Nai Roshni’ Leadership Development of Minority Women Project

    Background

    The status of women in the country, particularly those from the disadvantaged sections of the society, is unfavorable. A girl child suffers from discrimination even before birth and also after birth in the allocation of household resources such as food, education, access to health care and at puberty, sometimes coerced into early marriage.

    Most women in rural areas suffer from double burden of carrying out less quantifiable work, such as cooking, fetching water, sending children to school along with agriculture labour, feeding cattle, milking cows etc., while the men folk perform defined activities, such as selling milk and grains produced by the household.

    Women in minority communities fare badly too. They are not just a minority, but the ‘marginalized majority’ and are side-lined in decision making in the family, and usually cut off from full involvement in the workings of the community and form an equal share in rewards from social institutions. Empowerment of women per se is not only essential for equity, but also constitutes a critical element in our fight for poverty reduction, economic growth and strengthening of civil society. Women and children are always worst sufferers in a poverty-stricken family and need support. On the other hand, girl child suffers from discrimination even before birth and also after birth in the allocation of household resources, such as food, education, access to healthcare and at puberty, sometimes coerced into early marriage. All children-related responsibility is performed by women in majority so it is very important to empower women not only for their better future but also better future of our next generation. Empowering women, especially mothers, is even more important as it is in homes that she nourishes, nurture and moulds the character of her offspring.

    Project:

    CUTS Centre for Human Development implementing ‘NaiRoshni’ Minority Women Leadership Development project since 2013. Project was started from urban locality of Bhilwara city and continuous in Chittorgarh district of Rajasthan state.

    Objectives

  • To empower and instill confidence amongminority women, including their neighbours from other communities living in thelocality, by providing knowledge, tools and techniques forinteracting with Government systems, banks and other institutions at all levels.
  • Minority women empowerment and emboldening them to move out of the confines of their home and community and assume leadership roles and assert their rights, collectively or individually, in accessing services, facilities, skills, and opportunities besides claiming their due share of development benefits of the government for improving their lives and living conditions.

    • Targeted Group

  • Target Group includes women belonging to all minorities viz. Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, Zoroastrians (Parsis) and Jains.
  • The scheme permits a mix of women from non-minority communities up to 25% of targeted trainees.
  • Efforts will be made to persuade Elected Women Representatives (EWRs), from any community, under the Panchayati Raj institutions to be included as atrainee.

    • Subjects

    Six days non-residential training being organizing by organization in different localities and subjects are cover-

  • Leadership of women.
  • Educational Programmes.
  • Health and Hygiene. Swachch Bharat.
  • Financial Literacy
  • Life Skills,
  • Legal rights of women,
  • Digital Literacy and
  • Advocacy for Social and Behavioural change.

    • Activities

    Various programmes and activities are being carried out by CUTS Centre for Human Development during the project period:

  • Selection of villages/urban localities.
  • Identification of trainees for training.
  • Conducting baseline survey in proposed aria and beneficiaries.
  • Developing IEC material (resource material and training modules) for dissemination
  • Conducting six-day long training in batches and each batch having at least 25 women.
  • Nurturing and handholding support to them for next one year.
    • Year District Location Batches Targeted trainees
    2013-14 Bhilwara GulaliNagari, Kavakhera, Bhawani Nagar, Husen Colony &Guljar Nagar 5 125
    2015-16 Chittorgarh Gandhinagar, Dehli gate, Railway station colony, Chanderia, Kumbhanagar, 12 300
    2016-17 Chittorgarh Sawa, Bassi, Bhadesar&Barisadri 15 375
    Total 32 800

    Outcomes Quantitative

  • 800 women trained on various issues and for developing leadership skills through 32 batches.

    • Qualitative

  • Increased leadership quality among minority women.
  • Improved living standards of women in targeted areas.
  • Women have more aware about their rights and entitlements and accessibility of schemes running by Central and state government for women, especially minority community has increased.
  • Women have come raise their voice for achieving and fight for their rights.
  • Increased participation women at both home and community level in the decision making.