The Community Takes Charge: Green Shoots Emerge

In an attempt to strengthen the NMS, by bringing changes in the existing support system, by enhancing volunteerism to reduce dependency, by moulding challenges into opportunities for women leaders, by helping women extend from the self to others and by developing a pool of strong leaders in their collective, the Bhoura team has been successful in initiating the journey towards autonomy and self-sufficiency

“Awaz do hum ek hain!”

“Hum Bharat ki nari hain, phool nahi chingari hain!”

“Jan-jan ka nara hai, Narmda Sangh hamara hai!”

T hese slogans reverberated in the villages during the Cluster Adhiveshan event. The women were preparing for the Mahadhiveshan of the Narmada Mahila Sangh (NMS), to take place on the 23 February, 2016. The women were excited because this was the first time that they had taken complete charge of conducting the event. They had been preparing and waiting for over a year for this event, in which 11,000 women would participate. The fact that they were exclusively responsible for organizing the event made it even more exhilarating for them. They had even invited the Honourable Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh for the event. Other such initiatives were also being organized by the volunteers of NMS. This was not the picture some two years ago. NMS has, indeed, travelled a long way to becoming an autonomous body!

PRADAN has, over the years, played the role of facilitator and guide and provided hand-holding support and helped the women form NMS. And it continues to support NMS, to become a volunteer-based institution of women that strives to change society for greater good. To achieve this larger goal of NMS, it needs to be autonomous and self-sustained. PRADAN has been engaging with NMS, to build its capacity around operations and governance and to make it an independent institution, run and governed by its volunteer members.