhibiting exemplary leadership quality in various fields.
While Jasmin Nissa, a Plus III first-year student of Biju Patnaik College from Science Park Basti has become an SPO (special police officer) by the Commissionerate of Police recently, Lipsa Nayak, from Niladrivihar Rickshaw Colony Basti (B) a community leader and a field coordinator of the Socially Smart Bhubaneswar project, has been nominated as a member to the six-member Biodiversity Management Committee of BMC.
Working under the Socially Smart Bhubaneswar Project of BSCL, launched in collaboration with Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), these girls and peer leaders are showing exemplary leadership quality through their dedication and hard work.
The peer leaders or ‘Pragati Sathis’ are the young boys and girls from slums of Bhubaneswar who have been trained in various life skills and are taking leadership to address issues and challenges of their community and neighborhoods. Implemented by Humara Bachpan Trust (HBT), the project, which started with only eight slums within the smart district area, has now included 100 slums.
“Peer leaders have done exemplary work in community development, girls in particular. For instance, Deepanjali Swain from Jagannath Basti of Kharavel Nagar attended the ICPD-25 Meet at Nairobi representing India. Many of these leaders have played crucial role in developing child-friendly and open spaces in different parts of the city,” a senior official at the BSCL said.
Notably, one of the initiatives of the project has been to bring different stakeholders and officials on one platform wherein the community can directly interact with the official and represent their issues. The process has resulted in creating open defecation free (ODF) slums, cleaning of drains, regular removal of garbage, installation of dustbins, bringing children back to schools, stopping the open sale of liquors and others.