Canadian Jesuits International
INDIA - LOK MANCH
Lok Manch (People’s Forum) is a national platform for promoting the dignity and well-being of marginalized people in India through policy interventions and improved access to their legal rights. It is comprised of approximately 100 Jesuit and secular organizations in 12 Indian states and 15 Jesuit Provinces.
Many rural areas and poor urban populations in India lack proper access to education and health. This is especially true for groups that the government classifies as Scheduled Castes (“dalits”) and Scheduled Tribes (“adivasis”).
The current goal of Lok Manch is to develop a vibrant network to help improve the quality of life for up to 300,000 households. The process is guided by thousands of community leaders, 50% of whom are women. More than 3,000 leaders have already been trained to provide local communities with up-to-date information on food and other rights under the law, on how to access these rights, and on what measures to take when failures in the system are encountered.