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ADRA India’s Gender Equality Program
understands that gender is a matter of power
and access to opportunity rather than that of
sex. While the trend in India is slowly
changing in favour of increased opportunities
for women, there are still many limitations
that come from centuries of religious and
social traditions that put up invisible
barriers. These barriers that are prevalent in
most areas of Indian society prevent millions
of women from making their own choices,
earning an income and having a voice that is
equal to their male counterpart.
ADRA India is working towards the Millennium
Development Goal #3: Promote Gender Equality
and Empower Women, through the establishment
and support of self-help groups (SHGs) and
income generation activities. We facilitate the
empowerment of women by showing them another
way of life, one that nurtures their sense of
a shared livelihood, creativity and a
financial contribution to the family. They are
receiving support in a wide variety of
income-generating activities including
sea-shell crafts, pickle-making, sewing and
embroidery, sign-printing, coconut-crafts and
marketing support. This enables many of them
to earn an income from their own effort and
design for the first time in their life. The
Island village Anjalapuram in Vakadu Mandal of
Nellore district was in a shock when the huge waves
of the tsunami smashed through their boats, shops
and into their homes. You could hear people
screaming and crying, as many property, livelihoods,
families and lives were destroyed. Immediately
people started migrating to the nearest mainland,
using whatever boats possible that weren’t
destroyed. |
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Gender-based Income Generation Gives
Tsunami Women a 2nd Chance |
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The Island village Anjalapuram in Vakadu
Mandal of Nellore district was in a shock when
the huge waves of the tsunami smashed through
their boats, shops and into their homes. You
could hear people screaming and crying, as
many property, livelihoods, families and lives
were destroyed. Immediately people started
migrating to the nearest mainland, using
whatever boats possible that weren’t
destroyed. |
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A Buddhist organisation from Taiwan,
constructed a housing society at the nearest
mainland point, which resulted in shifting the
whole village to the mainland leaving nobody
on the Island. Soon after ADRA India started
working with the displaced women of the
community, initiating an alternative
livelihood training program of Sea Shell
handicraft production. ADRA India trained 7
SHGs (Self Help Groups which consists of 10
members in each group) in the particular trade
and provided them with the skills of
marketing, labeling and pricing.
“Mastanamma”, an 18 year old unmarried girl
who dropped out of school after 2nd standard
from the affected village, participated in the
project run by ADRA India. Now she is one of
the most experienced craftsperson among all
these groups. She is able to train the
other village Srinivasapuram SHG groups in the
particular trade and has successfullycompleted the training. Now she earns over Rs. 5000 per month
during festival seasons,
during low season times she upgrades her skills by providing
training to the other people and contributes to the group
earnings. She exclaims “ADRA has given me the hope and
opportunity to fulfill my individual needs and support my family
when I was in a dilemma of what to do in my life without proper
education”. |
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A Buddhist organisation from Taiwan,
constructed a housing society at the nearest
mainland point, which resulted in shifting the
whole village to the mainland leaving nobody
on the Island. Soon after ADRA India started
working with the displaced women of the
community, initiating an alternative
livelihood training program of Sea Shell handicraft production. ADRA India trained 7 SHGs
(Self Help Groups which consists of 10 |
 |
|
members in each group) in the particular trade
and provided them
with the skills of
marketing, labeling and pricing. |
|
“Mastanamma”, an 18 year old unmarried girl who
dropped out of school after 2nd standard from the
affected village, participated in the project run by
ADRA India. Now she is one of the most experienced
craftsperson among all these groups. She is able to
train the other village Srinivasapuram SHG groups in
the particular trade and has successfully completed
the training. Now she earns over Rs. 5000 per month
during festival seasons, during low season times she
upgrades her skills by
providing training to the other people and contributes to
the group earnings. She exclaims “ADRA has given me the hope
and opportunity to fulfill my individual needs and support
my family when I was in a dilemma of what to do in my life
without proper education”. |
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