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| Swayamsiddha – EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN |
Recognition for Rural Women  |
| Learnings |
| Swayamsiddha was a project for generating learning about the kind of processes that can initiate, support and sustain women's empowerment. One of the project outcomes was the blend of working with women in the beginning of the project to generate comfort with having women take on leadership roles and then later bringing in and working with men and other stakeholders. This supported as well as promoted women's roles in the project while recognising the absolute need to involve the entire community in any change process. The project also highlighted the importance of integrating gender into other ongoing rural development activities such as health and agriculture. The range of practical need areas identified by women at the beginning of the project directed the project in terms of the activity areas taken up. However, what linked the various activities was the attempt by all the partners to find ways of working as well as addressing the practical need area, which worked through processes that facilitated or created an enabling environment for women to become empowered. In all these areas, the emphasis was on helping women to build their confidence and solidarity through group platforms (most predominately women's self help groups). |
| The project emphasised that health is not only an absence of disease but a multi-dimensional entity that is influenced by individual's physical and psychological relationships with their natural and social surroundings. The strategy captured the diversity of the individual health programmes and strengths of the partner organizations and built a common understanding and approach to inform implementation. The focus was on participatory approaches and integration of gender equity. |
| The project log frame was based on the Community Needs Assessment with women in the inception phase of the project. A blend of a results based and process oriented approach enabled the teams to identify and analyze the gaps, inhibiting factors and also the facilitative factors in the process of achieving results. The field based monitoring and the mainstreaming of the monitoring process were found to be critical for generating reliable data and its use in programme improvement. |
| The process of conducting research on malnutrition in women was to achieve a better understanding of constraints and opportunities to guide the planning of sustainable interventions for improving women's health and well being. The project clearly demonstrated the value of building linkages and networking with Government departments to ensure good governance and service delivery. |
| The project was instrumental in making a good beginning in terms of awareness and skill regarding gender integration. The project has successfully demonstrated the capacity of women to play a major role in community development while recognising their status and contribution in managing their families and in the economic and social development of the entire community. |
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| Programme Impact |
Presently, 89% women are participating in health programmes, 84% women are involved in drudgery reduction activities and 82% women are sending their daughters to schools. Many members have taken loans for income generation activities and established linkages with Government organisations and various voluntary organisations. With such significant contribution to the society, most women are participating in Gram Sabhas. Many active leaders of the Self Help Groups have contested and been elected to various Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs), co-operative bodies and other village level organisations. The leadership of women has been recognised by the society. They are now able to influence the PRI to work for the benefit of the communities. In order to achieve its mission of sustainable livelihood for rural families, BAIF will continue to take initiatives in developing consistent goals and inputs related to gender integration in development process. |
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| The Influence of monitoring
and evaluation in swayamsiddha |
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