Empowering dalit women in Bundelkhand region@HARIT PRAYAS Jhansi

दरवाज़ो के चौखट पे अब मैं नही रहती,

चार दीवारे अब मेरी दुनिया नही,

मैं सिर्फ़ दर्दो में सिमटी नही हूँ,

हरित प्रयास से मेरी दुनिया बदल गयी है,

बंद चार दीवारो से बाहर में आगाई हूँ,

कई बहनो से मिल रही हूँ.....

और अपनी नई दुनिया बना रही हूँ.....

-विनोद पांडे

On Oct 11 2012 HARIT PRAYAS team at Jhansi has organised an unique programme to empower dalit women in the project villages and to closely understand their small-small concerns.  Team members of HARIT PRAYAS especially female team members have facilitated the programme and created space for women to share their happiness and concerns with open heart. The event has named as …ek shaam Nari k Naam” i.e. an evening for women. This unique event has generated a close impact and trust of women community members on HARIT PRAYAS and HARIT PRAYAS team has played the role of counsellor by listening them with all patience and supporting them morally! Sr. Anna and Ms. Malti the cluster Coordinators counselled women on their emotions, feelings and their role in society and home. This 3 housr of evening in Bedora HARIT PRAYAS project village (in Babina Block-Jhansi) has initiated a step to morally empower women of Bundelkhand region! The evnt also tried tto addres the domestic violence happening with women in project villages!

Some facts about status of women in Bundelkhand region:

• There is a TV serial name “Phir Subah Hogi” on ZEE TV clearly states how women in Bundelkhand are morally down, even are not allowed to share their feelings! In such scenario with HARIT PRAYAS we are able to create a space for women (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExlKpBrtdt0)
• Domestic violence is common in Bundelkhand and largely uncontested. Among the forms of violence practised are literal demonstrations of the phrase naak katwana - the woman's nose is chopped off (http://bundelkhandinfo.org/people/status/valorised_real.html)
• Women from SC groups are also vulnerable to sexual assault exercised by upper caste men. (http://bundelkhandinfo.org/people/status/valorised_real.html)
• A 2004 nine-state study of violence against women, supported by Oxfam (India) Trust, reported this narration of an SC woman from Chhatarpur district (http://bundelkhandinfo.org/people/status/valorised_real.html)
• Dalit women in Bundelkhand struggle to salvage both dying water resources in the semi-arid region and their dignity (http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/society/article3646345.ece)
• Women's work is statistically less visible, non monetized and relegated to subsistence production and domestic side. The non paid work includes domestic chores like cooking, cleaning, child care and care for the elderly and the handicapped-traditionally understood as women's work. Subsistence activities like kitchen gardening, post harvest processing, feeding farm hands, live stock maintenance, gathering of fuel, forest produce, unpaid family labour in family farm or enterprise are all done by women who are reported to be "non working housewives". If women's work is rendered visible, especially unpaid household work, there will be dramatic change in perspective towards perceiving (http://planning.up.nic.in/apd/hdr-2006/chapter-6.pdf)

Hopefully HARIT PRAYAS team at Jhansi would continue this type of evenings in each and every village at least once in a month!

Let’s come together to bring change in life of women’s in BUNDELKHAND REGION!

Let’s make change possible!

For more on HARIT PRAYAS log on www.haritprayas.blogspot.com of be our development friend on facebook and on twitter ( now HARIT PRAYAS is on twitter also)