Hyderabad, August 18, 2005 - A silent revolution in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh found energetic voice today as hundreds of women spoke out about the remarkable changes in their lives over the past five years. In a day-long series of encounters with visiting World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz, the women – from poor rural villages - described how the creation of self-help groups had helped them not only improve their livelihoods, educate their children, buy assets, but also campaign against oppressive social practices, and become a force for development in their villages. They were just some of the more than six million women from 29,000 villages who’ve been helped by the Bank-funded Andhra Pradesh District Poverty Initiatives Project and Andhra Pradesh Rural Poverty Reduction Project. Under the projects, the women had been able to achieve change through the creation of half a million self-managed self-help groups and 800 federations of such groups over the past five years. Plunging into rural India on the first full day of his visit to the country, Wolfowitz spent the morning in Mushrifa and Kosigi villages in Mahbubnagar district. As the vibrant welcome of traditional dancers and drumbeats faded, the voices of women took over to share their stories. Magliamma, a disabled young woman, who had mobilized others like herself into a self-help group, was the first inspiring voice to tell the President of the changes in her life. Another woman, Lata reported that an initial loan from her self-help group had helped raise her income. She was now she was in a position to take out another loan to support the medical needs of her aged parents. Ramulamma, the 28-year-old president of the district federation of self-help groups, explained how the confidence the women had gained enabled them to successfully campaign in some villages against age-old practices like “jogini” (handing over daughters to become temple courtesans) and the barring of certain castes from entering temples.  |  |  | | A student from Mushrifa village. |
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Another woman, Anjilamma, described how she had once depended on daily wage labor, but thanks to careful use of borrowings from her self-help group, had gradually been able to but cattle and land. She was now putting her son and daughter through college.
“It used to be a hand-to-mouth existence,” explained another woman, Deramma. “ But now we are self-reliant, and can educate our children. We now have the confidence that we can come out of poverty.” The women clamored to narrate their stories with an infectious energy and enthusiasm which was hard to leave behind. Back in Hyderabad in the evening, Wolfowitz, in the company of state chief minister Y. Rajasekhara Reddy, met more than a hundred self-help group representatives from other districts of the state. It was a noisy gathering and spontaneous as each woman, unfazed by the dignitaries and huge battery of media, insisted on making her point. | |  | | Wolfowitz speaks with a family from Mushrifa village in India's Andhra Pradesh state. |
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These women included representatives of India’s most disempowered groups – widows, leprosy patients, and India’s lower-most castes. But their voices shouted confidence. One woman spoke for them all when she said: “We once thought that poverty is something pre-determined and life-long. Ever since I joined this group, I have realized that poverty is something one can put behind.” Wolfowitz was impressed by the sheer scale of what was happening in the state. “We are not talking of one or two pilot projects or model villages, but a state-wide phenomenon. There are lessons here for the rest of India and the world.” To the women, the World Bank president had a clear message. “You have demonstrated that you can repay your loans and manage your money. You can sustain this movement because commercial banks will now not hesitate to lend to you. What impressed me most was not just that you are earning more and giving your children a brighter future, but how you were able to come together for a common purpose. A leader is one who is convinced of her beliefs and can convince others. You have become real leaders and are a treasure for your communities and country.” Wolfowitz also met parents and children of a school supported by India’s Education for All program (known as SSA by its Hindi initials), to which the Bank is a contributor. Enrolment rates were up and school drop-outs were down. One of the most moving moments came when the President met a rehabilitated group of child laborers. Anuradha, 12, had been a cowherd. Vijaya, 11, had been with her migrant parents in Mumbai and tasked with babysitting her younger siblings. Eleven year old, Shashikala, had been a domestic servant. They were first rehabilitated in a special residential school, then once they had caught up with others their age, mainstreamed into the formal school system. They now enjoyed studying English and math. “Without empowerment there cannot be growth,” Wolfowitz said. “Women are one half of the population and no country can afford to leave them behind. I am really enthused and encouraged by what I have seen today,” Wolfowitz will be in New Delhi on Friday for discussions with the Indian government on how the Bank can augment its support to rural infrastructure in India. |
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