Ek Zraa Si Koshish trains girls and women to defend themselves, speak for themselves, and change what their communities accept as normal.
We exist so that no girl has to learn fear before she learns anything else. We train girls and women in self-defense, life skills, and public awareness — not as a one-off workshop, but as a structured, certified pathway that turns participants into trainers, and trainers into a growing network across cities.
Ek Zraa Si Koshish began in 2016 in a single school gym with one instructor and a handful of students. The idea was simple: teach escape, strike, and de-escalation drills built for real streets, real crowds, real buses — not a demonstration, a skill.
That first cohort became our first batch of peer trainers. Nine years on, we work across 14 cities, with 96 certified trainers — 41 of whom came up through our own programs — and partnerships with 312 schools.
Confidence is trainable. Self-defense is a life skill, not a self-defense-only skill — negotiation, digital safety, money, and legal rights matter as much as a strike or an escape hold. And change moves faster when it comes from peers: a trainer who was once a trainee carries more weight in a classroom than any outside expert.
Our work runs through three programs — self-defense, life skills, and public awareness — each described in full on the Programs page. Schools and colleges host cohorts directly; volunteers assist as coaches and coordinators; and our public campaigns bring free workshops to transit hubs and community spaces where a scheduled class isn't practical.
Ek Zraa Si Koshish is registered under Section 80G and Section 12A of the Income Tax Act, 1961, and is FCRA registered. Annual reports and audited financial statements are published on our Annual Reports page — 84 paise of every rupee donated goes directly to training.