Adult Functional Literacy: A Catalyst for Effective Governance

PRADAN ’ seeks is to build vibrant institutions for women, led by women which will, in the long run, evolve into an effective demand system. Women will lead institutions that sustain livelihoods, strengthen programmes, influence local government to leverage finances, make local authorities more responsive to the community and, in time, become pressure groups for demanding rights, entitlements and state accountability on many fronts.

The Context

P RADAN’s programme on Adult Functional Literacy (AFL) has been introduced in the Purulia district of West Bengal. The hilly and undulating terrain of the area— home to communities that rank very low on the Human Development and Gender Development Indices—is typically characterized by dispersed settlements, leading to poor access to rights and entitlements, lack of awareness and weak public services like health and education.

PRADAN, works with about 10,000 families across five blocks of Purulia, with a focus on the survival and livelihood needs of the poor and the marginalized as the central issue. Another key focus of PRADAN’s interventions in the area has been the promotion of Self Help Groups (SHGs) and institutions of women, led by women. Currently, PRADAN is promotes and supports 678 SHGs, which have been organized into 60 cluster associations at the panchayat level, and gradual efforts are being made to federate them at the respective block level. The functional literacy programme was targeted to reach around 3,200 women across two blocks—Barabazar and Kashipur. The women’s federation in Barabazar is called Shbuj or Shabuj Sathi Nari Shakti Sangha (SSNSS) and the one in Kashipur is called Panchakot Nari Samiti (PANSI).