GENDER JUSTICE AND WOMEN EMPOWERMENT:

“Mummy ki Roti gol… gol; Papa ka Paisa gol…gol” (The Chapati Mummy makes are round and round; the coins of Papa are also round and round).

The famous Nursery Rhyme sounds very pretty, natural and innocent but underlines the skewed gender perceptions and roles of women and men in the Society. It is very much evident that we are in a male-dominated Society and there are stereotypes of gender perspectives. Women do not get equal status in the Society and there are gross discriminations and abject lack of opportunities. The life situations of the Women associated with DISA and Nai Disha Mahila Samiti are converted to the empowering situations of information, mobility, skills, access to and control over the common resources, decision making power and social capital where women come together, foster trust and inter-relatedness, build common platforms for mutual understanding and collaboration to stitch their destiny in their own hands. Women are in the leadership roles now in their Families and the Groups. We can see the visible changes in the villages of our interventions.

“Women are leaders everywhere you look - from the CEO who runs a Fortune 500 company to the housewife who raises her children and heads her household. Our country was built by strong women, and we will continue to break down walls and defy stereotypes.” (Nancy Pelosi)

“Another world is not only possible; she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.” (Arundhati Roy)

The Women are organized in to Groups at Village level, Gram Panchayat Level, Block Level and Central Level so as to form their Federation and become a power to bargain for their rights and entitlements. This Federation has been registered as a Society under Societies Registration Act of 1860 with the name Nai Disha Mahila Samiti and takes leadership in the empowerment actions in the villages for gender equity, justice and access to resources. The Gram Panchayat Level meetings are scheduled to be held once in two months and the Block Level and Central Level Committee meetings are scheduled to be held once in three months. The women became active once again after the Covid 19 Pandemic and lockdown. DISA facilitated many awareness meetings, common celebrations and cultural programmes. These celebrations are marked by public gathering, with many cultural programmes by Women and Adolescent Girls. They also take collective actions for their rights and entitlements as well as due share in the Society.