Volunteer: Is it a mind-game?

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A very common notion around volunteering is that it is about helping others and to ease guilty feelings. It is thought of as ‘more privileged’ people giving to those who are ‘less able’. Our brains are trained to measure everything based on something that is tangible or quantitative. We quantify privileges or abilities also in similar fashion. For example, we measure physical strength by appearance; we estimate the level of education or intellect through degrees/diplomas. The mind is also efficient and inclined in estimating financial strength of a person through visually available signs. To summarize, we are programmed to define ‘more able’ in a limited way. The intangible benefits or strengths which we lack lie in the blind spot zone. We create a self appealing picture to protect our illusive ‘more privileged’ image of ourselves and assume we are positioned to help others. 

After volunteering we feel good which might be due to the heightened feeling of self-worth or self-power associated with this act of ‘giving’. But we turn a blind eye to the ‘taking’ involved in the process. Volunteering is not just about helping others, it’s about helping oneself. There is a lot more one is left with while volunteering than what one gives during the experience. Everyone needs help, everyone needs a volunteer. 

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With the advent in technology, it’s even simpler to volunteer, by volunteering online. A few take-away from volunteering – 

• A unique experience
• Understanding of social, economic and legal factors
• Connections across the globe with volunteering network’s
• Learning new skills
• Knowing yourself better

Volunteer

On

Line for

Understanding socioeconomic factors

New experiences

Teaming up at volunteer social network’s

Empowering yourself and others

Engaging others

Re-inventing yourself

Volunteer not just for others, volunteer and do something for yourself.

~ Ashpreet Dhillon

Self-Defense : psychological changes to human behaviour

In simple terms, defense is a countermeasure. If some damage or threat is perceived, natural response to protect oneself is triggered. The keyword here is ‘natural’. It implies everyone is born with the natural instinct to protect oneself from harm. Even harmless looking plants have self defense mechanisms, which range from visible defenses like thorns to invisible ones like release of chemical compounds.

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So, when faced with threat, natural response to protect oneself automatically takes precedence. But, is the involuntary engagement triggered by instinctive reaction enough to save us? The outcome does depend on one thing – practicing Self-Defense. Generally speaking, Self-Defense is thought of as a skill to enable oneself to stand against any harm to oneself. This is because of the benefits it has in terms of increasing physical strength. But, Self-Defense is not only about being able to protect oneself; it is also about being capable to protect oneself. This is especially true in case of women or children, who might be considered as being less able to protect themselves, based on comparative measures of physical strength. Self-Defense deserves due attention as it has the power to improve capabilities and compensate for any lack in abilities, hence changing lives forever. 

Just like reading a book on cars cannot make one a car driver, it requires practice, similarly Self-Defense needs to be practiced. Again, driving on an empty road might be impressive but it is not as challenging as driving in real traffic. Self-Defense, just like any other learning activity has its phases, too. As one goes deeper into the phases, it is easy to understand and feel the invisible benefits of Self-Defense. The observable visible benefits include increase in physical strength just like the visible plant defense mechanism, thorns. In addition, Self-Defense makes psychological changes to human behaviour too, which transcend the benefits to the internal mechanisms like release of chemical compounds on facing a threat situation. It helps to co-ordinate mind and body. ‘Battles have to be won in the mind first, and then with the body’, and Self-Defense helps to train both the mind and the body.

Colorss Foundation: Quick-Self Defense application for Android Phone

Practising Self-Defense broadens self-perception on one’s own physical capabilities, it increases confidence and self-esteem. These benefits are visible in the body posture and response reactions. It also has positive effects on the behaviour. It narrows the mental confusion and fear driven responses, helps to make quick judgements in threat situations and hence transforms a natural instinct into a more responsible means of protection for self and others.

~ Ashpreet Dhillon

A woman’s safety under a fingertip : Quick Self-defense Application

“The best protection any woman can have is courage” - Elizabeth Cady Stanton

Women make half the population of the world and yet life has never been equal for them. Looking down the history, a woman’s life only surrounded in pleasing her counterpart, the man. In a patriarchal society, a woman has been looked down upon, not given the opportunity to shine and was never enough. We came a long way from the extremist views of women, at least, in many cities of the world but the image is very different if you walk down the streets of the rural areas.

Being a woman myself, I recently had the opportunity to go to rural areas for a survey project. The idea of women working in the rural areas was still a taboo in Bangladeshi rural areas and we had just been at the closest Dhaka outskirts. Their whole lives revolved around the thought that women were better off at home, taking care of children and taking care of the household. Definitely it’s the duty of any family man or woman, but not just women and any women who want to be free spirit face extreme consequences, known as domestic violence. A study of 2002 (Raj and Silverman Study) reported that 42 percent participant out of 160 participants admitted to have been physically or sexually abused by their current male partners. We have passed sixteen years since the study but the numbers were staggering even back then. The abuses still happen, behind the doors, the taboo is still there.

In 2013, a UN study (UN Multi-country Study on Men and Violence in Asia and the Pacific) found out that in six countries at nine sites, 23 percent of men admitted to at least one rape. Another staggering figure. In the South Asian region, rape is increasing and all this calls for an action that starts from home. NCRB data shows that in India 93 women are raped everyday. We hope to dedicate a few words to all the women on self defense and how to be safe.

Self defense is a newer idea in the South Asian region and is one of the most important things to learn now. That is why, Colorss Foundation brought about a program that encourages women to learn new techniques of self defense. Their aim is to conduct workshop six days a week and/or ten days self-defense workshop. They hope to increase the intensity and rigor of these workshops gradually.  The benefit of self defense is just not learning how to fight rather it’s to improve body flexibility, shape, control and discipline. 

Now, this opportunity is easier to access to everyone around the world now because Colorss Foundation created an app for Android users [Quick Self-Defense] with an access to all the quick self defense techniques at your finger tips. The app consists of 9 different and useful techniques. These techniques have two separate options - first, learn and second, practice. Each technique is guided through by pictures and instructions down below. This gives every girl out there to have a good look on how it’s supposed to be done at any place, at any time. This handy app is like everyone’s go to book for protecting themselves. The availability of this app is what makes this very preferred. You can download this app from Google Play.

This app is an initiative that takes women one step closer to safety and also one step closer to achieve Gender Equality under SDG. The motive isn’t to just help women from India or from South Asia, rather the app tries to connect with all the women around the world. These techniques can be used against anyone who violates a woman’s rights and abuses them. Do not be afraid to raise your voice and to raise your hand on your aggressor. 

Therefore, being a woman strong enough to handle any situation is infused within us, all we have to do is take the lead. We came a long way and we have a longer way to go. We have to remember to teach our sons from home because the action comes from both ways. If we talk about equality, both the genders need to understand the retrospective. Taking a small step forward could make a huge difference in empowering women and helping them get their rights. It always starts from here.

By Raisa Rahman

Source of GIF:hapkido-defense-system.com/standing_assaualts_frontal.htm

In conversation with Tata Tea Jaago Re

Mission 1000 has been working to uplift the self-esteem and confidence among the girls and woman who are trained through our customized curriculum of self-defense. This is project shown good results, increasing the confidence and self-esteem of the participants. The results are encouraging and the girls have shown commendable behavior changes post workshop. i.e one of the girl who had been training with us, trained her mother and younger sister in self-defense. Few of the girls are now confident to travel along in government bus to attend school and go out for other work as well. These might sound small changes, however at large in the longer run; this is going to bring upon a great change in the psychological build up of the young girls.  

Recently in conversation with Tata Tea Jaago Re, I got the opportunity to share my views about Mission 1000 and how we can collectively build up a safer society for women and girls. Request you to go through this link. :  https://bit.ly/2KoGnOE

In conversation with Tata Tea Jaago Re, Anand Koti, a professional martial arts expert, explores the need to Pre-Act towards building a safer society for women. 

Read on to find out more: https://bit.ly/2KoGnOE

Look forward to hear your comments and views. Want to be a part of change come join us and drop an email to us.

Best wishes as always,

Girl Power : Quick Self Defense - Easy but requires dedication!

The weaker sex. Damsels in distress. Women across the world are considered as fragile creatures who cannot protect themselves. So, it is high time that they defy all the odds and prove their mettle.

Self defense-learning to fend off an attacker can not only help women have peace of mind when walking alone, but also boost their confidence, independence and instill in them a sense of accomplishment.

In Dec 2014, Colorss Foundation had launched its Quick Self-Defense Application that teaches women invaluable skills to defend themselves and their loved ones. With the help of this application, women and girls will be able to learn and practice self-defense.

A new version of this application will provide one with language options (yes, now you can choose from 19 available languages- Japanese, Nepali , Hindi , Bengali , Assamese , Marathi , Gujarati , Kannada , Malayalam , Oriya , Tamil , Urdu , Punjabi , Russian , Telugu , Chinese , Portuguese , Arabic , Spanish!) which will help reach more women and children. 

Though Colorss Foundation is going forward with the Android version of this App, we hope to launch an ioS version soon.

You can beat the world. You can win any battle. You can move mountains. You can break rocks. Your body is more capable than you think & your resolve is stronger than you believe. 

Download this app from the Google Play Store and keep yourself updated : https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.colorssfoundation.colorss&hl=en

Remember-if you have been knocked down, come back swinging!

-Sagarica Brahma

What If Power Were in Woman’s Hands? Empower Yourself Easy With Colorss Quick Self-Defense App

What If Power Were in Woman’s Hands?

Empower Yourself Easy With Colorss Quick Self-Defense App

Download the App here, empower yourself, get the true LIFE insurance NOW: Android Version: Google Apps

in December 2012, a 23-year-old student was gang-raped on a bus in New Delhi and died a few days later. Her death sparked international outrage.

We ask ourselves, is there anything we can do for ourselves, RIGHT NOW?

The answer is : Yes, empower your own hands. Crime can happen to anyone at anytime; learning self-defense can help you to be prepared for any attack. Regular practice of Self-Defense not only makes you alert, physically fit and ready for any unforeseen conditions. It helps and improves your stamina, eating habits, improves your posture and builds strength in your body. Continuous practice brings upon many positive physiological as well psychological changes which one can see within.

In Dec 2014, Colorss Foundation had launched its Quick Self-Defense Application that teaches women invaluable skills to defend themselves and their loved ones. With the help of this application, women will be able to learn and practice self-defense. 

Download the App here, empower yourself, get the true LIFE insurance NOW:

Android Version: Google Apps

Now, the new version of Colorss Quick Self-Defense App makes things even easier.

1. Friendly interface: The new version of Colorss Quick Self-Defense App is so easy to use with vivid live pictures and clear textual indications below.

     

 After you finished learning a certain technique, you can choose to go to “practice” mode. In practice mode, the steps will run automatically to allow you to practice hands-free, which makes practicing much easier.

  

2. Learn self-defense from a professional:

The courses giver, as well as the founder of Colorss Foundation, Mr. Anand Koti is a 2nd Black Belt in Karate and Green Belt in Kobudo [weapon system]. He has worked extensively in the social sector and was a part of many community oriented projects before founding Colorss Foundation. Over the years, he has trained 1000+ women in the skills of self-defense.

3. Available for any phone and anyone: The new version can be used under  Android 

It also provides one with different language options (yes, now you can choose from 20 available languages- Japanese, Nepali , Hindi , Bengali , Assamese , Marathi , Gujarati , Kannada , Malayalam , Oriya , Tamil , Urdu , Punjabi , Russian , Telugu , Chinese , Portuguese , Arabic , Spanish etc.) which will help reach more women and children around the globe.

Don’t forget, you can beat the world. You can win any battle. You can move mountains. You can break rocks. Your body is more capable than you think; your resolve is stronger than you believe.

Download the App here, empower yourself, get the true LIFE insurance NOW:

Android Version: Google Apps

Writer: Fei Cai

The ‘Self’: Unleash the superwoman within

“The best lightning rod for your protection is your own spine.”

― Ralph Waldo Emerson

It is a perturbing truth that a lot of women in our country feel afraid when walking the streets alone at night or even during the day. Every day, in the newspapers, we come across reports of crimes against women-sexual harassment, assault, molestation, rape. It is certainly important for the government & the authorities to take measures to prevent such incidents, but, at the same time, women need to be self-reliant to rise to the occasion & take care of themselves.

The weaker sex. Damsels in distress. Women across the world are considered as fragile creatures who cannot protect themselves. So, it is high time that they defy all the odds and prove their mettle.

Self defense-learning to fend off an attacker can not only help women have peace of mind when walking alone, but also boost their confidence, independence and instill in them a sense of accomplishment.

In Dec 2014, Colorss Foundation had launched its Quick Self-Defense Application that teaches women invaluable skills to defend themselves and their loved ones. With the help of this application, women and girls will be able to learn and practice self-defense.

A new version of this application will provide one with language options (yes, now you can choose from 19 available languages- Japanese, Nepali , Hindi , Bengali , Assamese , Marathi , Gujarati , Kannada , Malayalam , Oriya , Tamil , Urdu , Punjabi , Russian , Telugu , Chinese , Portuguese , Arabic , Spanish!) which will help reach more women and children.

Though Colorss Foundation is going forward with the Android version of this App, we hope to launch an ioS version soon.

This is a shout-out to all the women across the country & beyond:

You can beat the world. You can win any battle. You can move mountains. You can break rocks. Your body is more capable than you think & your resolve is stronger than you believe.

Download this app from the Google Play Store and keep yourself updated : https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.colorssfoundation.colorss&hl=en

Remember-if you have been knocked down, come back swinging!

-Sagarica Brahma

Wordpress Coder and Tester requirements | Volunteer Opportunities

A Helping Hand: We need your skills!

“If you’re in the luckiest one per cent of humanity, you owe it to the rest of humanity to think about the other 99 per cent.”
― Warren Buffett

In a country like ours, which is witnessing “the best of times” and “the worst of times”, standing at the brink of greatness-it is gut-wrenching to acknowledge that for many among the millions, an independent & empowered life still remains a distant reality. We are far from reaching the goal of providing education for all. A huge section of the female population is still disempowered, children-neglected.

Based in Gujarat, Colorss Foundation works towards enhancing the prosperity of the under-privileged sections of the society-the women & children. How do they do this? Colorss toils relentlessly to provide these women & children in need with education and invaluable skills and instills in them the confidence to hold their own in a society that keeps challenging them at every turn.

Registered on 15th September 2008, this NGO has projects running in Pune and Baroda and is already helping more than 250 children through these projects.

There is something incredibly satisfying about helping those in need. Life has so much to offer if we remember to look beyond ourselves. Colorss is in need of people who are willing to step up to the task of devoting their time and energy to bring about a change in the lives of these children and women in need.

Mahatma Gandhi once said “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” So, we urge you to come up and be that harbinger of social change who can bring about that metamorphosis!

At present, we are looking for volunteers on an urgent basis, for WordPress Coding & Testing-somebody with experience in PHP/MySQL customization, to work on our website. The position requires you to work for a couple of months.

Send us your resume on this email id: contact @ colorss . org

We look forward to hearing back from you!

-Sagarica Brahma

Developing a Dauntless Digital India!

2016 - A year which will definitely be an indelible chapter of the global history book. What have we not witnessed! The awaited end of conflict in Colombia, a humanitarian disaster in Aleppo, the Brexit Referendum, or the momentous Presidential Election of the United States; we have been a part of a tumultuous chaos which brought peace, disappointment and sorrow in various dimensions. But on November 8, 2016, when the entire world was anticipating a Western country’s political fate, our own nation was caught off guard when Prime Minister Modi declared the initiation of demonetization. 

The onset of this sudden cash crunch in the economy led to a heated debate. But we are not here to demonize or celebrate the topic of demonetization. Our main goal is to divert the focus towards the unavoidable start of digitization because of this particular economic policy. 

India is not a cashless economy, and the arrival of the demonetization left the common citizen ambling with doubts. People were frantically looking for change, standing outside ATM lines for hours, swarming inside the banks. The current scenario of Indian Market clearly projects that the consumers prefer cash payments over digital transactions. As online banking and its monetary dealings is an emerging medium, citizens are skeptical or rather unaware about its utilization. 

A regular vegetable market or a family run grocery shop or a small time refreshment stall hardly renders the services of a card swiping machine or online money transfer. Their owners are simple people with an uncomplicated business strategy. Some of them don’t even have access to bank accounts, because maintaining personal savings by oneself wasn’t an issue until demonetization struck.

The National Institution for Transforming India, i.e. the NITI Aayog along with the NPCI (National Payments Corporation of India) launched a number of schemes to incentivize the use of electronic payments. But the major concern lies in the uncertainty of the consumer to experiment with digitization. So is giving away prizes an effective method for motivation? 

The basic way to tackle with the oblivious approach of the consumers towards online transactions is computer literacy. And we have to start now, with the students of our country. According to a report in 2012 computer literacy in India is less than 7%, and the internet penetration rate stands at about 19% as per the FICCI-KPMG 2015 Report. But does an increase in the participation indicate that all users of the internet  are knowledgeable about its responsible use? Most of the users of the Internet have been able to connect and explore the virtual world because of the widespread availability of smart phones. 

So why is digital literacy so important?

Apart from the obvious fact that computer education is a practical addition of skills in our profile, it promotes the appropriate exploitation of virtual resources. The penetration of internet might be amplifying, but does it guarantee its best use? We have to keep in mind that by adopting computer education in schools we create a window for discussion and doubts. The learners will have countless misconceptions about the Internet. Through an educator’s direction they can discover the causes and the consequences of virtual violations. 

Post demonetization many people are perplexed at the thought of using online payment methods. In such situation, children can educate their parents about safe surfing so that they can discern between the dishonest and the authentic monetary communication. 

And we at The Colorss Foundation have been doing our bit towards the promotion of computer literacy through our endeavor Project Uttejana since 2014. Enhancing the computer proficiency of students from Class 7 to Class 12, our aim is to educate and inform kids belonging to the underprivileged background about the virtual world of communication. And to make it more effective we have coupled our primary goal of computer literacy with Life Skills Sessions helping learners become confident and, accountable in terms of thoughts and actions. 

We believe that change is hard but if we look at a crisis as an opportunity we generate possibilities not just for us but for the people around us. And we want to help create an India which harbors resilience and innovation when times get rough. 

If you’re interested to join or enquire please mail us at contact@colorss.org

To know more about Colorss Foundation and our initiatives log on to http://colorss.org/

We’re also on:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/colorssfoundation

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colorssfoundation/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/colorss

Tejal Pednekar

5 reasons why one should volunteer

Volunteering has proven to be an amazing combined effort of the people, in the spirit of supporting various humanitarian and environmental causes in the past, and is still continuing to do so. The beauty of volunteering is that it relies on the activism and shared convictions of groups. It’s never ‘what’s in it for me?’, it is always ‘what can we do so that things can change for us?’

Here are 5 reasons why one should volunteer:

1.     To be socially conscious

Volunteering is an incredible medium which introduces us to the reality of life. It can alter our thought process at a reflective level as we are exposed to issues which might not have crossed our minds. Problems we presumed to be unreal, vague. A fresh perspective can help us appreciate the small but valuable moments and things in life. It can help us construct emotional sensitivity at a personal stage.

2.     To introspect

The act of volunteering is beyond making mere contributions; it can help us explore our purpose, especially what we stand for and how we choose to analyze and act on it. It is not a paid service, and that is what makes it this imperative as we discover what causes and ideals we decide to advocate.

3.     To develop a work ethic and new skills

Undertaking assignments for a social cause without a monetary convention is in itself a huge but respectable responsibility. It is a factual analysis of our commitment and discipline towards a collective movement. So treat it like day job, honor the quality of being accountable and deliver an admirable effort.

Volunteering can also provide an opportunity to discover the potential abilities within us, so it could be leadership skills or being people’s person or problem solving, you might just all of sudden learn something new about yourself.

4.     Meeting new people

Interacting with people from all walks of life offers a wonderful insight about reality in general. What could be someone’s possible dreams, and are their reasons similar to yours for participating in this organization, what is their outlook towards life and what do they believe in, etc. The bottom line is that we can learn so much from sharing experiences which are authentic and not competitive for a change.

5.     Be a part of change

For most of us change means to go big or drastic, but we have to realize that we cannot change the entire scenario with one or two days of volunteering. It has to be a persistent effort, and even though your contribution might seem little, it is a part of a huge collective shot that everyone has worked hard for. So this is an opportunity to be a part of a change that is consistent in its character, and is in for the long haul. 

The experience of volunteering can enhance our potential to inspire and to be inspired. It is one thing to watch our goals transpire into success and it is whole new story to be a part of a belief that brings self fulfillment and profound understanding about concerns.

We at Colorss Foundation are trying to do our bit to provide a better life for the women and children of India. We aim to bring communities together to educate and empower the citizens, to help them realize the capabilities and, to communicate that our world is filled with enormous possibilities. It’s our sincere belief that every small step taken by the citizens for the development of community leads to progress, positive change and solidarity.

We are always anticipating fresh energy and enthusiasm from the members of our society. We have plenty of opportunities for individuals who want to be a part of our heartfelt endeavor.

You can check out the list of opportunities for interning and volunteering at the Colorss Foundation on the Colors Foundation Blog. Here’s the link:

http://colorss.blogspot.in/2016/12/multiple-opportunities-at-colorss.html

If you’re interested to join or enquire please mail us at contact@colorss.org

To know more about Colorss Foundation and our initiatives log on to http://colorss.org/

We’re also on:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/colorssfoundation

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colorssfoundation/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/colorss

Tejal Pednekar 

Multiple Opportunities at Colorss Foundation

We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort. Jesse Owens

We have got plenty of opportunities for volunteering and internship. However, we are only looking for the dedicated and hard working individual to join Colorss Foundation. 
           

Opportunity	Details
Become a fund-raiser	Help raise money for the Colorss Foundation
Become an awareness campaigner	Help raise awareness about Colorss Foundation in India and the rest of the world
Become a networker for corporate and government organisations	Network with corporate and government organisations to raise money and create volunteer programs for the Colorss Foundation
Become a blog writer	Create and maintain a blog related to the work done by Colorss Foundation to help raise awareness and draw people to the cause
Become a professional counsellor	Work with women and children in need (academic qualification necessary)
Become a psychologist	Conduct psychological testing on participants. A rewarding opportunity for students studying psychology (academic qualification necessary)
Become a teacher of vocational skills	Teach new skills to women in the Colorss Foundation vocational training program
Become an English teacher	Teach women and children how to speak, read and write English
Become a Math teacher	Teach basic mathematics used in everyday functioning
Create promotional video	Create promotional videos and help spread the message
Become a yoga/meditation teacher	Teach yoga techniques for mental and physical health and relaxation
Become a brain-gym teacher	Teach brain-gym to improve brain function and build confidence
Become a leadership trainer	Teach leadership skills in the context of the needs of the community
Become an Ambassador	Become an ambassador to Colorss and promote it across different platforms, events and places
Create video tutorials	Create video tutorials on any educational topic in connection with Colorss Foundation activities
Become a workshop coordinator	Organise workshops on any of the following: The importance of education, body language, personality development, project based learning, drama in English language, creative games, stress, confidence, motivation and role-play

Please mention the opportunity you are interested in when applying through the email contact[@]colorss.org .  We look forward to hearing from you!

Mission 1000 is 2016 finalist at Project Inspire

Mission 1000 is 2016 finalist at Project Inspire the multi-award-winning initiative presents 18-35-year-olds worldwide with an opportunity to win a US$25,000 grant to assist an existing organisation which supports women and girls in Asia-Pacific, the Middle East or Africa.

Project Inspire: 5 Minutes to Change the World is a joint initiative from the Singapore Committee for UN Women and MasterCard, to help young change-makers create a better world for women and girls in Asia and the Pacific.

Launched in 2011, to mark the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day and the 25th anniversary of MasterCard Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa, Project Inspire presents 18-35 year olds with a five-minute platform to pitch their inspired idea, for the chance to win a US$25,000 grant. Today, Project Inspire is a multi-award winning initiative, and one of the most high profile CSR programs in the Asia Pacific region.

Project Inspire 2016 will take on the theme of ‘Empowering Women Through Safety and Security’. Applicants will be asked to demonstrate how their ideas harness safety and security concepts to empower women throughout Asia and the Pacific.

Mission 1000 is 2016 Finalist at Project Inspire. Our project is among the 10 top problem solvers.

Established in 2014, Mission 1000 is a project that empowers women by aiming to teach self-defense skills to 1000 young girls, at no cost to them, every financial year. We are now holding workshops, which are led by the founder Anand Koti. Every workshop is now able to teach 50 young girls. Koti, who has a 2 black dan belt in Karate and a green belt in Kobudo, trains these girls to kick, punch and block assaults from sexual attackers. He also teaches them to meditate and how to develop a calmer and more focused disposition.

Learning self-defense skills at a young age gives these girls the confidence they need to interact in India’s society at a later age. Self-defense skills will open up avenues of self-development by providing India’s women with a safety net to make crucial life decisions.

Equipped with the knowledge to protect themselves, young girls will be more likely to consider studying independently in India’s cities or to set up a business that requires them to venture beyond their comfort zone. Girls that have attended these workshops immediately demonstrate greater self-confidence and have also been found to spread this knowledge to their own female network of family and friends. By teaching a young girl how to defend herself, Mission 1000 will be protecting her larger female network.

By equipping each child with self-defense skills, Mission 1000 hopes to tackle the sexual abuse, which include harassment, assault and rape, against women in India. As Mission 1000 believes in providing free-of-charge self-defense workshops, this programme largely relies on donated funds. 

Mission 1000 is focusing its efforts on Mahadji Shinde High School in Pune, where almost 300 girls have learnt self-defense skills. These Mission 1000 workshops target batches of 50-60 female students from the 8^th to 11^th grade. Taught by the founder of Colorss Foundation himself, Anand Koti, the students have been learning several skills on how to punch, kick and block assaults. Each child has also left each session with a boost in her stamina, self-esteem and confidence. 

Mission 1000 makes a difference to the lives of these young women. Those who have completed the Mission 1000 workshops express gratitude in learning self-defense. Some have even taught these skills to their own family members. The daily fear of being harassed is now a thing of the past for many of these young women, who are now more confident in interacting with society. 

Please help us protect these young women by helping us sustain these Mission 1000 workshops. Be part of the Mission 1000 movement by reaching out to us at emailcolorss@gmail.com or visit our website to give securely at http://colorss.org/donate/. 

By Asyura Salleh