SAWF IN is committed to supporting women’s and trans* rights organisations and activists in their work to advance their rights and leadership in India. We support community organisations, collectives and individual experts working collaboratively with community actors to bring a holistic and sustainable change using feminist principles.

One of our grantee Diya Welfare Society, Chitrakoot, works in the deeply patriarchal Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh promoting and developing Dalit women’s leadership towards eliminating violence against women in their villages. Presently Diya Welfare Society works in 12 villages through their Diya Mahila Manch network, which provides on-ground support to women survivors of violence and acts as a pressure group to ensure she feels protected and safe. The Manch has over 1200 women members and is led by 30 active Dalit women leaders. These women leaders equipped with feminist leadership knowledge provides legal help and counselling to vulnerable, harassed women. They also are actively supporting their village panchayat in more gender-responsive planning and work. The organisation supports over 50 survivors of violence (women and girls) through counselling and case referral support  file legal cases each year. Some of these women leaders have also become members of the panchayat - Gaon Samities (Village Committees) on welfare of education, village development, health and have been actively participating in supporting their respective panchayats. Diya Welfare Society Secretary is headed by Mamata Soni is also an active member of many district task forces and strengthens the district adminstration in their work on women's rights and empowerment.