Empowering women in India

  • MRDF is currently supporting READ, an organisation that works with marginalised tribal communities in Orissa, India. The project empowers women so they can become better educated, aware of their rights, and capable of launching small-scale business enterprises.
  • Orissa is located in East India and is home to a large number of tribal communities. These communities are often marginalised and lack basic legal and political rights. The situation is worse for women who are often unaware of their rights and are unable to access education.
  • Many women in Orissa have been able to improve their income through activities such as goat rearing, cotton growing, vegetable cultivation, fish farming and brick making.
  • Marketing and financial management training provided by READ has enabled women to successfully sell a range produce for a good price at local markets. This improved income has enabled many women to send their children to school and become financially secure.
  • Hundreds of women have participated in life skills workshops which cover a range of topics including healthcare, leadership, sustainable agriculture, and business management skills.  READ also raises awareness of key issues that affect the communities it works with such as women’s rights, child trafficking, domestic  violence, and advocacy.
  • The role of women in the community has already started to change as a result of the project. The women's groups actively campaign to raise awareness of gender discrimination and lobby government for recognition of their rights.
  • Parbati Patika, 49, became involved with READ in 2008. She was isolated and shy before the project, allowing her husband to make decisions for the family. Parbati was able to access education and make friends with other women in the village. She has noticed that women, including herself, are more outspoken as a result of the project and that there has already been a reduction in gender discrimination, for example women are now invited to village meetings.

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