2009 Global Hunger Index - International Food Policy Research ...

Meeting of women’s self-help group and women’s credit group in the Millenniumsdorf Sarwan, Jharkhand.
If mothers are undernourished, it has disastrous consequences not
only for them, but also for their children: hunger is “hereditary”, for
undernourished mothers give birth to undernourished babies. In the
state of Jharkhand, 57.1% of children under five years of age are
underweight. 1
Birma Devi’s statement points to the fact that this cycle can be
overcome once and for all only if women receive comprehensive sup-
port in internalising their status as family members and members of
society with equal rights and in assuming their rights.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the example of Sarwan shows that overcoming hunger
is particularly promising where women are members of society with
equal rights (including equal decision-making rights), both at home
and in politics. The likelihood of success increases even more if the
approach employed tackles all three levels of food security – availability,
access, and utilisation. Finally, underlying political conditions supportive
of development which aim for equal rights for women contribute
considerably to overcoming hunger.
Acknowledgements
We are grateful to Welthungerhilfe partner organization Centre for
World Solidarity (CWS), Jharkhand Resource Centre, and to Pravah
and their team for supporting this article. Furthermore, we would like
to thank the women in Sarwan who gave their time during discussions
and interviews.
1 Menon P., Deolalikar, Bhaskar. 2009. India State Hunger Index – Comparison of Hunger Across States.
IFPRI/Welthungerhilfe/UC Riverside. Washington D.C., Bonn, Riverside.
2009 Global Hunger Index | Chapter 05 | Women’s Role in Tackling Hunger 39