Red Brigade Lucknow: Self-Defense and Vocational Training for Girls in India

Jun 23

In Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, GO Local Hero Usha Vishwakarma and Red Brigade Lucknow are working to protect girls and women from sexual violence while helping them build skills for greater independence.

Their approach is direct: train girls in self-defense, develop young women as trainers, and provide vocational skills that can support future income.

With support from GO Campaign’s Women’s Giving Circle, this work is already reaching young women across schools, colleges, institutions, and communities.

In June 2025, GO Campaign awarded a grant to Red Brigade Lucknow to support self-defense and vocational training for girls and young women. To date, the program has already served more than 1,000 young women.

Self-Defense Training That Girls Can Use Now

Red Brigade Lucknow’s project is focused on defending the physical and economic rights of women. The self-defense trainings give girls practical skills to recognize risk, respond to threats, and protect themselves in real-life situations.

The full project aims to conduct 150 self-defense training sessions, reaching approximately 4,500 girls and women.

These trainings are designed for immediate use. Girls leave with tools they can apply in their daily lives, and the program builds confidence through action, not theory.

Building Trainers and Income Pathways

The project also includes vocational training for 40 girls. Twenty young women will be trained as Master Trainers in self-defense, allowing them to continue the work and train others in their communities.

Another 20 girls will receive training in Chikankari embroidery, a traditional craft that can help create pathways to income and financial independence.

This combination matters. Safety and economic opportunity are connected. When girls can protect themselves and develop income-generating skills, they have more control over their futures.

Local Hero Leadership in Action

GO Campaign supports Local Heroes because they are already on the ground, already trusted, and already moving. Usha Vishwakarma and Red Brigade Lucknow know the risks girls face in their community and have built a practical response.

Women’s Giving Circle funding helps put that response into motion faster. It supports trainings, expands reach, and helps build a network of young women who can carry the work forward.

This is the kind of impact GO Campaign is built to support: local leadership, direct action, and measurable results.

Funded by GO Campaign’s Women’s Giving Circle

GO Campaign’s Women’s Giving Circle supports locally led projects that advance safety, education, leadership, and economic opportunity for women and girls. Red Brigade Lucknow’s work shows how WGC funding can move quickly through trusted Local Heroes and reach girls who need support now.