+ + Annual Report [2012 – 2013]

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Empowerment
In developing countries like India, access to positions of influence and power are limited to women. They
have limited access to occupational choices and their earnings are lower than that of men in most cases.
Comparing this scenario of women in urban and rural community, it is observed that the status of women
in rural area is more linked to the local traditional roles. In recent articles on development, a greater
emphasis was made on the influence and economic independence of women.
To address some of the problems and issues women face in rural society, VRO envisaged a few Women
Empowerment Programs with components of training on livelihood skills, soft skills, leadership etc. that
enable them to have great influence in the community where they live and earn additional income through
the acquired livelihood skills. The Village Empowerment program (Gramshakti Training Center) addressed
the need of making the rural society to be more independent and organized from within rather than by
external source.
Programs addressing Objective of ‘Empowerment’
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WOMEN EMPOWERMENT PROGRAM
GRAMSHAKTI TRAINING CENTER
Women Empowerment Programs are carried out
among the village women with an aim of
empowering them. The women organizers worked
along with the Self Help Groups (recognized by the
Government) of the villages. They strengthened the
SHGs by providing the group members with
information on entitlements and the availability of
welfare measures from the Government, bank loans
etc. Besides, they assisted in organizing SHGs
meetings, writing reports, maintaining the unity etc.
They also supported the primary school going
children through evening supervised study.
The Women Empowerment Programs were active
at 19 villages and strengthened the functioning of
75 SHGs in A.P state.
This program is meant to be more of follow-­‐up of
the reconstructed villages (target villages) in order
to strengthen the contacts between the villages and
the organization. The team visits the former
constructed villages to strengthen the Village
Councils, build unity and self-­‐confidence among
them, besides enabling them to mobilize their own
resources for their community development. The
village leaders act as animators helping the villagers
to articulate their needs and requests as well as the
ways and means of solving them. This program
serves as bridge between the organization and the
reconstructed villages so that the villages may
develop further preserving their tradition, energy
and beauty.
The Gram-­‐Shakti Training Centers served 32 old
villages in A.P state.
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