Background
The participation of women in the literacy campaigns led to the formation of a women’s platform “SAMATA”, in 1993, within BGVS. Initially it was conceived to be a platform that would integrate the experience of the TLC with those of the larger women’s movements that had a deep understanding of women’s issues and struggles. It was envisaged that the linking of the literacy movement would ensure that the education of women is closely linked to the empowerment of women.
Samata has not looked back since then. It was very clear from the beginning to keep the process of developing women’s capacity, women’s leadership at all levels from village to National level. At the national level there have been two major mobilisation programmes “Samata Jatha” in 1993 and “Samata Vigyan Utsav” from 1996 to 1999.
Samata Today
After ten years Samata is in the process of building institutional support at the village level for women who are involved with the work of Self help groups (micro enterprises), Continuing Education, Health, Preventing Violence against Women and Panchayati Raj. The network has widened and has roots in 10 000 villages in the country and approximately three lakhs women are directly associated with it, in the SHG’s and Samata has contact with almost 10 lakhs women through the CE programmes and Health awareness programmes.
It has to be reiterated that Samata is for the empowerment of women in the true sense of the word in all aspects related to life. Empowerment will be possible if we can consolidate these efforts with a few programmes. The main focus is on specific programmes like Samata Vachanalaya linking up to Continuing Education, Women’s Health, SHG promotion and Entrepreneurship Development in the first phase and other programmes in second phase. Though Samata has not emerged as a Platform for women’s organizations, Samata does interact with other women’s organizations and learn from their experience, now it is envisaged that we work closely with many women’s organizations and provide space for work on specific issues collectively.
Challenges ahead
The literacy movement managed to provide spaces for people’s movements but this was due to the socio-economical & political situation of the society. These spaces have got co-opted by the Government or the powerful in the village as we have seen in the anti-arrack movement in Andhra Pradesh. In this context it is very difficult to keep the women struggles alive and provide spaces. Samata is striving to keep the space alive for women’s collective action. So that these struggles become a political struggle, but Samata as such is not a Political Platform or a movement for struggles. Samata plays the catalytic role for social change by empowering women with knowledge and skills. One of the challenges is sustaining women’s groups.
Today the Governments and all the NGO’s etc are into forming Self Help Groups. (even World bank is targeting these SHG’s worldwide) In fact the only programme encouraged for women development is the forming of SHG’s. At times there is so much of competition that the organisations are snatching each other’s groups or one woman becomes a member of many groups of different organisations. For us it is a big challenge to sustain our groups. We have seen these groups as forums for women empowerment education and self-reliance and not just for exchange of money. Therefore strategies need to be worked out to give the ideological inputs to the groups. This can be done through a process of continuing education and interaction.
The SHG are organised groups and if there is no ideological education, that of democratic values then there is a real threat that the right wing and communal forces take over these groups.
It is important to make linkages with the women’s movement as the women’ s struggles have to be taken up collectively, these cannot be fought solely on the Samata platform. It is also the need of the hour to build collective alliances. The women movements also need to take up the literacy agenda, as there is a great demand for it.
The visibility of women within the BGVS /AIPSN, at the leadership level has to increase. Despite having such a wide network at the grass root level at the top level of leadership the number of women are few. In the various sub committees of the organisation there are very few women in the various sub committees other than that of Samata.
To establish women learning centres in all the States and linking them with Government Continuing Education Centers.
Skill development to develop and sustain micro enterprises to produce regional products in the pattern of Samata Soap of Kerala and develop marketing outlets within the network.
Women’s health to become priority area for work, understanding the aggressive anti women nature of the population policy. There is decreasing budget allotment, absence of women Doctors and delivery wards in PHC’s though the Govt norms provide. There is also the need to address the issues relating to declining Sex ratio, sex selection and femicide.
The Samata leadership has to develop the capability to link up with other movements at National, State and District level.
There is need to produce more creative material addressing women’s needs.
Samata also has to showcase the alternate model of self-reliant federations of SHG’s and show to others the need for a sustainable model different from Grameen or NABARD models.
Future plan of Samata: Three Years
A capable Leadership team to emerge from Block to National Level.
Building Samata groups in 20,000 villages, thereby creating an institution, which will act as the center of all the programmes.
Establish 30, 000 functioning and active Self Help groups in India under Samata Micro Credit Network and their network with their federations of SHG’s ?NGO’s
10,000 Vachanalayas specific to women would act as information centers and discussion forum.
Marketing out lets (Samata Shops) in 5000 villages
Setting up of women technology support centers, at least one in each region.
200 production centers that would support the SHG members.
Ensuring the 100% enrolment of girl children in about 20,000villages.
In 20,000 villages trained Samata health activist on Mother, Adolescent and child health.
Networking with other women’s organizations.
Networking with other women’s resource centers/institutions.
Programmes
A. The basic and important issues to be included in all programmes: Understanding Gender. Understanding Caste, Class and Poverty. Understanding of the present Socio, Cultural & political Situation Understanding of Peoples Science perspective, creating scientific attitude Globilisation and its effects on women. Understanding of the women movements. Understanding Citizens Rights and Duties.
B. Samata Vachanalaya / Samata Centers - Linking up to Continuing Education
Running Library in each village, which will function as a discussion forum. Conduct Literacy classes for Neo Literate women. Provide support for women to upgrade their knowledge and skills and improve their educational qualification. Produce Jan Vachan booklets for women coming to the library and for the SHG members. Develop learner-centered material by the women coming to the center.
C. Samata Micro-credit Network and Entrepreneurship Development
Produce training material for SHGs and Micro enterprises Provide training to SHG’s on Micro enterprises Networking with NGO’s including our own SHG federations, Producing a regular newsletter at National Level which helps to produce news letters at local level, which will give up to date information in the field of micro credit and some guidance on micro enterprises, and wider gender issues. Network Production and create market for the products produced by SHG’s and provide them with technology, marketing strategies in addition assistance to get loans. This has to be done with help of MPVS, CERD, IRTC, CTD, STD, CSR and FOSET and also other organizations who are working in the field livelihood. Starting up some production centers as Nodal Units in each state.
D. Samata and Health
The Health programme will focus on adolescent girls, women and children along with the public health aspects at village level. So we can plan on:
Expansion of the existing BGVS health model. Capacity building of the health volunteers on community health and give priority to women, children and adolescent girls and their health related issues. Creating a network of village level women’s health volunteers. On going skills up-gradation activities for the health volunteers coming under the network. Health Education to women SHG members. Food Security Population Policy Developing Materials on the health problems of women above 40 age group
E. Other programmes:
Panchayati Raj Legal Literacy Violence against women Consumer awereness
F. Mobilization programmes to be taken up throughout the year:
Samata Yatra/ Samata Jatha Samata Vigyan Utsav Samata Mela Public hearing on the status of women
Strategies
A National level resource group of 15 to 20 persons will be formed from within Samata /BGVS/AIPSN and other supportive organization for the smooth running of Samata activities. There will be three components Trainings, Material development and Monitoring
I. Trainings Keeping the above challenges and programmes in view it is important to equip the state, district and village level leadership to understand and learn to cope up with them Different kind of courses and trainings will be designed for the leadership and for the grass root groups. All the women at the Leadership level will have to develop an understanding on all the components of the programmes and related issues. For this purpose one-month curriculum will be designed and phase wise training s will be organised. Grass root level trainings will be organized as per programme and state needs Initially a consultation will be done both with the supportive group as well within organization. This consultation with these groups is being done on 4th Nov 2004 for the Education, health and leadership component, so that their support could be taken in developing the training curriculum and modules Then a brainstorming will be done for 5 days in the month of December to understand and work out programmes issues in detail.
First Regional Training
10 days regional level training for the leadership will be organized for 17 states,10 members from each state will participate. The training schedule is given below:
I. H.P, Uttaranchal, Punjab Dec. Uttaranchal II. UP, Haryana, Rajasthan Jan.2005 Rajasthan III. Chattisgarh, Maharastra, MP Jan. 2005 MP IV Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa Feb. Jharkhand V Assam, Tripura Feb. Assam VI TN, Pondichery, Karnataka March. Tamilnadu (For Kerala and West Bengal separate training will be worked out.)
II. Material Development
Material is to be developed on the following issues Literacy, Functional Literacy (Women Primars) Health Legal Literacy Education Understanding SHGs Human Rights of women Violence against women Conceptual understanding of violence / sexual abuse Exclusion of women from public spaces. Democracy and role of civil society Anti communal sensibility/ secular value, Communal Violence Natural resource Management Agriculture. Food Security Caste and Class Understanding the Constitution Guide books for SHG- orgainsing , Accounting, Monitoring, trouble shooting, Micro enterprise. Consumerism and Consumer Awareness Role of Gram Sabha Functioning of the Panchayat Raj Science in the Kitchen Science in Daily Life Globalization
III . Monitoring
There will regular monitoring from the National Center, on two aspects (a) Organizational: The functioning of the group, formation of structures, resource groups etc, at all level. (b ) Programmes. How far have they been implemented, and What is the Quality of the the programmes? A regular team will be constituted from the National center , there will be monthly visits to the states.