In the last village council elections, over 40 percent of all the contestants were women.
What started as regular meetings in the Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh has evolved into the springboard for women to launch themselves into village councils. This is allowing them to get implemented schemes of job guarantee and food support, among other remarkable changes.
ActionAid, UNDEF and its partners joined hands in 2008 for strengthening of women's participation in village councils in a number of states across India.
A changed political landscape Before the project started, participation by women in the state was near zero. The dramatic impact the community based initiative have had is clear from a phenomenal increase in participation of women in the Panchayati institutions.
In the last village council elections, over 40 percent of all the contestants were women. Of these, 33 percent contested under the reserved seats and the rest under open category.
"My mother-in-law used to say 'oh! So you are a politician now!' When we started going for meetings. But now we can even go to the Block Development Officer to lobby for our demands," says Meera Devi from Nakelpura village.
"I have even gone as far as Rajasthan for meetings," she adds with a sense of pride.
New perspectives While men have traditionally focused only on roads and water for irrigation, with women leadership entering the public space the demands for sanitation, drinking water and girls education have also been added to the list.
"We used to stay inside our homes. Husbands and mothers-in-laws would ask women to cover our faces. But things have changed a lot now." says Sarvati Pradhan, 50, elected village council leader from Nakelpura village.
"Our men too are very supportive since they've also understood the changes that can be brought about by just organising ourselves," she adds.
Information on government schemes for food, education and work that the women receive in the meetings of Reflect circles and Mahila Mandals have led to the women demanding these for themselves and their families. Watch a photo gallery:
What started as regular meetings in the Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh has evolved into the springboard for women to launch themselves into village councils. This is allowing them to get implemented schemes of job guarantee and food support, among other remarkable changes.
ActionAid, UNDEF and its partners joined hands in 2008 for strengthening of women’s participation in village councils in a number of states across India.
A changed political landscape
Before the project started, participation by women in the state was near zero. The dramatic impact the community based initiative have had is clear from a phenomenal increase in participation of women in the Panchayati institutions.
In the last village council elections, over 40 percent of all the contestants were women. Of these, 33 percent contested under the reserved seats and the rest under open category.
“My mother-in-law used to say ‘oh! So you are a politician now!’ When we started going for meetings. But now we can even go to the Block Development Officer to lobby for our demands,” says Meera Devi from Nakelpura village.
“I have even gone as far as Rajasthan for meetings,” she adds with a sense of pride.
New perspectives
While men have traditionally focused only on roads and water for irrigation, with women leadership entering the public space the demands for sanitation, drinking water and girls education have also been added to the list.
“We used to stay inside our homes. Husbands and mothers-in-laws would ask women to cover our faces. But things have changed a lot now.” says Sarvati Pradhan, 50, elected village council leader from Nakelpura village.
“Our men too are very supportive since they’ve also understood the changes that can be brought about by just organising ourselves,” she adds.
Information on government schemes for food, education and work that the women receive in the meetings of Reflect circles and Mahila Mandals have led to the women demanding these for themselves and their families.
http://www.actionaidindia.org/UNDEF_Picture_Gallery/index.htm?detectflash=false&
Photo Credit: Feroz/ActionAid
Text: Susan Thomas/Partha Ray
