Women in Development: People’s Association for Rights Advocacy

MCCSS has tremendously impacted the local Chennai community through the Women in Development (WID) Project. Today, local women are more articulate, confident, and decisive and are now empowered to assume leadership roles. The Women in Development Programme highlights violence against women and creates gender sensitivity in both men and women. Men take initiatives to assist women in forming Self Help Groups (SHG) after understanding issues of gender sensitivity. MCCSS works to capitalize on this progressive trend through its establishment of the Women in Development programme with the aim of promoting leadership among women in Chennai slums. This new program is executed by enabling women to overcome the existing exploitative structures within the society.

Helping women develop confidence in their own abilities is a major focus of the WID department. The purpose of the formation of SHGs is to help women:

• Attain unity
• Collectively bear each other’s problems
• Inculcate problem-solving skills
• Achieve economic development
• Experience a debt-free life
  

The Impact in the Community

This project has brought about tremendous change in the lives of women and their entire community. It’s work serves as a channel of expression for their personal skills and also helps them demonstrate their concern for the community. After gaining confidence in the WID programme, women feel ready to organize groups and approach government officials with community issues.

Success Stories:

Displaced People: Replaced injustice (Raising voice for housing Rights)

LG Road is one of the banks of Coovum River in the Egmore area. More than 1200 families lived on the bank of Coovum for the past 50 years. The State Government authorities demolished the houses with police intervention, without any prior intimation to the people who lives there. The women and the children became the pathetic victims. The school going children and daily workers were severely affected. The government officials harass the peoples and they were not even assured them alternative houses. Our SHG members and local welfare associations performed Dharna, campaigns, rallies against this eviction and for providing them alternative houses. With the help of Sangamam Federation, 1028 people got their house in the housing board of Thoraipakkam and rest of the 144 still fighting to get it. After a long struggle, People’s voice achieved the housing rights and justice.

Breaking the discrimination!
Inter-caste marriages are not encouraged and supported by the upper caste people.  In Vyasarpadi area, there was an inter-caste marriage. The boy is from lower caste and their parent objected their marriage and tried to separate them.   The Brindavan Federation leaders supported the couple and helped them to lead a happy life.  They also assisted the couple to approach the officials to apply for Government Assistance from the Inter-caste Marriage Scheme.

Help for fire victims
There was a fire accident in Vyasarpadi and Mylapore areas.  Totally 30 huts were damaged in the areas. The federation leaders of Vasantham in Vyasarpadi and Thendral in Mylapore collected money from the entire member SHGs and helped the fire victims by providing food, clothes and vessels immediately.

Removal of Garbage and Drainage problem solved:
The leaders of SHGs and Federations met the Municipal Counsellor and Government Officers to address the issues of Garbage removal and drainage problem. As per the initiatives of SHG and Federation leaders, garbage were removed in Vyasarpadi area and the drainage problem solved in Perambur, Vyasarpadi, Erukanchery, Mylapore, Egmore, Thirumangalam areas.

Eve-teasing prevented in Arumbakkam
In the Arumbakkam area, near the school campus, there were a group of boys playing cards and making fun of the school going girls. This was continued for more than 6 months and hence the SHG members complained about this to the area Police Station. The federation leaders are also joined with them and after police intervention, this problem was solved.

Construction of New Toilets – Erukanchery
After a long struggle of the Sudaroli Women Federation, the Chennai Corporation constructed two modern toilets in Erukanchery, one of our intensive working areas. The leaders of the Federation frequently met the Municipal Counsellor and the concerned Government officials and emphasized the need of toilets in their area, which was delayed for long time. As a result of their continuous effort, they solved this issue.