Program activities
One cannot build women’s leadership without some programming. Whether it is establishing a grain bank, promoting kitchen gardens, or doing plantations, this enables the small women’s organizations that have been formed in the most deprived communities, to have continuous contact in the village. Each organization (sangathan) has 15-20 members. These Sangthans conduct meetings once a week or 15 days in their village and discuss the problems of the community, during which time, a list is made based on how many problems and several people are suffering or affected.
The organization head (cadre) builds a strong women’s Sangathan with the consent of the community at the local level. Sangthan elects President, Vice President, and Secretary unanimously and takes further action under their leadership continuously, which gives the women of the village a medium or platform to talk and gradually they overcome their fear of going out of the house. And they learn to keep their words (issues) and problems in front of everyone without any hesitation. By which women’s self-confidence increases and hesitation is removed and with the power of collective effort, they are learning to go to Panchayat and Gram Sabhas.
Formation of women’s savings groups from the point of view of Sangathan’s self-reliance, through self-help groups (SHGs) and mutual help groups (MHGs) in villages, where women can save ₹ 10 to ₹ 50 per month in their respective groups at the village level. They transact money among themselves when needed and work to help each other financially by giving loans at 2% interest. Through Ekta Mahila Manch, a total 136 SHGs/MHGs have been formed in the last six months, in which a total 861 women are members and a total Rs.1,01,475 SHGs/MHGs amount have been saved. A few have taken loans from the bank to build shops, dairy projects, house construction, farming, production of readymade cloth, poultry, goats farm, mushroom, kitchen garden, buying and selling of paddy, etc.. This work is being done by women for their economic independence. Some emphasis has been given to grain bank, kitchen gardens and plantations as elaborated below.
Grain Bank and Bachat Bank
The creation of Grain Bank and Bachat Bank: Gram Kosh – Grain Fund is being created to strengthen the community, a handful of rice or wheat, ₹ 1 or ₹ 10 is deposited in the pot (Matka) during the meeting so that though savings, they can gradually deposit it for the collective fund and sustain the Sangathan in the process of building up self-reliance.
Kitchen Garden
Under the rural community, each family was told about the benefits of a kitchen garden to strengthen, empower and bring awareness to women’s Sangathan from the point of view of health, nutrition, food and economic savings. It was told that where there is little land around or there is a waste of washing water in the house, they can use that land and water for the kitchen garden. Also, the women Sangthan were told about the benefits of the kitchen garden and encouraged to have a kitchen garden. A total of 470 families have started kitchen gardens and growing fresh vegetables. Moreover, they are motivated to grow, which mainly grow: beans, bottle gourd, pumpkin, bitter gourd, torai and vegetables like tomato, chili, spinach, radish, garlic, onion, carrot, papaya etc. Gradually its production is also being done. By getting proper production for eating fresh vegetables and not going to the market to buy vegetables and also saving money. Apart from this, their health and nutrition is improving. Some families buy other essential items by selling vegetables. The remaining unused vegetables are being sold in the market and some families are sending their kids to school.
Plantation
This Women Empowerment Project was started on World Environment Day, celebrated on the 5th of June. Our entire team planted a total of 3986 fruit trees in their respective districts, in which pomegranate, custard apple, Ramphal, mango, jackfruit and some timber plants were widely planted with the help of the community. In this tree plantation campaign, apart from the rural men and women, school teachers, children, local council members, sarpanch and employees of the forest department also took part. Through this program, we tried to give the message that we should keep the environment clean and have to protect and promote it. During Covid-19, we had challenges surviving and a shortage of fresh air and oxygen to save lives due to climate change in the whole country. Sometimes our health, agriculture, forests, rivers, animals, and birds were affected due to floods and drought. As a result, work was done to make the community aware to conserve and promote more and more plantations at various places for a better environment.
Exposure Visit
Ahimsa Santhai
EMM visited the Ahimsa Santhai Program programthat was carried out in Madurai in September 2022. The event was organized by the Nonviolent Economy Network in association with the International Gandhian Institute for Nonviolence and Peace(IGINP) and the CESCI (Centre for Experiencing Social and Cultural Interaction). In a bid to boost rural livelihoods, the economy, and youth engagement, an “Ahimsa Santhi” was organized at the Gandhi Memorial Museum. Artisans, entrepreneurs, farmers, veteran activists, experts, social activists, school and college students across the nation showcased their talents, handicraft work, organic food and learned how we can make chudi, bangles and other items with the help of local producers.
Hinsa Mukt Jeevan
We attended Hinsa Mukti Abhiyan held at Lucknow from 21st September to 02nd October 2022. The Red Brigade Lucknow had organized this program for violence-free life. 10,000 girls and women took oath in the campaign. A program was organized in Madison village where more than one thousand women participated to raise the collective strong voice for a violence-free life. Famous social worker Jill Behan was the chief guest and Renuka Tondon founder of the Amren Foundation was the president of the program.
Different activities for awareness and learning were organized in the program which incorporated values such as humanity, gender equity, non-violence, women’s active participation, self-defense and unity.
Naari Sansad
The Nari Sansad program from 8 to 9 October 2022 was organized by Parmarth Niketan and Mata Lalita Devi Seva Ashram at Rishikesh. In which the team of Manav Jeevan Vikas Samiti Katni, Ekta Mahila Manch participated in this program and completely gave their valuable time. The program was inaugurated by lighting the lamp by Shri Govindacharya’s chief guest Bhagwati Saraswati Saheb, Parmarth Niketan Secretary- Mr Ravi Shankar Tiwari, Parliament-Convenor Santosh Shukla Sharma, Program President and Ahilyabai University.
P N Mishra: Women’s participation is very important at home and outside of the home. We must offer them an equal opportunity because only women think about the family and they know who they should be and how to sustain a good relationship in the family. Also, explained the story of Sadhavi Bhagwati Saraswati Ji, how she did accept India when she visited Rishikesh and what things supported her to throw away the western civilization and begin Indian civilization. Because such type of work can be done only by women. Moreover, narrated the sacrifice story of Sadhvi Bhagwati Saraswati Ji.
Dr Shobha Rahul:
In Indian culture, the place of women in the family society has always been revered for taking care of everyone in the family and speaking about health issues and suffering. Moreover spoke about the situation of rural and urban women. It varies from city to city. On the birth of a girl child, different changes have been seen inside the village and the city. We have to adopt Indian civilization because of ending the Indian culture. Similarly, many speakers discussed the problems of women in the Women’s Parliament which was held on the banks of the Ganga, Rishikesh.
Moreover, the issues of domestic work and outside the responsibility of women, sexual harassment, domestic violence, health, education, malnutrition etc. were discussed. The place of women is supreme; she takes care of everyone in the form of mother-sister and wife. Shortly, women resolve the issues of their families; the journey of a woman is a journey of struggle. Rural people do not consider girls’ safety so, they do not send them to study pregnant women are made to work in the fields, and daughters-in-law are abused for being women who have more physical ability than men. A woman is not born a woman, she is made. There should be no gender discrimination, and the right and rights of sons and daughters should be equal. But women are made to realize that women are stopped and that they will not be able to do all this, our biggest obstacle is our family. The desires of women are stopped. Women should have a platform to talk about their families, homes society, and everything.
Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad and Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel shed light on the past, future and present of women in the Women’s Parliament. In this, according to the changing times, there was talk of change in the rights of women. Union Minister of State for Culture Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal performed Ganga Pujan and Aarti along with the women participating in the Parliament on a concluding day.
Advisor to Women’s Parliament from Indore, Dr P.N. Prof. Madhulika Shukla with Mishra, Padanvilochan Shukla, Kumari Sadhna Jha, Dr Archika Shukla, Chanchal Mudda Jhanwar, Aruna Mishra, Saroj Mishra, Prof. Preeti Sharma and Maya Pandey, Prof. Lakshmi Mishra, Professor Kumud Sharma, Professor Nirja Gupta, Tejal sister, Sadhvi Renuka, Pallavi Tiwari, Deepti Goyal etc participated in this program.
Women’s Land Rights and Homestead Rights
In India, 80% of farmers’ livelihood is dependent on agriculture, out of which 90% of the women are dependent on agriculture and farm labor. So, under the leadership of Ekta Mahila Manch for the last 20 years, women are getting land and homestead land right and campaigns are being run to get equal status for women and asking them to provide those Kisan Cards. Moreover, under the Forest Rights Campaign of the farmers who occupied the forest land before January 26, 2005, the personal (single) patta combined in the name of male and female have been received on a large scale in many states: Bihar, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh. Similarly, women have received homestead rights. Due to this the change in the status of women can be seen and the biggest achievement is having the name on the patta and homestead right their recognition and respect increased, apart from this, violence has been reduced, and increased production in the fields through Panchayat. They have benefited from the government’s scheme of irrigation, land bunding, seeds, fertilizers, etc., due to which the migration has also reduced, and have also started growing vegetables and kitchen gardens and saving money by which their children are being sent to school for education. Continuous efforts are being made to take action against the families who have not got rights.
Second-line leadership
Today, a stagnation situation has arisen in our country. And when the situation of impasse grips the people then they are afraid of any kind of change. To break this bondage and negativity there s a need to create a revolutionary soldier (leadership), otherwise, an unstoppable power can be established. To change these conditions, it is necessary to generate the stream of revolution (leadership) so that action can be taken with humanity. Today, the stagnation appears very closer to India’s social, economical and political sphere.
Hence, the leadership idea of cadre building and women (youth) worker training is an effort. Those who dream of changing society with honesty and integrity know that they can change society by fighting its high-low, rich-poor, discrimination, and inequality. But how? On what basis? With whom or which thought and principle? They remain entangled in these questions.
In these questions, the leadership has to develop the think-tank and give it a personality, for this, meetings have to be held continuously, training has to be conducted, and cadre building from village to village is necessary because the village organizational atmosphere should be created in it and continuous contact with the people should be maintained. And the centre of complete information of the village can be established, there should be a permanent leadership in the village so that people can be consulted by taking the right decision in any situation. With the presence of local leadership, the village organization (sangthan) will remain stable and strong.
The weekly meeting is being conducted to save money and grain through SHG/MHG groups after the formation of women sangthan in the villages. Through this process, women get empowered and reduce their fear to participate in meetings. Moreover, it raises issues and beliefs to discuss and resolve.
Qualities should be there in leadership:
- They are responsible for discussing and participating in each meeting of villages.
- Dedication towards society and commitment to working collectively to solve problems.
- Leaders elect the president, secretary and treasurer of women’s sangthan and keep records of meetings (Maintain a meeting register).
Women are taking an active part in constructive works like cleanliness campaigns, vaccination campaigns, tree plantations, kitchen gardens, organic farming and shramdaan etc. in every village.
Trying to become economically empowered by operating shops, sewing, and small industry through SHG/MHG and NRLM.
Keeping in mind the above criteria, 50 women leaders have been selected in each district, and a total of 1000 leaders have been selected after completing the local-level selection process. Their profiles are to be prepared.