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PROJECTS » The Women Empowerment Programme ......

Women's Empowerment project/International Women's Day Celebration
8th March 2008

Women of this sub continent of South East Asia are suppressed by the male dominated society from centuries. The shadow of that oppression is still haunting them in present era of liberalization and democracy. Despite the major steps taken by the respective government to provide the equal right to women, the practical picture of their condition is still grim. The main reason for their present condition is lack of mass movement by women folks to get their right of equality, social justice and political recognition. However, the benefits of liberalization can be visible only in upper strata of society, it is desperately missing in the lower section or socio-economically backward community. Keeping in the view the ADF initiated Women’s Empowerment Programme with the objective to help women realize their potential and empower themselves to solve their own problems by making decisions, organising and implementing the programmes. The programme was phased out with the end of 2005-06 after a successful implementation, but logistic and technical support is still provided by ADF to the women’s groups, which are still functioning in the community for the development of their own and community as a whole. The women were educated through the programme to exercise their rights in solving their family and community disputes without going the civil court, taking up the community problems to the Government such as sanitation, environment, education etc. Presently the women are taking the initiative to solve their own and community problems. More than 10,000 community women are presently part of this development process.
ADF’s conviction on the importance of women’s power in the overall development of the society has led it to give due emphasis to the women empowerment programmes. Three board activities are currently run in the communities. These are

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Mahila Mandal
Self Help Group, and the
Mahila Panchayats

Rally Organized by Women Empowerment Department

Project Area:

S.No.	Area	No. of Households
•	Shahid Nagar	7000 House holds
•	Pappu Colony	1500 House holds
•	Kalander Colony	1120 House holds
•	Sunlight Colony	400 House holds
•	Rajeev Nagar	1500 House holds
•	Sonia Camp	500 House holds
•	Ambedkar Camp	600 House holds
•	Jain Mandir	550 House holds

(A) Mahila Mandal Programme:

In the Mahila Mandal Programme, women above 20 years are encouraged to form groups, voice their problems, and solve them collectively. The members are educated about their rights and various activities including personality development programmes, capacity building, motivational programmes, family counseling, etc. are regularly conducted by ADF. Till March 2007, 65 Mahila Mandals of 15-20 members each have been formed in the slums and resettlement colonies in Delhi and Delhi-Up border.

Target Groups:

Women belonging to economically and socially marginalised societies in the slums and resettlement colonies in Delhi and U.P., mostly from the Muslim community

Aim Of The Project:-

To make the women active members of the community and Society as a whole Objectives

Objectives:
• • •	To make the women active members of the community and Society as a whole Objectives Undertaking welfare and development activities for women. Empowerment of women by educating them towards their rights and to motivate the women to voice their problem and to solve them by their association. To provide family counseling services and also motivate women to voice their problem and to solve them by their association.

Activities:

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Formation of Mahila Mandals
To activate these group by conducting extra curricular activities and other personality development programme.
To organize regular group meeting and training workshop to make them aware about the programme and services being provided by ADF. and other related developmental programme (Health, Education, Sanitation etc.)
To generate awareness on certain issues through street plays with the active involvement of women and youth girls.
To organize procession on the problem, which are being faced by women.
Organizing exposure visits picnic and outing


Strategies:-
• • • • • • • • • • •	Open meeting in the community. Meeting with influential people. Discuss community problem (Women related) Drawing competition. Vocational training. Meeting in the presence of group leaders. Capacity building training for Mahila Mandal. Training regarding health education by trainers. Organizations of Street play in the community in presence of Mahila Mandla leaders and women Contact with Govt. department and involvement of Govt. department in programme. Establish family counseling

(B) Self Help Groups:

The Self Help Groups (SHG) scheme is to help the women from the marginalized sections of the society to empower themselves economically and socially by encouraging the habit of saving among women and facilitate the accumulation of their own capital resource base. Effective management and self-monitoring skills are developed in the women and inter loaning facility is facilitated. Till March 31, 2007, 41 SHGs of 15-20 members each have been formed in the slum and resettlement colonies in Delhi and Delhi-UP border.The present accumulative money holding of these groups is approximately 1 million rupees.

Women Empowerment Self Help Groups Meeting

Target Group:

Married women (18-60 years)

Aim Of The Project

To help women from the marginalized strata (Section) of the society in order to Empower themselves socially and economically.

Objectives

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To sensitize women of target area for the need of SHG and its relevance in their empowerment process.
To create a group feeling among women.
To enhance the confidence and capabilities of women.
To develop collective decision making among women.
To form and strengthen 25 SHGs within 12 months.
To encourage habit of saving among women and facilitate the accumulation of their own capital resource base.
To develop system for effective management and self monitoring.
To initiate inter loaning and prepare SHGs for linkage with financial institutes.
To motivate women for taking up social responsibilities, particularly related to women development.
To make these SHGs as models so that more women take interest and develop to form SHGs.

Activities

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Rapport building and to conduct in-depth need assessment.
To train the project staff on concept and process of developing SHGs.
Create awareness generation among women and facilitate discussion on the problem of women dissemination of information about purpose of setting up SHGs.
Identification of lead women in the community who enjoys the rapport and trust of other women.
Capacity building of lead women through orientation of SHG.
First meeting with select number of women shaving of SHGs objectives and arriving at decision on formation of SHGs including naming of SHG and starting collection.
Second meeting to discuss and develop norms of SHG.
Opening of SHG’s saving Bank Account.
Regularizing meetings and saving and necessary follow up.
Developing basis systems for SHGs.
Initiating inter loaning among members.
Establishing SHGs linkage with financial institutes.
Ensure periodical follow up and support.

Strategies:
• • • • • • • • •	Meeting with influential people’s Organize training programme Awareness through street play, Group meetings exposure visit. Identification of lead women by meeting and trained them through meetings. Organized sensitization training/workshop Group meetings in the presence of animator/organizer. Contact with Bank officers. Conduct training on group management Linkage with financial institution.

Aim Of The Project:

The aim of the Mahila Panchayat Project is to empower the women by educating them in women related legal issues and ensure that marital problems in the houses are solved by community Panchayat volunteers instead of going to the courts.

(Mahila Panchayat)

Target Group:-

Women from communities (Slums and resettlement colonies) whose age group are 20-50 years irrespective of caste creed religion social cultural and economical status.

Objectives

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To generate mass awareness among women about their problems and helping them realize that they only are capable to resolve them.
To organize women to form Mahila Panchayat Mohalla wise to take up all social issues those restricting growth of women in the area.
To enable Mahila Panchayat develop its own agenda that will enhance their capability to fight for their fights.
To make Mahila Panchayat a strong grass root unit to work for the cause of women children and overall development of the Area.
To help Mahila panchayat become major decision making body to resolve disputes among family members among women and among neighborhood.

Activities

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Community meeting in presence of influential people.
Building rapport with women of the community to asses various problem that works against their development.
Organizing women muhalla wise and form them in to Mahila Panchayats. Help them understand its need and how their collective power can become important instrument to bring desired changes and led them towards and led them towards development.
Preparation of constitution of Mahila Panchayat its rights and how it is binding to all those who live in a defined area.
Motivation and leadership training to key members of Mahila Panchayat at that will help them take good decisions and become responsible for the entire muhalla to educate them towards their rights and provide facility for legal advice in problematic cases.
Sensitize members of Mahila Panchayat about their rights and building of effective working relation ship with different department Such as: Health. Family welfare, MCD and with local MLAs.

Strategies:

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Rapport establishment with the communities’ leaders.
Identification of active ladies from the communities.
Make them aware about the concept of Mahila Panchayat.
Capacity building training of members of Mahila Panchayat.
Capacity building training of members of Mahila Panchayat.
Create awareness among community people on women relate issues.
Provide counseling services with the help of case workers within the community. Organize meeting regarding legal advice.
Legal advice advocates. Organize IEC activities in the communities.

Achievement:

Panchayat meetings are held every Friday at the project office where cases are heard by the Panchayat members to solve it with mutual understandings. Panchayat have solved almost 24 cases concerning women during this financial year. The cases solved in the Panchayat were pertaining to dowry harassment, domestic violence, neighborhood brawl, harassment by alcoholic husband etc. during the period April 2006 to March 2007.

Type Of Cases:
• • • • •	Harassment by husbands Strive between daughter-in-law and mother-in-law Dowry Harassment Inheritance Property from parents Maintenance after divorce

Awareness Generation

The Mahila Panchayat Project empowers the women to bring transformation and reformation at all levels- social, economic and cultural through the formation of mandals as strong units to work for the cause of women and children and overall development of the area. Till March 2007 , 2 Mahila Panchayats of 1200 members each have been formed in the slum.