IFAD Gender Awards 2015

Asia and the Pacific
Tejaswini Maharashtra Rural Women’s Empowerment
Programme, India
This programme is unusual in that it focuses entirely on women’s
empowerment. Operational since 2009, it is being implemented by MAVIM, the
Women’s Development Corporation in the State of Maharashtra.
The programme has established sustainable three-tier grass-roots institutions
focusing on multiple forms of empowerment and financial inclusion.
The self-help group for savings and credit is the basic structure. Over 75,000
such groups have been promoted, reaching over one million women. The
village-level committee – with representatives of the self-help groups –
addresses social issues and influences local governing bodies to address
women’s needs. Community-managed resource centres – federations of selfhelp
groups – play a crucial role in micro-livelihood plans such as improving
production, marketing and value addition. The centres also promote value
chain approaches and partnerships with financial service providers. As a result
of improved confidence and training, women have participated actively in local
elections and community decision-making bodies.
The programme recognizes the importance of engaging with men to address
gender inequalities. Men’s groups formed at the village level address key social
issues such as joint property ownership, child marriage and sharing workloads.
Support systems to address domestic violence have been established, including
paralegal volunteer workers and links with the referral services and judicial
systems. Village-level committees organize “welcome the girl child” events to
reduce sex selection and promote girls’ education.
http://operations.ifad.org/web/ifad/operations/country/project/tags/india/1314/project_
overview
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©IFAD/Susan Beccio