Women Integrated Development

Empowering women to play leadership roles

One of the main causes for India to lag behind in development is the existence economic inequality and social disparity towards women, who form half of its 1.2 billion populations. Suppression, ignorance, lack of decision making power and lack of opportunities for women are resulting in continued poverty, underdevelopment, malnourishment, low life expectancy and high child mortality rate.

Women Integrated Development program initiated by Victas Foundation played a crucial role of empowering the vulnerable rural women and transforming them into leaders who can not only take control of their own destiny but also significantly contribute to the development of their families and communities. Victas Foundation has evolved a systematic and regular training that is helping these women with much needed strength and confidence to lead their families and communities in the path of development.

Community Based Organisation: SHT (Self Help Team) structure

Victas Foundation is currently reaching-out to about 200,000 women, in 175 areas, covering over 1500 villages, in 23 districts of Andhra Pradesh. In order to make ‘Women Integrated Development (WID) program’ effective, a community structure that would facilitate good leadership and ensure collective strength was worked out. This structure called as Self Help Association (SHA) was constituted in each of the ‘area ‘segment in the operational region. Usually an ‘area ‘comprises of 1000 women covering about 10 villages. Each village has about 10 (Self Help Groups) SHGs consisting of 10 members each on an average. Victas Foundation WID program is nurturing and training the existing Self-help Groups’ leaders and members. Apart from these 2850 new members joined SHA membership and received orientation and training in the year 2011-12.

WID Community Development Programs

Among the 20 development programs initiated by women as part of WID, the prominent programs in the last one year 2011-12 have been Hygiene and Environment. SHA members have focused on preventive health care by promoting individual, family and community hygiene. Towards meeting this goal, Victas Foundation has motivated thousands of women in the rural villages to build and use toilets in order to ensure sanitation and hygiene. During the year 2011-12, Victas Foundation supported SHA members in the construction of 1219 family toilets. 5563 saplings were planted by the women as part of WID program in order to improve the greenery and protect the environment.

Regular Capacity Building Programs

WID program has time tested SHA structure for over a decade and is continuously involved in empowering women through capacity building and skills training activities. The SHG monthly group meetings, the SHA committee leaders meetings, periodical training programs for the leaders, annual women conventions and solidarity meetings have helped women in developing their personality and leadership skills to a great extent.

During the year 2011-12, a total of 3150 group meetings were conducted every month and the average attendance at the meetings was above 80%. Victas Foundation organized 221 regular training workshops on various topics related to women and community development during the year.

Widows Emancipation

Social and economic emancipation of widows

In the last 5 years WID program has focused on the plight of widows in the rural areas. Victas Foundation gave priority to the basic human dignity of every individual especially those marginalized sections of women. The traditional Indian society is very biased towards widows. The widows are treated as inauspicious element and a curse to the society. While women in general are treated as second class citizens, the plight of the widows is even worse. Adding insult to the injury, women themselves (often out of ignorance) ill-treat the widows with great amount of prejudice. It’s a sad saga of a widow who has to face the cruel society and also has to fulfil the burden of taking care of her home and children. The awful discriminatory behaviour so visible among rural illiterate population in our area of operation:

• Remarriage of a widow is not easily acceptable in this part of the society.

• She is considered as inauspicious element in the neighbourhood and is not invited for the family and religious ceremonies and festival gatherings.

• She can’t adorn herself with colourful saris, wear jewellery, do any make up, use ‘bind’ on the forehead or use flowers for the hair decoration and use of bangles is also prohibited.

• She is discouraged from working and moving freely in the society.

Many women are losing their husbands due to ill-health, alcoholism and accidents, while they are still young. This sort of situation has left about 15% of homes with women headed families, further pushing them to extreme poverty and deprivation. An independent survey conducted in the villages by Victas Foundation revealed that 29% of widows wanted to end their lives. The extreme social discrimination and the economic burden of their family and children are sited as main cause for most suicides of widows.

Changing the mindset of civil society

WID program has given priority to emancipation of widows from their social and economic misery. In the last five years Victas Foundation has effectively reached out to the widows and instilled confidence in them. It has also taken the issue to larger society and brought about transformation in their thinking and understanding of the situation of widows. Awareness was brought about on unjustifiable ill treatment meted out to widows, in all SHA meetings. Victas Foundation has campaigned in the villages with social awareness songs on the widow’s issue

Changing mindset of widows through NLP and Yoga

Victas Foundation reached to over 1500 widows who have become active members of Victas Foundation groups in the villages. Some of them even assumed leadership roles. In the year 2013-14, WID program worked with about 6045 widows using NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) techniques and yoga sessions at 16 area centres. NLP and yoga sessions were held area wise where 100 to 150 widows participated in each session. During the sessions the members were helped to come in touch with the deep rooted ill-feelings that were often suppressed in the past. They were helped to overcome the suppressed pain and agony which is often lowering their confidence level. NLP sessions have helped them to erase their negative experiences and replace them with positive ones and gave a new beginning to life. This initiative has helped in changing their deep rooted beliefs and transformed their thinking.

Encouraging remarriages

With the change of attitude of the widows as well as of the people in the society, Victas Foundation is encouraging the young widows to remarry and provide family care for their children. There is positive response to this initiative. Some of the women are now coming forward to remarry. This was quite unthinkable in the past. Victas Foundation field staff and SHA committee members organized a few of such marriages in the past year. One of the young widows Ms. Georama got married to Mr. Mallet who not only came forward to marry but also take care of her 3 year old daughter.

Educational Support to super smart children of widows

Victas Foundation has selected clever and meritorious children who are very gifted with academic knowledge and is supporting their education. There is a urging need to help thousands widows’ children. Due to limited resources Victas Foundation has taken initiative to help about 671 extremely intelligent children of the widows, who have secured above 80% of marks and provided them with educational support. Victas Foundation calls these children as ‘super smart kids’. The idea behind providing this help is that no child, who has talent, should lose the opportunity to achieve greatness.

IMPACT: Situation before and after Victas Foundation Intervention

Before
Widow was treated like inauspicious person
Widow remarriages were unthinkable
Were not permitted to wear bangles, bind and flowers like any other women
Not encouraged to move out from homes
They were in depression and contemplated suicides

New
Now they are invited for all functions and festivals
The trend is changing, widow marriages are taking place
They are now wearing all these and are moving freely in the society
Now they are playing leadership roles
They are confidently shouldering their family responsibilities

Conclusion

The success of the Women Integrated Development program lies in the committed and dynamic work of visionary Mrs. Dipanjana Das and her well trained staff of Victas Foundation. The WID staff and field coordinators meet every month and spend two days in reflections, evaluation and planning which is guided by the founder and core staff. Victas Foundation believes in the high potential of poor women who have the capacity to overcome poverty and social subjugation and steer their families and communities in the path of development. Infect Victas Foundation strongly advocates its second development rule, ‘development is women’.

Solidarity with the Orphan Children

Arousing Community Compassion

Mr Naveen Kumar is on the way of realizing his dream of becoming a ‘Charted Accountant’, thanks to the initiative of Victas Foundation to encourage 1650 such orphan children to move forward in life with the strong community support. Naveen does not feel forlorn anymore. He has not only a vision to focus on but also the active backing of his community.

Victas Foundation is taking care to help 1650 orphan children supporting them with primary, high school and college education in about 500 villages. Prior to the initiative of Victas Foundation, the situation of orphan children in the villages was pathetic. At a time when the own relatives distancing themselves from caring for the orphan children, Victas Foundation has initiated community solidarity to help people in the neighbourhood, especially women to be empathetic towards orphan children.

Solidarity and support to orphan children is one program in line with Victas Foundation thinking that every community has the capacity and strength to cater to its own aspirations. Thus Victas Foundation is doing all that is needed to encourage community to provide care and support to the orphan children in their respective villages. The common responsibility and activities such as caring for the vulnerable and the needy children within the villages is raising the unity and integrity of village communities.

The participants have spent their day with the children, listened to their stories, encouraged them and gave them confidence to move on in their life.

Talent show event
Every year Victas children are brought together during the holidays in various areas and the cultural events are organized. Children participate with great energy and enthusiasm and they exhibit unique talents in writing, drawing, dancing, speaking, singing, music, etc. Children are also encouraged to give group performances and they also get the experience of coordination and team work.

School preparatory week

Children usually get very excited about joining new class after getting promotion and after completion of holidays. They look forward to the unique experience of preparing themselves for new academic year. Purchasing new books, stationary items, uniforms, clothes, shoe, toiletries etc. is usually an exciting experience for children. Victas Foundation coordinators and SHA committee members usually play the role of mothers and sisters for these kids and take them for shopping to purchase all the items required for their boarding school.

Women and Youth Convention
State level Women and Youth Annual Convention

State level Women and Youth convention was held on 25th February 20142 at Bishnupur, Bankura. Over 5000 women leaders from 13districts of various states and 1578 youth have participated in the meeting.

Women who participated in the convention expressed that the meeting not only provided knowledge on environment but also was helpful in taking proactive steps to safeguard the needs of future generations by taking environment issues seriously.

Integrated Women Development Program 2013-14 – Number
1 Number of villages reached 150
2 Number of areas 17
3 Number of districts covered in India 13
4 Number of Partners 17
5 Number of women joined during the year 285
Capacity Building Programs – Number
1 Number of meetings conducted in all villages every month 75
2 Regular monthly training sessions organised for young widows 22
3 Number of widows who attended yoga and NLP sessions 604
7 Number of SHA members who attended 6 training sessions 50
8 Number of women who attended leaders training program 518
10 Women and Youth convention attendance 600
Development Activities – Number
1 Women attendance at solidarity meetings 55450
2 Donations given by Victas Foundation women towards orphans 3608237
3 Number of semi orphan super smart children received Victas Foundation scholarship 671
4 Widows attendance at NLP and Yoga sessions 6045
6 Number of Sanitation beneficiaries 1219
7 Number of villages where Jalap Dana was organised 105
8 Number of Old and Destitute persons who received Victas Foundation support 629
9 Number of trees planted by women in WID program 5563
10 Number of women who developed kitchen gardens in their back yards 3000
11 Number of women who learned tailoring 375
12 Number of women who bought Victas calendars 38900
13 Attendance at gram sambas conducted in 82 villages 16117
14 Total number of orphan children supported by the village communities 1650
15 School preparatory day attendance 1027
16 Orphan talent show attendance 969
17 Number of orphan children who attended solidarity gatherings 1335