Supported By : Terre Des Hommes (TDH), German Embassy (Gender & Rights Initiative)
Implementing Organization : Pahal Jan Sahyog Vikas Sansthan
Program Area : Barwani District
Focus Area : Gender Equity, Youth Leadership & Violence Against Women (VAW) Prevention
“JUGNU” (Firefly) is the flagship youth leadership model led by Pahal, supported by TDH. It was founded on a powerful belief — lasting social change begins when young people are informed, confident, and ready to lead. The program positioned youth as community protectors and advocates for gender justice.
Originally implemented as a focused grassroots intervention, the program’s effectiveness led to a one-year district-level extension by the German Embassy, expanding its learning and leadership framework across Barwani district.
This extension strengthened the program’s scale, visibility, and institutional collaboration — transforming a village-based initiative into a broader district movement for gender justice.
Program Objective (Brief Overview)
The objective of JUGNU was to build youth-led community protection systems by strengthening legal literacy, promoting gender equality, and enabling young leaders to prevent child marriage and rights violations through collective action and institutional collaboration.
The Challenge
Deep-rooted gender discrimination, child marriage, and limited awareness of legal rights continue to restrict the safety and agency of women, adolescents, and children in communities. Sustainable protection systems were missing at the grassroots level.
Key Learning
When youth are equipped with legal knowledge, equal representation, and community trust, they don’t just participate — they protect, prevent, and lead the movement for gender justice.
Youth as Change Agents – Youth Mobilization
- 60 trained Youth Volunteers (“JUGNUs”)
- 50% female representation ensured
- 15 youth groups (20 members each) across 15 villages
- 288 structured community meetings on gender and child rights
- Youth-led monitoring of child marriage and rights violations
- Direct engagement with children, adolescents, and women
- Institutional gender-sensitization trainings with departments
- Collaboration with police, health departments, and child development authorities
- Transition from trained volunteers to active grassroots leaders
Impact Delivered
- 150 children, 150 adolescents, and 150 women directly reached
- 40+ institutional gender-sensitization trainings conducted
- Strengthened youth leadership in community-based protection
- Improved reporting and early response to child marriage cases
- Enhanced coordination between youth groups and local authorities
Capacity Building
- Intensive training on monitoring women’s rights violations
- Identification and prevention of potential child marriage cases
- Legal literacy and community engagement tools
Impact Framework
| Focus Area | Strategy | Intended Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Gender Equality | Sensitization workshops & access to resources | Improved agency and decision-making |
| Child Protection | Youth-led monitoring & vigilance | Reduction in child marriage & school dropouts |
| Systemic Reform | District-level coordination & embassy support | Strengthened protection mechanisms |
The district-level extension ensured that JUGNU was not just a temporary intervention, but a structured model influencing broader governance and protection systems.
Advocacy & Institutional Engagement
Gender Training & Sensitization
In the last year, 40 specialized trainings were conducted for:
- Police & Judicial Departments
- Health Professionals (ESI Hospitals)
- Women & Child Development Department
- EPF & National Cooperatives (NIPCCD)
16 Days of Activism Campaign
From 25 November to 10 December each year, large-scale awareness campaigns are organized linking:
- International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women
- Human Rights Day
- World AIDS Day
- International Day of Persons with Disabilities
Sustainable Shift
The JUGNU Program demonstrates that lasting social change happens when youth are not just participants, but leaders.
By building internal community capacity and institutional alignment, the initiative ensures that progress toward gender equity and violence prevention continues beyond project timelines.