SARTHAK has been engaged for the welfare of the women, adolescent girls and children for the last twenty years in eastern Uttar Pradesh especially in Mirzapur, Bhadohi, Varanasi,JaunpurandSonebhadra districts. We have initiated and running many social activities related to child rights, against child labour, for women empowerment, enriched lives for adolescent girls, health and sanitation to improve the scenario of the region. Our efforts are aimed at development of socially deprived community of the state.

Following activities have been carried out in Mirzapur, Varanasi, Bhadohi- SantRavidas Nagar, Sonebhadra and other Districts of Uttar Pradesh.
Currently in Mirzapur SARTHAK is running for the followings:

GARIMA (Girls' Adolescent Reproductive Rights: Information, Management and Action) Since 2013-17-SARTHAK
IKEA Foundation supported "Garima– Girls today, women tomorrow" project is being implemented by UNICEF Uttar Pradesh.Using menstrual hygiene management (MHM) as the base, the project ensures that 'key stakeholders have the knowledge and the capacities to enhance life skills for adolescent girls (including adolescent girls themselves) and promote appropriate practices and social norms for adolescents participation.

GARIMA-Mirzapur-SARTHAK
In Mirzapur the project activities started from September 2013 by SARTHAK.
Project Initiation activities – getting community sanction through community sensitization meetings and screening of film on MHM (from "PahelikeSaheli") has been completed in all the villages. 2119 Adolescent Girls Groups (AGGs) and 1073 Mother Groups (MGs) have been formed in the districts. Front line workers have also been trained on MHM and IPC through one day/two day trainings by SARTHAK The project has attracted Government departments especially Health, ICDS and Education and informs them for more effective service delivery for adolescent girls. Adolescent girls in project villages have moved towards breaking the silence, raising their concerns and solving their problems together. Parents, especially mothers are becoming more sensitive towards the needs of their growing up daughters particularly those related to menstruation and nutrition. Front line workers along with trained Peer Educators (sustainable resources in project villages) have also started discussing and addressing the issues of adolescent girls through group meetings and individual home visits. Project is also trying to make boys more gender sensitive and responsible through its intervention in schools and colleges.

LANDESA-SARTHAK
Project was being implemented in Sadar TehsilMirzapur in coordination with LANDESA since 2015.Project helped to poor, rural women and men gain secure rights to land and the opportunity to build a better future. Project, works on the core issue of land rights in partnership with government through policy advocacy and by demonstrating models that can be further scaled up by government. Major Achievements of the Project are as followings:

Orientation on land rights/related concerns of 12500 women in SADAR Tehsil of Mirzapur.
Orientation of 87 Women Gram Pradhan of Sadar on Land Management committee, Land Rights, related concerns and their role and rights.
Celebration of International Rural Women Day and sensitization on land Rights.
Linkage of rural women with social security schemes.

TARA Akshar + Literacy Program for women-SARTHAK
This project signed between Development Alternatives and SARTHAK and at least 29500 rural poor women of Mirzapur have been benefitted by this program and awarded by literate with certificate.
A significant relationship has been seen between literacy, employment and development. Literacy and vocational skills benefits both individuals & communities. It transforms people, communities & the entire social structure at large, and is a key to socio-economic development Literacy plays an important role in providing skilled manpower and thereby empowerment. Women are the most powerful instrument for bringing about change as women empowerment leads to empowering the family, the community and ultimately the nation as a whole.
The Inclusive Model of TARA Akshar+ program not only targets women during mobilization rather it reaches to their families and communities. This is to promote and enhance their ownership and women's participation in the program. The program starts with 56 days of TARA Akshar+ which imparts functional literacy in Hindi and basic Arithmetic. The TARA Akshar+ is an ICT based program which aims to promote functional literacy among women in 56 days. This program can be broadly divided into 2 parts:

TARA Akshar: As the name suggest this section imparts knowledge on basic Hindi. It is a 36 days long program which deals with all Hindi alphabets, matras and simple word formation. It also has an inbuilt structure for revision days and examination.

TARA Ganit: This imparts knowledge on basic Arithmetic. It lasts for 18 days which not only deals with basic counting but also addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Women are divided into batches of 10 who are taught daily for 2 hours. The batches are formed inside the village so that it is easily accessible to women.

After 56 days, GyanChaupali is established as a Post-Literacy program in the village. GyanChaupali is an interactive platform which aims to impart comprehensive information, general knowledge and strengthen the literacy base of women. It compiles plethora of components into a comprehensive package to provide a rainbow of features to bring application part of literacy to their lives.
Major Achievements of this Project are as followings:
29500 rural women of Pahadi and City received the certificate of Literacy by joint effort of Development Alternatives and SARTHAK Organization in Mirzapur district.

At least 400 women among the newly literate have been joined vocational skill development program in district.
20 remarkable success stories of these women who promote to others.