The idea of a Sophia Centre for Women’s Studies and Development (SCWSD) was first mooted at the time of Golden Jubilee of Sophia College in 1990-91.The Centre was inaugurated on 6th October 2001 by the then Vice Chancellor of Mumbai University Dr.B.L.Mungekar.The over arching goal of the Centre is to accelerate the development of women. From its inception the centre has been working towards this goal by working on the following three areas--
1. Library and Documentation. : The Centre has a well-stocked up to date library consisting of books, Indian journals, magazines and audio-visual material. It has a section on documented articles from newspapers on various relevant women’s issues, like women and law, women and education to name a few. Internet facilities and information retrieval are available in the library. It is open to both women and men desirous of doing research in women's studies.
2. Research and Publications: The Centre has helped to develop several research projects on subjects related and relevant to women’s development. These research papers are then published as monographs under a research paper series based on the theme of the year. The papers are available for sale for a nominal rate at the Centre. The publications are:
> Sexual Harassment of Women at the Workplace
> Survey on Food and Nutrition
> Endometriosis
> Understanding Menopause
> A Study of the Cognitive and Attitudinal Impact of AIDS Awareness Educational Intervention on College Students
> Stress and Health Implications of Domestic Violence
> Bangles of Fire
> Women in the Panchayat. Jasai: a Case Study
> Misrepresentation of Women in the Media
> The Psychological Symbiosis between Man and Nature
> All the World’s a Peep Show. The impact of reality television in India.
> A Survey on Ecological Foot prints. The SCWSD also publishes a Bi-Annual Women’s Studies Journal called Urdhva Mula which is a collection of research papers, articles and writings linked to women.
3. Courses offered by the Centre
All the programmes of the Centre are aimned at broadening the mind and/or employablilty. SCWSD conducts a number of certificate courses throughout the year. Some of these are paraprofessional courses designed for capacity- building of adult learners, both men and women, while others are geared at awareness raising. Some of the courses are also designed for under-privileged girls and boys, especially those who suffer under some form of economic disadvantage, and have had therefore to drop out of the formal education system. Certificate Course in Food and Nutrition
Certificate Course for Social Workers Focussing on Women’s Issues
Certificate Coure in Women's Empowerment
Certificate Course in Baking
Outreach involvement:
Certificate Course for Health Care Workers
Certificate Course in Domestic Assistance
Certificate Course in Foodcraft (meal items, assorted snacks, preservatives)
Certificate Course in Needlecraft (hand embroidery, satin ribbon embroidery)
Certificate Course in Papercraft (Paper bags, paper folders, paper boxes, etc)
Certificate Course in Functional English
Certificate Course in Perfume Making
Certificate Course in Candle Making
Certificate Course in Chocolate Making
Certificate Course in Paper Quilling
Municipal School Project:
The Centre actively participates in the Municipal School Project, conducting workshops and gender-sensitization sessions with the students from the BMC schools when they attend the camps held at Sophia College.
4. Networking: The Sophia Women’s Centre has expanded its activities to include networking with other like-minded organisations like AIDWA, Awaaz-e-Niswaan and Tathapi, in several important campaigns against rape, sexual harassment, coercive population policies and our staff members have offered a variety of consultancy services.
5. Other Activities: The Centre regularly organizes talks, workshops, discussions,film screenings, poster displays and educational visits. All these activities are aimed at increasing awareness on women’s rights and issues.
