armene - women in leadership at all levels

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WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP AT ALL LEVELS

EMPOWERING POOR WOMEN TO BECOME THE NEXT GENERATION OF MICROFINANCE LEADERS

Armene Modi

Ashta No Kai A Rural Women’s Literacy and Development Project

September 4, 2014

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ASHTA NO KAI

For a Better TomorrowA Women’s Literacy and Development Project

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Empowering the Rural Woman and Educating the Girl Child

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ASHTA NO KAI PROJECT AREA

10 Villages in Shirur County, Pune District Maharashtra State, India

• Drought prone area • Population of approximately 15,000• Agriculture - main occupation• No proper infrastructure – lack of water, electricity,

basic health care facilities, proper roads

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A SILENT REVOLUTION In India, where women

have been discriminated against for generations, millions of poor illiterate women are spearheading a silent revolution through the SELF-HELP GROUP movement

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SELF-HELP GROUPSHelping Women Help Themselves

Self-Help Groups are a very effective means to the empowerment and well-being of poor women, enabling them to become self-reliant and economically independent

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NURTURING WOMEN LEADERS Self-Help Groups:• Develop leadership capabilities among poor women

by giving them a voice• Encourage ownership and decision-making related

to their Self-Help Group• Provide easy access to credit and encourage

savings to make women economically self-reliant• Promote participation in issues that affect the

women and their communities

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INCOME-GENERATING ACTIVITIESDairy Cooperative Goat Rearing

Backyard Poultry

Grocery Store

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VOCATIONAL TRAINING

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Self-Help Group members have:• Resolved alcohol and domestic violence related

problems in their communities• Lobbied district authorities and police to do their

job resulting in conviction in a rape/murder case• Staged protest rallies to demand implementation

of water project promised to village• Participated in village assemblies and demanded

their rights

SOME SUCCESS STORIES

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PERSONAL IMPACT ON MEMBERS OF SELF-HELP GROUPS

• Improvement in financial status including household savings

• Access to credit enables income-generating activities adding to household income

• Increased income enables spending on better nutrition, education of children and health care for the family

• Enhanced sense of empowerment and role in family affairs

• Financial autonomy and increased confidence levels gives women a significant voice in their communities

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FOSTERING THE NEXT GENERATION OF WOMEN LEADERS

Voices of village women that were once silent and passive have now become

vocal. These voices continue to grow louder

as younger generations of women become active partners in their own

development, realizing even more the importance of financial independence

and education as the means to empowerment.

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YES WE C

AN!!

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To awaken people it is the woman who must be awakened.

Once she is on the move, the family moves, the village moves, the nation moves.

Jawaharlal Nehru

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