WHY WOMEN?
Why does Jeevika make a big thing about helping women, when poverty hits the whole community?
In the poverty-blighted villages, women are the poorest. But hunger isn’t their only problem. Violence – and the fear of violence – prevent Indian women from striving for more. Hundreds of millions live lives afflicted by child marriage, denial of education, and denial of healthcare.
But when women in India’s rural communities are supported and empowered, the results are proven to be dramatic.
A focus on rural India’s women =
- Less female malnourishment, therefore fewer malnourished babies born.
- More girls & boys sent to school.
- More girls staying in school through the challenging time of puberty.
- Greater understanding of women’s rights to live free from abuse & exploitation.
- Greater prosperity for all, through boosted women’s livelihoods.
That’s why the women of rural India – today’s women and tomorrow’s women – are a primary focus for Jeevika Trust. Not because we wish them victim status. But because supporting women’s livelihood is the key to building a more prosperous rural India.
“Now we have the savings to live. We are free from the four walls of the house.”
On palm-covered Mahinsa island lives Basanti. She was married at 14 before giving birth to her son & two daughters. She says “Earlier we were dependent on our husbands. When the NGO came we got financial support & now we are self-dependent because we are earning. Earlier we were very idle, now we are active.”
Project Eco, the project Basanti took part in, offered start up training & materials for cultivating crabs & ground nuts, toilet as well as hand pump installation & encouraged mentoring of school children through eco-clubs. Basanti uses the extra income to fund her childrens education, & towards healthcare costs.