“The power of women is much greater than they themselves suspect”

Around 32 million women in India are missing, according to the statistics of 2001. Some never born, the rest die due to the lack of opportunity to survive.  Given this Indian context, capacity building of disadvantaged tribal women has been one of the objectives of the Centre for Women’s Development, Torpa (Jharkhand state, India) from its inception. This year we witnessed its fruits in a very tangible way on the occasion of Women’s Day.

Thousands of women came from interior villages of the Torpa and Rania blocks (Ranchi Dist, India), in the name of International Women’s Day.  Around three thousand women participated in the rally in Torpa and another 2000 were present in Rania. It was an awe-inspiring sight.  Many of them had to walk more than 8 kilometers to reach the place.  Several groups of women put up their own programmes. Miss Dayamani Barla, a social activist among the Tribal women, was the Chief Guest here in Torpa, and Sr. Odil (St. Anne’s Sister), an educationist among the tribals, was the Chief Guest at the function in Rania. Both of them highlighted several problematic issues of tribal women. Needless to say, the women were indeed fired with further enthusiasm to tap their own resources within and to face the future with courage and confidence.

“Women and Literacy” was the theme for the Day.  This is because around 95 % of these women did not have the privilege of going to school when they were children.  Keeping in mind of the millennium goals, throughout this year, literacy of women is given priority in our efforts of empowering women. Posters and banners were mostly on women’s rights, and they emphasized the need for literacy of women.  There has been substantial change in the thinking of the women members of SHGs (Self help Groups) towards education. I was particularly struck by one of the wall paintings in Rania: “I am learning how to write so that I can write my own destiny”.

The crisis of basic education comes at a time when technology has triggered a quantum leap in the accessibility of information, making ideas and knowledge available to more people than ever before.  The tragedy is that these same technological advances have further deepened the gulf between the rich and the poor – between those sufficiently affluent and educated to benefit from the new learning technology and those disqualified by poverty and illiteracy.

We celebrated Women’s day in two different blocks – one in Torpa on the 6th of March and on the 8th we celebrated in the Rania block. The State Bank of India sponsored the function in Torpa and United Bank of India sponsored the function in Rania.  The State Bank of India offered special awards to the best 10 non-formal literacy centres of women in Torpa and Rania. Together with women it was decided that since three hundred self-groups of women’s money is deposited in these two banks, we would demand that they sponsor these functions, and they did.

At the end of the day in both places, women walked back to their respective villages  feeling reinvigorated and with greater dignity. Truly, it is an opportune moment for us to respond to their awakening.

N.I Sophie rscj
Province of India