Literacy groups

The Center

Literacy groups

Ashankur means “Shoots of Hope”. It is a project of the Religious of the Sacred Heart, situated in Ahmednagar district of Maharastra This is a not only a drought-prone area but also a district that has a low rate of literacy, especially among women. The dropout rate among girls of school age is also very high. As this is a rural area, caste practices are very prevalent in a community that is highly patriarchal. The dynamics of globalization are forcing urban villagers to migrate back to their homelands, and this migrant population has become the carrier of HIV AIDS to the villages.

A decrease in rainfall has led to the failure of agriculture and to a rise in unemployment.  Consequently, alcoholism, gambling, and armed robberies are increasing day by day. Women are the first victims of these hazards, especially at night since there often is a shortage of electricity.

Many women are now the families’ bread winners. The source of income for our women is closely tied to agricultural activities. These women, however, have very little education, and therefore do not have control over the resources. Limited exposure to other experiences gives them little or no expertise in making decisions outside the affairs of the home.

The process of empowering women through traditional practices is long and slow. In this situation, political parties try to influence villages for their own advantage, and women are not able to hold their own opinions. We believe that if women are organized, made aware, and equipped with right skills they can use the power and potential that is in them to overcome obstacles and build society.

In the light of this belief Ashankur, has initiated a Rural Women’s Program. The focus of our work of development is the empowerment of women. Sustainable development in any community or society cannot happen unless women of that community/society are empowered. We also believe that empowerment is not simply restricted to economic self-sufficiency but is linked with human development to foster the expansion of a person’s capacities. Empowerment also creates an environment where people are able to develop and apply their knowledge and skills, and to increase their potential by the exercise of active choice with regard to work, leisure, and civic rights.

To realize this dream Ashankur has implemented a number of activities over the past three years. Our entry points in the villages are the”Self Help Groups”. In the first six months our efforts focus on making women aware of the need of becoming united and organized, of realizing their own potential. Participation in village development programs is then encouraged. Different issues pertaining to women’s lives are discussed in monthly meetings. Simultaneously the capacity to participate in Panchayat Raj (local government at the block level) and to manage income generation program is encouraged and strengthened.

Motivating women to acquire the necessary skills is an important component of the training. Presently we are working in 22 villages, and 3000 women are connected to Ashankur. A variety of experiments and training sessions are conducted at the main center: animal husbandry, Vermi composting, mushroom cultivation, tailoring, a basic course for nurses’ aides, leatherwork, computer literacy, entrepreneurship training, leadership enhancing, legal literacy etc.

All the programs are relevant and valuable, but we can highlight three:

The Literacy program was initiated by identifying animators from the villages for literacy classes. We use Paulo Freire’s method for adult education. Political education is part of the literacy classes, and this made an impact at the time of election. It is the usual practice in the villages that the vote goes to the party that gives the largest bribe to the individual candidate. As a result of discussions and awareness sessions in the literacy classes and in women’s groups, women have changed this scenario. In some villages women, for the first time in their life, refused to take bribes, and influenced their family members to do the same. Instead of selling votes women advised the villagers to lay forward their village’s needs before the political parties. When candidates came to campaign, women put pressure on them to improve the village infrastructure.

The nurse’s aide course is specially designed for girls who cannot afford to go for full-fledged nurses’ training. Most of the girls got jobs within 2-3 months of the completion of the course. They are working in different dispensaries and hospitals, and they are able to earn a fair salary.

This year we had 16 girls in the training program. Since our target group comes from the villages, when these young women return to the villages they have no jobs available. Often they have to look for jobs in the towns, and must also look for accommodation. This restricts the job opportunities, but the training also gives girls better bargaining power for marriage proposals.

Organic farming
This program has had a good impact on marginalized women farmers. We conducted training programs for marginalized farmer couples on an experimental basis. Besides convincing the couples about the value of organic farming, this has encouraged gender equality in the functioning and running of the agricultural activities of the farmers.

The impact of the work on the villages

• Because our groups are based on economic homogeneity and not on caste/religion structures, the members of the group come from across the religious community. This has enhanced communal harmony. The literacy classes helped to bridge caste-based misconceptions among women.
• Women themselves have realized that due to literacy and information there is much more respect for them in the family.
• In many families, the relationship between mothers and daughters-in-law have improved and there is more mutual support and.
• Families are now getting used to women going for overnight training sessions. 
  
• Wife beating is decreasing in some villages.
• Awareness of the need for the education of girls is stressed.
• Groups are beginning to think about the dowry system, and related problems are now brought up for discussion
• Women are now accustomed to visiting Gram panchayat or government offices and are able to demand their rights.
• Men have started commenting that because of the women’s organizations in their villages, Panchayat Samitee (Local self-government) has begun to link their programs with the villages, and the quality of life in the villages is improving.
• The overall community attitude towards women is changing positively.

The call of the spirituality of the Sacred Heart echoes in me through this work. We are called to be hope for those who have no hope, to be the voice of those who have no voice, to empower those who are powerless, putting our resources and our education at their service.

Accompanying our marginalized women in their struggles implies facing difficulties, fears and risks – especially in our Indian society where caste structures are deeply rooted.

As rscj we are women called to build communion in society. Contemplating the way Jesus lived, how he took a stand, how he allowed his heart to be wounded by the people among whom he lived, fills one with courage and inspiration to do one’s part in this struggle.

Daphne Sequeira rscj
Province of India