CNFE

Contact Us:

Centre for Non-formal Education (CNFE)

Maitri Sadhana, #54, Mukund Nagar, Station Road, Bijapur- 586104

Mail ID: director.cnfe@gmail.com, cnfebijapur@gmail.com

Contact Number: (08352) 222208

Directors of Center for Non-Formal Education (CNFE) from 1992 onwards:

Center for Non-Formal Education, Vijayapura

Center for Non-Formal Education publicly known as CNFE in Bijapur is a 30-year-old Social Action Centre working for the upliftment of the urban poor specifically for the land and housing rights of slum dwellers. Apart from organizing people to know their rights, CNFE also organizes livelihood initiatives and campaigns for people to improve their lives.

Today CNFE continues to work for the formation, training, and empowerment of people’s organisations. It envisages that people’s groups will be capacitated to monitor development programmes in their respective areas, effectively participate in local governance, and partner with the Government in the development process.

At CNFE, we believe that holistic development is possible through education and imparting knowledge by training people. Thus, we continue our efforts in enlightening the minds of people and providing training to various groups towards nation-building.

This is achieved through organizing training on good governance, participatory leadership, legal education, social analysis, women’s rights, children’s rights, human rights, understanding government policies, livelihood initiatives through our Loyola Industrial Training Center, and other connected centers. Our experience has shown that strengthening and training these units has a greater impact on development.

We strive to make our stakeholders understand the importance of protecting and promoting human rights using the institutions available in our country. We are confident that as a result of human rights education, our target group will increasingly and effectively address the root causes of their problems and issues.

The existent structure created at CNFE helps us immensely. The people’s collectives that have been organized have been strengthened and upgraded.

People's Collectives Formed and Sustained by CNFE:

1. Slum Development Committee’s Federation (SDCF): A collective of 42 local slum development committees will have legal awareness, leadership, and good governance training programs. They will ensure that second-line leadership emerges and participation at the local committees increases. People take responsibility for availing government benefits. They also oversee development works in the slum areas of Bijapur. The collective leadership takes responsibility for organizing people and addressing issues pertaining to the slums.

2. Slum Women’s SHG Federation (SWSF): The SWSF is a collective of 302 self-help groups that ensure women’s rights and address issues pertaining to their development. Through this program, they will have legal awareness, leadership, and good governance training programs. Their regular savings, internal lending and borrowing, and self-employment are upscaled, empowering them economically and socially. Women have become a force to reckon with, as they are much more organized and realize their potential to be leaders. Their voices are heard when organized as a group. They eagerly come in large numbers whenever there is an issue of injustice pertaining to slums or to claim their rights. Their initiative to form new groups, refer people to the federation to settle issues, and network with like-minded federations is commendable. We are extending the working area of the federation by strengthening the number of groups in the existing area, strengthening their organizational structure, providing higher-level training to second-line leaders, and skills in advocacy, networking, and lobbying. The SWSF raises their voices against every injustice done to anyone anywhere.

3. Slum Children Clubs (SCC): The SCC is a collective of 190 children's clubs from the slums. We aim to ensure a happy childhood for every child from the slum. This is achieved through encouraging and educating children and their parents from the slums towards giving a bright future to these deprived children. They are motivated and encouraged to dream of a bright future and work towards it. We plan to sustain these children’s groups and make them aware of children's rights and various protection issues like child labor, child marriage, child abuse, addictions, gender bias, the devadasi system, and promoting education for girl children. We encourage and educate these children about the benefits available from the government, the importance of education, and its role in their future. Various training programs are conducted to promote child rights.

4.Construction Workers Federation (CWF)The CWF is a collective of 20 workers groups who have been fighting for the rights of unorganised workers. Through training on labour laws, de-addiction, and workers' collectives, we aim to ensure that this group is considered in the development of slums. With these interventions, this group is a force in upholding workers' rights and claiming their due from government programmes.

5.Auto Drivers’ Union (ADU)The ADU is a union of 150 auto drivers from the slums who are being organized to ensure that people whom they serve have a pleasant travel experience in the historic city of Bijapur. They are also helped and capacitated to take care of their families well and involve in the integral development of slums. They are trained to work for their rights, especially in uncertain situations where they are harassed by local police authorities.

6.Domestic Workers Union (DWU)The DWU is a collective of around 800 domestic women who constitute a part of the large unorganized workforce in the city. Through our initiative, we ensure they are capacitated with leadership training, awareness of their rights as daily wagers and domestic help, legal aid, etc. This union aims at lobbying for a separate law for domestic workers.

7.Senior Citizen’s Federation (SCF)The SCF is a collective of 15 groups of seniors from various slums. Through this programme, we want to ensure that many more from the slums come together to have support groups. The SCF ensures that the essential needs of seniors in families are taken care of. Moreover, they lead a healthy life and contribute towards the development of slums. They have been able to address their grievances in a forum which gives them courage and strength. This federation is continually supported and guided. They are yet to claim the benefits available from the government fully.

8.Slum Youth Groups (SYG)The SYGs are collectives of 21 youth groups, both male and female. The programme envisions that the youth are potential decision-makers in families and can contribute their efforts to the development of their areas. Therefore, they are capacitated with skills in social analysis, leadership training, encouragement towards higher education, handholding through skill development, etc.

9.HIV Support Groups (HSG)The HSG is a collective of almost 450 People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV) in the eight talukas of Bijapur. The programme envisions assisting these people who are part of stigma and discrimination. The nutrition support is a way of ensuring that their health is taken care of to some extent. This is also a platform where PLHIVs discuss their issues, find solutions, and offer support to each other. The HSG creates awareness on HIV in the slums, organizes HIV testing, and offers services through accompaniment and support systems.

Time Line of CNFE

The organization embarked on its social mission after the devastating Latur earthquake in 1993. Through collaboration with compassionate individuals and organizations, it helped reconstruct 4,500 homes and provided aid to affected individuals. Subsequently, the Centre for Non-Formal Education (CNFE) in Bijapur directed its efforts towards uplifting urban poor communities, focusing particularly on securing land and housing rights for slum residents. Beyond advocacy for rights awareness, CNFE initiated livelihood programs to improve the quality of life for these communities.

In 1995, it began a bridge school for child laborers and trained them and placed them back in formal schools. It has rehabilitated nearly 1,400 students till now. In 1999, it began a formal school for the children of slum dwellers in Bijapur. In 2000, a technical institute with Non-formal courses as part of the livelihood initiatives was started. In 2003-04, tailoring centers and the Balawadi programme began in the slums. In 2004, developmental programmes began at Sindagi and surrounding villages.

In 2005, a special programme called Ashadeepa for the differently-abled was organized at Mudhol with the support of AIFO. In the same year, the Devadasi Rehabilitation Programme began with the help of KJES. Meanwhile, in 2006, the Bijapur Jesuit Education and Charitable Society was established and all the programmes came under the society. In 2006, St Anne’s Community Care Center for the HIV infected began, initially supported by the Clinton Foundation and later by the Gates Foundation and NACO.

Concrete work for slum development through the project began in 2007 with the support of Andheri Hilfe. In 2009, the organization also started a home for orphan vulnerable children with HIV which was later handed over to Navasanidhya. St Anne’s Community Care Center and the project was handed over to SJT Sisters. In 2010, CNFE initiated a flood relief programme for the people of Bijapur. In 2011, CNFE’s developmental initiatives started receiving support from KJES. Ashadeepa got a state award for working for the differently-abled in 2013 by the Government of Karnataka. Later, the programme was handed over to DHM Sisters.

In 2013, a new working model of collaboration with like-minded organizations began, initially with the Devadasi Rehabilitation Programme supported by Missio Aachen. In 2014, the Child Focused Community Development Project began with the collaboration model supported by Sorrel Foundation and continued till 2021. In 2015, the Food Security Programme began with the collaboration model. In 2018, the Unorganized Youth Programme supported by KJES continued the collaboration model till 2023. The Integral Development of Slums programme began with the support of Jesuiten Weltweit.

In 2019, CNFE organized the flood relief programme and supported the reconstruction of homes with the help of KJES. In 2020, Covid relief was organized for nearly 12,000 families in collaboration with KJES-Azim Premji Philanthropies. In 2021, Covid relief was organized for nearly 16,000 families in collaboration with KJES-Azim Premji Foundation, BJECS, and other people of good will. In 2021, with the help of ACT Grants, a special programme for 1,837 ASHA workers of the district was organized. In 2021, CNFE got a district Rajyotsava award for its work in the social field. In 2022, the Child Focused Community Development Programme restarted with the support of KJES.

In 2023, a new health initiative for the mission began with the help of MAGIS Network. A new livelihood programme for the Devadasis and their children began with the support of Jesuiten Weltweit. A Study Center Programme for the children of slums began with the help of POSA.

Statistics of People's Groups Organized by CNFE for the Year 2023-24

Total Coverage: 76 slums, 10 Lambani Tandas, and 6 Panchayats along with a district-level network of NGOs with common programmes for Devadasi women, HIV-infected, leprosy, physical disability, children at risk, youth, and democracy.

Total No of Staff: 68