Under project Pahla Kadam supported by Asian Development Bank Azad India Foundation has opened 12 nonformal education centers in twelve villages of two blocks of Pothia and Kishanganj in Kishanganj district of Bihar. These NFE centers has become the nodal points for the dissemination of information. They provide functional literacy to the girls above 14 years and adult women. The NFE centers are also providing education to the children especially girls in the age group 6-14 for National open school examination. For the integrated development the women of the NFE centers are encouraged to form SHGs to promote saving and thrift. They would be provided training from Khadi Gram Commission,Patna in income generating skills such as candle making,agarbatti making, detergent making etc.This project would also use NFE centers as platform to conduct meetings on health issues with the members of the community. The project would support the work of Azad India Foundation in raising the literacy level of the district that is dismally low at 18% for the women.

• The project intends to provide women and girls with functional literacy.
• It wants to equip women with right information about their health that is usually neglected.
• It wants to empower them by uniting them in SHG.
• It wants women to stand on their own feet by getting skill training so that they are self independent and decision makers.
• It wants to provide equal opportunities to rural children especially girl children to get school education through nonformal means (open schooling).

• 400 girls and women in 12 villages
• 200 children in the age-group 6-14 years.

• Kishanganj block
  • Patharbasti
  • Paswan tola
  • Tatma tola Farimgola
  • Irani basti
  • Tegaria
    
    
• Pothia block
  • Jhinakor
  • Balubari
  • Satbolia Nazirtola
  • Satbolia Raffiudintola
  • Geralodhi
  • Kulamani
  • Khanka

Project Pahla Kadam Final Report