I. Background 

1.1 Established in 1983, Consumer Unity & Trust Society (CUTS) is a social action group in India working on diverse issues of public interest at the grass root, national, regional and international levels, with "value for people" as its guiding principle. Its mission is to pursue social justice and economic equity within and across borders. At the grass root level it operates in Rajasthan, a state in north-west of India, and engaged in the struggle for "power to people". 

1.2 CUTS began out of a rural wall newspaper Gram Gadar (village revolution). In 1991, CUTS established the Centre for Human Development (CHD) at Chittorgarh district of Rajasthan. The Centre’s mission is: "To be an innovative centre for strategic interventions to raise the living standards of the people". 

1.3 The Centre’s goals are as follows: 

• Empowering people to participate in their own governance and understanding the development process more effectively; and

• Implementing people-centred projects on health, environment and development with thrust on women, poor and the disadvantaged.

1.5 Following the 73rd Amendment of the Indian Constitution (seeking 33% reservation for women members in local self-government institutions, called Panchayat), the rural India is undergoing a silent revolution. In simple terms, the hitherto marginalised section of the society (i.e. the women-folk) have started demanding and executing their rights in participatory development. 

1.6 The present project--titled "Rural Women’s Empowerment Project" (RWEP)--focuses on rural women with training on leadership, social justice, reproductive health, basic needs and environment. In short, the RWEP has taken both the institutional (to help the rural women on how to participate effectively in the institutional process) as well as organisational (on how to become better organised to make the institution more effective and people-centred) approach to the issue of participatory rural development. 
 

II. Project Area and Sampling 

2.1 The project area is in the Chittorgarh district of Rajasthan. The basic statistics of Chittorgarh are as follows: 

• Location: Chittorgarh district comes under the south-eastern region of Rajasthan.
• Land area: The total area of the district is 10,856 Sq. Km. The area is properly irrigated and the main rivers are Chambal, Banas and Berach. Agriculture constitutes the major activity of the land use pattern of the district. Among the major crops are jowar, bajra, maize, cotton and sugarcane. Sugar, cement and handicrafts form the major industries of the district. 
• Population: As per 1991 census, the population of the district was 14,84,000, with density of 137 persons per Sq. Km. of area. Between 1981and 1991, the rate of growth of population was 2.03 percent per annum. The sex ratio was 950 females per 1000 males.
• Literacy rate: In 1991, the literacy rate of the district was 28.23 percent (male--41.61% and female--14.15%). 
• Health care facilities: The district has five hospitals, 60 primary health centres and 291 sub-centres. Being a rural district, there are 5,100 persons per sub-centres.
• Family welfare: Chittorgarh has 291 family welfare centres and sub-centres. The effective couple protection rate was 29.4 per 1000 eligible couples. 

2.3 The target group beneficiaries were selected on the basis of three-stage purposive sampling. First, 45 under-developed villages were selected from each of five blocks. Secondly, these 45 villages were divided into three clusters with 15 villages in each of them. Hence, there were 15 villages in each cluster. Thirdly, from each village one woman and one man were selected as participants in the project, i.e. there are 30 participants from each cluster. Thus, the total number of direct beneficiaries are 450 (male--225 and female--225). The following figure gives the diagrammatic presentation of sampling, i.e. the target group beneficiaries. 

III. Methodology 

3.1The broad framework of methodology adopted in the project can be divided into three parts: sample survey, organisational development, and institutional approach to the issue of women’s empowerment. 

3.2 The sample survey is further divided into two parts: 

• Need assessment; and
• Study of the society. 

• Recruitment of animators;
• Training for animators;
• Development of communication strategies; and
• Training for target group/beneficiaries. 

• Staff capacity building;
• Advocacy and campaigning;
• Periodic interaction with project animators;
• Plan for evaluation.

4.1 The major activities in the implementation of the project were as follows: 

• Sample survey;
• Development of resource material;
• Staff capacity building; 
• Training of animators (Sachataks);
• Training of village volunteers (Preraks);
• World Women's day celebration; 
• Family counselling of women in distress;
• Rederssal of major incidents of women atrocities where police and administration have failed to take necessary action;
• Development of Mahila Mandals and Women’s Self Help Groups; and
• Organising Choupal Baithaks (meeting at village centre). 

• To find the magnitude of various social evils (practices);
• To study the cause and effect relationship between the existing socio-cultural practices;
• To find out the areas where women are most disadvantaged; and
• To bring focus into the problems and propositions.

4.4 A survey report was prepared on the basis of the questionnaire survey. The idea of that survey was based on the theme: not only what people do but also what they think about what they are doing. In simple words, the views of both the male and the female respondents were analysed to get a balanced view on the issues affecting the women. 

4.5 Resource materials: In order to be able to impart effective training to the target groups, certain resource materials that were apt for the rural population, and in the local language were developed. The resource materials used were training handbook, poster, audio visual aids, charts, puppet shows and other folk arts. The idea of using these participatory resource materials was to effectively activate and engage the rural populace with the project. In this respect, one of the main resource material of CUTS for reaching out deep to the targeted populace, Gram Gadar (monthly wall newspaper) was used extensively, and as a participatory medium so as to reach illiterates in a big way (see Box 1). Another resource material specifically developed for this project was a quarterly newsletter highlighting the issues and problems faced by the rural women--Aage Badho Hosi--Women Marching Ahead. A training manual titled—"Empowered Women, Robust Society" was prepared for the training. 
 
 

• To impart basic skills of communications and on advocacy, and for effective, cogent and coherent interaction with the government officials and the system; 
• To understand the tool and importance of inter-personal communications;
• To clarify the role of and build capacities of animators and village volunteers working in the project; 
• To make them aware of the village women's concerns and causes behind them;
• To make them aware of empowerment as a tool for women to achieve social change;
• To discuss the possible alternatives as solutions to the problems faced by them; and
• To review the progress and to strategise action plans for the implementation of the project. 

5.1 The impact analysis of the project needs to be approached from four different angles--direct, indirect, quantitative, and qualitative. However, all the four dimensions are inter-linked and the last one forms the intersection portion of the other three (see the following diagram). 

 

5.2 The direct impact of the project has fallen on the animators and village volunteers. As part of their training, the project has organised three TOS and 33 PDT. These training programmes imparted holistic training on various issues relating to the problems faced by the rural women. In each TOS, 15 Sachetaks were targeted to be present (for PDT, the target was 30). As on March 1998, numbers presented in TOS was 39 and that in PDT was 684. Thus there were 86 and 69 percent participation in TOS and PDT, respectively. 

5.3 Among the indirect impacts, the most important one was the multiplier effect of the knowledge and awareness of the Preraks in their respective community and field of activities. These Preraks organised 17 Chaupal Baithaks. They imparted their knowledge to about 50-60 people in each of those Baithaks. Apart from this demand-side approach of imparting training, the Preraks have developed a supply-side approach of disseminating their knowledge and awareness. Through this approach the diffusion of knowledge and experience takes place-- 

• At wayside tea stalls, 
• At night around the fire at the centre place of the village (Choupal Baithaks) and
• At the panghat (drinking water sources like wells, hand pumps etc. of the village) where the village women normally gather to fetch drinking water. 

5.5 The quantitative impact of the project can be gauged through the holistic and interactive impacts of other outcomes (as mentioned above). The concrete data of the quantitative impact of the project is not available at present. The comparative analysis of the following indicators is to be done to analyse the quantitative impact of the project: 

• Mother and child health care;
• Number of acceptors of family planning methods;
• Enrolment ratio of children of school-going age (particularly the girl child);
• Number of acceptors for adult literacy programme;
• The index of social mobilisation, especially the participation of women in the decision making process of rural development work;
• The index of gender inequality;
• The index of men’s attitude towards the women; and
• The index of people’s attitude towards socio-cultural practices.

5.7 After the formation of Mahila Mandals (women groups) in the selected villages, women members have realised their rights, duties, and responsibilities. In short, the capacity building activities is having the following impacts: 

• Women members have gained self-confidence (see Box 2);
• Developed skills to communicate with the officials;
• Realised the importance of environmental protection;
• Better equipped to identify and approach the women's problems;
• Started asking questions to development officials about public expenditure on socio-economic developmental activities; and
• Handling the gender-related issues in their villages. 

6.1 The expected outcomes of the project include the following: 

Improvement in women’s participation in local self-governance-- 

• Give equal opportunities for development and education to their daughters in the family;
• Give due importance and weightage to the household tasks done by the women; and
• Not to discriminate between their sons and daughters in providing food, play and in other social activities.

• Slush and dirt around hand pumps due to the spillage of extra water from it;
• Sometimes garbage and cow dung are being dumped near the drinking water sources; and
• Lack of proper sewer and drainage system in the village.

7.1 The Centre has made its presence felt in the areas under the project activities for a long time now and has built up a network of volunteers who have been associated with its various activities. Besides this, the voluntary spirit of the selected Preraks of the project, their eagerness to play an active role to resolve various problems of their villages, and to help those being faced by women, the poor and the disadvantaged are some of the strengths of this project. 

7.2 As a sequel to the customary presence of socio-cultural problems of the male-dominated society, one difficulty of the project was less than 100 percent participation of women Preraks in training programmes. The reason being that the rural women in Rajasthan are overburdened not only due to household tasks but also agriculture work, breeding cattle, collecting fuel and fodder, fetching drinking water etc. 

7.3 In order to overcome the difficulties stated above, the Centre has taken up the following innovative methods for greater involvement of women: 

• Though it is difficult for organisers to travel long distance at night and stay in the targeted villages, the Centre has started organising night meetings. Since then, there has been an improvement in the attendance of women; 
• Strategic sensitisation of Sachetaks in their monthly meetings, and to motivate them to undertake the method mentioned in point 1 above. In both the night meetings and strategic sessions with the Sachetaks, the Centres field organisers have undertaken an innovative method of sensitising them, i.e. of explaining the role model stories, like that of Kamla Bai, Kamla Jain, Kanta, Amrit Lal Ahir and others, and motivate them through this method. The multiplier effect of this method has already started showing results; 
• Another innovative method adopted is to push (motivate) the targeted beneficiaries (i.e. the villagers at large) to pull (counter-motivate) the elected women members of their respective villages towards the project activities; and
• Apart from the above mentioned organisational approach to overcome the weaknesses, the Centre has also taken the institutional approach to influence the government officials, i.e. the district administration, for better execution of the project. Here again, in order to fulfil the goal of reaching out to the women through innovative methods, the Centre has been organising its own meetings and programmes, and piggy-backing them with the government-sponsored programmes. For example, in order to achieve the goal of better child health care, in the recent campaign against polio organised by the Rajasthan government, about 500 volunteers participated in the programme to see to it that the maximum utilisation of it takes place in areas where the project activities are being executed. 

7.5 Another area of strength which has come out of the project activities is with respect to capacity building of Sachetaks and Preraks. Some of them have now acquired the capabilities of working as field organisers in the project area. 

VIII. Conclusions 

8.1 In short, the project has been able to achieve the following: 

• Changes in society’s attitude (particularly those of the men-folk) towards women; and
• Changes in the women themselves--confidence and awareness, eagerness to improve their own lot and those of other disadvantaged women, involvement in local self-governance activities and in the village level development work. 

• Fully involve the elected women (and men) representatives and public servants in project-related activities; and 
• Ensure the full participation of the Preraks in their training and dissemination of knowledge and information, increased field visits and contact activities are required.

• Motivate the administration to become aware of the problems of the rural people (particularly that of the women) and to help the rural-folk to handle the issues in a way that the desired results are achieved on a sustainable basis; and
• Complementary to the advocacy activities (as mentioned above), there is the need for more decentralised awareness campaign, training of the general public about the developmental activities affecting the women in general, and diffusion of the knowledge and importance of need-based activities to achieve the goal of sustainable rural development based on the complementary matching of immediate and future socio-economic needs, the availability of existing resources, and on a gender-equitable basis.

Top

Back