The Hunger Project-India Executive Summary The Hunger Project-India (THP-India) signed its memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) in July 2010 for Strengthening Women's Political Leadership in Local Governance in five states of India. This MOU is for the period of 2010 to 2013. The first installment of US$500,000, amounting to 70 percent of the annual budget, has been received and the activities are being rolled out in the states of Karnataka, Odisha, Bihar, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. This funding will aid THP-India in deepening its work in these five states of operation and also move beyond leadership training to support elected women in exercising their leadership by building linkages with other women s networks and the community. In May 2010, Karnataka held Gram Panchayat elections. Strengthening Women s Leadership in the Electoral Process (SWEEP) held a pre-election campaign in 53 blocks of the state in partnership with seven community-based organizations (CBOs) and Gram Panchayat Elected Women s Federation of Karnataka (SUGRAMA), our state-level federation for elected women representatives (EWRs). More than 53 Women s Leadership Workshops (WLWs) and 75 Need-Based Workshops have also been undertaken in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttarakhand states that recently held elections. The new President/CEO, Mary Ellen McNish, visited THP-India in September 2010 along with Executive Vice President John Coonrod. The THP-India team updated the new President on its strategies and interventions. Country Director, Ms. Rita Sarin and Director, Ms. Sriparna G. Chaudhuri, accompanied the President and the Vice President on a two-day visit to Udaipur, Rajasthan. The Hunger Project team in Rajasthan welcomed the new President with a presentation of its achievements. The Global team met with two THP-India partners, Astha and Jatan, and also participated in a WLW. They visited Kesuli Gram Panchayat in Khamnore block of Rajsamand district to interact with the newly elected sarpanch (panchayat president) and other ward members, as well as the various functionaries in the panchayat. The Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Center, the government s maternal and child nutrition program, and the Health Subcentre in the panchayat were also visited. THP-India commissioned a review of its past nine years of work in the field. This evaluation aimed to assess our strategies to sharpen programmatic interventions in the coming years. The review team visited four THP-India state offices, met with THP-India staff in the national office and state offices, met with partner organization, interviewed elected women The Hunger Project-India Page 1 of 8
representatives and analyzed THP-India reports and documents. The evaluation team also conducted a two-day evaluation workshop with THP-India staff in New Delhi. The team has submitted the evaluation report and some of the conclusions and recommendations were as follows: THP-India s current training is excellent in creating awareness on social issues and to implement thematic interventions. Scaling up the WLW curriculum at the state and the national level will help THP-India to disseminate best practices to other organizations. Along with developing the capacities of the elected women representatives, THP-India should focus on strengthening the institution of panchayats. THP-India s cycle of leadership should commence from SWEEP s pre-election campaign. In short, capacity building should be the second year of the THP-India cycle and not the first. THP-India must continue to promote the federations at the block and the district levels. THP-India should review the possibility of withdrawing the Sarojini Naidu Prize (SNP) after a few more years. THP-India should build a corpus fund. Details on Progress Achievement Measurement Training of Trainers (TOT) workshop 1 Block-level meetings to launch WLWs 17 WLWs, follow-up workshops and need-based workshops 53 Need Based Workshops 75 SWEEP Pre-election campaigns Federation workshops, meetings and follow-ups SNP 2010 4 in Karnataka 193 meetings Prize Winners selected Gram Sabha Mobilization Workshops 48 Gram Sabha Tracking 22 Media interfaces 24 National Platform for Promoting Roundtable on Public-Private-Panchayat The Hunger Project-India Page 2 of 8
Decentralization (NPPD) Internal review meetings with trainers and partners 9 Partnership (PPPP) for Inclusive Growth through Inclusive Governance NPPD Advisory Board Meeting Publication of the fourth issue of the NPPD Newsletter Capacity building of THP-India Participation in Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA)-sponsored course in Sweden entitled Women s Political Leadership, on impacting/gendering development and promoting good governance. Partnerships THP-India forged many new partnerships at the start of 2010. Partnerships with the following donors are being implemented at the grassroots: United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) for awareness building on gender discrimination with a focus on reproductive rights, reproductive health and gender justice in Bihar. SIDA for federation building in Maharashtra and organizational development. SKL International for supporting the newly formed federation after panchayat elections in Karnataka. Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) for raising awareness on climate change issues. United Nations Democracy Fund (UNDEF) and SWEEP for capacity building in Rajasthan. Ribbink Van Den Hoek Foundation and SWEEP for capacity building in Madhya Pradesh. Embassy of New Zealand in India for federation building in Odisha. UNIFEM for strengthening women's political leadership in local governance in India in the five states of Karnataka, Odisha, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. In April 2010, THP-India hosted a delegation comprised of members of the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Delhi, UNIFEM-India and the National Institute for Rural Development (NIRD) in Hyderabad for a three-day field visit to Jaipur, Rajasthan. The meeting was organized to share THP-India s work of strengthening women's participation in local self-governance in rural Rajasthan. The team met with a mixed group of newly elected and previously elected women representatives who shared their experiences during SWEEP and discussed the role of The Hunger Project-India Page 3 of 8
federations in SWEEP and their achievements during the previous term. The visit helped the delegation develop a detailed understanding of the progress of the elected women, articulated the priorities of their respective areas and exhibited their effective influence on the decisionmaking process. A separate meeting with the male, elected representatives was also organized to understand their role in sharing and supporting political leadership with women. In July 2010, THP-India formally signed an MOU with UNIFEM and received 70 percent of the annual grant as first installment. THP-India also hosted the UNDEF monitor, Mr. Pinank Patel, as part of the second milestone of the THP UNDEF partnership. Mr. Patel attended the TOT for the Women s Leadership Workshops held in Jaipur in April 2010 for two days. A copy of the registration list, photographs and hand-outs given out as learning material were given to Mr Patel. In June 2010, Country Director Rita Sarin presented THP-India s strategies and interventions at a series of high-profile public meetings in Switzerland. As part of the midterm evaluation of the work supported by Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), THP-India hosted a delegation comprised of members of SDC Bangladesh and India along with the Officer to the Delegation of Independent Directorate of Local Governance, Kabul (Afghanistan) for a three-day visit to Pune, Maharashtra in June 2010. The meeting was organized to share THP-India s work with a federation of elected women representatives in Maharashtra. In September 2010, THP-India Director Sriparna G. Chaudhuri, participated as a panelist in the panel discussion on Creating Alliances to Strengthen Women s Political Leadership at the Vital Voices of Asia Summit. Other panelists included women leaders from Indonesia, Thailand and India. In June 2010, Sriparna also participated in the Tallberg conference entitled Rework the World in Leksand, Sweden. THP-India also hosted a delegation led by the Ambassador for Global Women s Issues, Melanne Verveer. Ambassador Verveer met with the THP-India team to understand the leadership of elected women representatives in different states and THP s role in building the political leadership of women in India. Broader Awareness and Advocacy THP-India supported the Alliance for 33 Percent, which asks for reservation of women in the Indian Parliament. The elected women representatives from across India and members of federations supported by THP-India undertook signature campaigns in their blocks and sent banners endorsing their support. Seventy-seven banners with thousands of signatures were received and displayed at the demonstration venue on Parliament Street in New Delhi. Fiftyfour elected women representatives and THP-India partners participated in the demonstration. The Hunger Project-India Page 4 of 8
THP-India s partnership with the Environment Defense Fund (EDF) on raising awareness about climate change issues with elected women in Gram Panchayats and civil society in Maharashtra and Uttarakhand moved to the second phase. Through this partnership, THP-India aims to build the capacities of the elected women leaders to understand climate change issues and its impact in their own panchayats. This would enable them to exercise their leadership and take steps to reduce their vulnerability as well as formulate strategies to mitigate the climate change risks. The orientation of trainers on issues of climate change was undertaken. Thereafter, climate change camps were held by elected women representatives in their respective panchayats. The Sarojini Naidu Prize, given annually for best reporting on women and panchayati raj, celebrates 10 years of partnership with the media. On September 15, 2010 the high-profile jury chaired by THP Global Board member and Founder/Director Institute of Social Sciences (ISS), Dr. George Mathew declared the three prize winners in the English, Hindi and Other Indian Language Category. This year the award ceremony will be held in New York to coincide with the Global Fall Event. The NPPD closed its partnership with its primary donor, the Ford Foundation, in May 2010. Prior to that, a roundtable on PPPP for Inclusive Growth through Inclusive Governance was held in April 2010 in New Delhi. Secretary Minister of Panchayati Raj was the guest of honor at the roundtable. The NPPD Advisory Board also met in April to discuss the work plan for the coming year. The fourth NPPD newsletter (May 2010 issue) was published and disseminated to all stakeholders. Under the THP UNFPA partnership, seven Gender Justice Camps have been organized at the panchayat level in Bihar. Forty such camps have been planned in total. The objective of these camps is to sensitize the community on gender justice with a special focus on gender discrimination, gender-based violence, sex-selective abortion and child marriage. EWRs and the community are mobilized to attend the camps to enhance their awareness on issues. The camps have received an overwhelming response with attendance ranging from 600-1500 citizens. SUGRAMA regrouped after the Gram Panchayat elections in May 2010. In September 2010, the new members held their first annual general body meeting at a Samavesha, meeting of the minds, in Bangalore. The new steering committee elected its office bearers which took charge from the old and also set up an advisory committee. Two-hundred and thirty SUGRAMA members from 53 blocks and 19 districts attended the two day meetings, met with their steering committee and office bearers, passed resolutions related to their functioning and developed a manifesto for the coming years. The State Minister of Rural Development and Panchayati, Raj Mr Jagadish Shettar was the Chief Guest on the final day of the Samavesha. The Hunger Project-India Page 5 of 8
Representatives of SKL International, a subsection of the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions, and SIDA New Delhi also attended. Recent Innovations In the pursuit of its objective of strengthening the leadership of elected women representatives across 10 states in India, THP-India organized a gender workshop in April 2010 to strengthen the capacities of its staff so that they remain updated on the subject and are able to weave the latest discourse in the trainings and the curriculum. The three-day Gender Sensitization Workshop for all THP-India staff was held in association with JAGORI, a women s training resource and documentation center. The training was based on perspective building with emphasis on knowledge building both at an individual level as well as at an institutional level, and to reach a collective and shared understanding of gender at the end of the three days. For the first time, pre-wlw meetings were held at the block level in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. These meetings helped to introduce THP-India and its training activities to the community at large and EWRs specifically and also served to establish trust and credibility at the grassroots. THP-India is well known nationally for its pre-election campaign, SWEEP. The campaign integrates gender in its entire campaign strategy thereby making it unique. Several development organizations approached THP-India for sharing its knowledge base on SWEEP. Ruchi Yadav, Senior Programme Officer, conducted a two-day orientation and strategy meeting on SWEEP for a field-based organization, JAGORI, in Sidhbari Himachal Pradesh. Twenty team members of JAGORI participated in this workshop. THP-India SWEEP material was shared with the group and a SWEEP strategy was developed for the organization's area of work. SWEEP campaign material from Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh was also shared with Lucknow-based organization SAHAYOG for their SWEEP campaign in Uttar Pradesh. Profile of a Leader in the Community Smt. M Renuka Ward Member, Namagondlu Panchayat, Chikkaballapur District, Karnataka and President of SUGRAMA, Renuka is a resident of Gundlahalli of Namagondlu Grama panchayat. She was elected a ward member in the 2005 elections and then again in 2010. She belongs to a middle class farmer s family. With the strong support of women s self-help groups and the poor, she got an opportunity to contest and win the elections. Over the years, Renuka has attended several THP trainings and upgraded her knowledge and skills. She has also learnt to be politically savvy. Her efforts enabled her to contest and win the post of The Hunger Project-India Page 6 of 8
President of the Karnataka State Federation of Elected Women (SUGRAMA) twice. The only federation of its kind in India and South Asia, SUGRAMA has a membership of more than 2,000 elected women members. Now, together with all the members, I will be able to analyze the issues of women leaders in the Gram Panchayat. I am very happy and want to be a part of SUGRAMA forever, says Renuka. Under Renuka s leadership, SUGRAMA has taken up several advocacy campaigns in the interest of elected women representatives. With the support of THP-India, she has led the campaign asking for 50 percent reservation for women leaders in Gram Panchayats in Karnataka. She has also aligned SUGRAMA to support a state network called the HAKKOTTAYA ANDOLAN which resisted the government s attempt to curtail the powers of the panchayat members. After she won the elections, she came across many problems faced by people in her village. The common problems in her panchayat are lack of drinking water and improper distribution of fair price commodities. She has taken immediate steps to solve these problems. She has also focused her energies on solving the issues of education and health. The dropout rate for girl children in Renuka s village is high. She identified such children in the village, motivated the parents and persuaded them to enroll their children in the school. Around 20 children have returned to the schools. The literacy program for the non-literate elderly was also not functioning. She motivated the community people and took a personal interest in making the program functional. Renuka s achievements have been many. Her concern for the marginalized community can be seen in her actions. Under her guidance, her panchayat provided financial assistance to a boy from a below-poverty-line family so that he could study mechanical engineering after his schooling. She regularly visits the Anganavadi, which is now recognized as a model in other panchayats because of its effective implementation of the government sponsored integrated child development program (ICDS). Renuka has played a predominant role in protecting the rights and interests of the elected women representatives. She has raised issues of honorarium for them, promoted women s participation in the development activities of the panchayat and has led the fight against gender-based violence in the work and domestic space for EWRs at both block and state levels. Renuka has been able to build a good rapport with the Minister of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj in the state as also with other officials. She has built partnerships with the media and has sought their support in her campaigns. With the support of other SUGRAMA members, she has called for more than 17 press conferences between January and September 2010. The Hunger Project-India Page 7 of 8
Renuka has played a critical role in the pre-gram Panchayat election campaign in 2010 both as an elected woman representative and as the President of SUGRAMA. She has traveled to different blocks to conduct potential leadership workshops and motivated her own panchayat women members to contest in the election. She motivated three women to file their nomination in the panchayat and also supported them in getting all their papers in place within stipulated time before the elections. Renuka is a good political leader. Recently she was felicitated with the State award as a Progressive Farming Woman. SUGRAMA is lucky to have Renuka as the President. She is not only an active member in her Gram Panchayat but also a well known political leader in the entire Chikkaballapur District. Future Plans WLWs will continue in states that recently held panchayat elections. These include Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Rajasthan. Implementing UNIFEM partnership in four states. Closing SKL International partnership and making SUGRAMA self-sustainable. Participating in Sarojini Naidu Prize 2010 and the Global Fall Event. Planning and hosting an investor trip in February 2011. Organizational Development Workshop for THP-India staff. Putting in place a new and effective appraisal system for THP-India staff. Completing action-based research on the impact of the 30-month tenure of Gram Panchayat Presidents on the development of the villages in Karnataka. A sharing workshop with stakeholders will be organized in January 2011. The Hunger Project-India Page 8 of 8