<p>“Tens of millions of women never get to experience the joy of childbirth, which for them is filled with dread, pain and sorrow”. This was an observation made by Melinda Gates, the co-chair and trustee of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, after she visited the rural women of the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh (UP). <br /><br />The UNICEF puts UP at the top of the table in terms of maternal mortality, with a woman having 1 in 42 lifetime risks of maternal death. Yet, in a corner of this most populous Indian state, women are working to address their problems.<br /><br />In Shahgarh block of Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj Nagar district (earlier known as Amethi), pregnancy is no longer associated with anxiety, as it was in an earlier era. The villages here have an ambulance service exclusively for ferrying expectant women to the nearest medical centre. The facility costs just Rs 6 or Rs 7, and what makes this service that began six months back so special is that it was initiated and is being managed by the local women.<br /><br />Concerned with the poor quality of education in the local primary school, these women have also set up their own school in the block two months back. The fee is fixed at Rs 50 a month and over 100 students have enrolled in it. The teachers, who have been trained by professionals in Rae Bareli and in Mysore, Karnataka — they were taken there on an exposure visit — are also drawn from within the community.<br /><br /> In fact, a few village women have started attending the school as well.<br />Members of Self Help Groups (SHGs) have been able to bring about a revolutionary change in ordinary lives in Rae Bareli and Amethi.<br /><br />In spite of a literacy rate of just 33 per cent, these women have been able to come out of their homes and get involved in income-generating activities, such as agriculture, cattle rearing, education, health programmes, initiatives to harness solar energy, social risk management and many other micro-enterprises.<br /><br />In the process, they are also developing commendable leadership skills. “Earlier, I would not dare speak with the district officials. My hands used to tremble when I was asked to write my name in front of a bank officer. But, recently, when I went to Lucknow to meet some bank authorities I felt no hesitation in interacting with them,” says Rajpati Vishvakarma (35), from Shahgarh block.<br /><br />Take, for instance, the case of Vimla Ahirwar (42) of Babina block in Jhansi district. Initially, the men of her village resented her power. They came to her bi-monthly meetings drunk, creating brawls and calling the women names.<br /><br />“I was helpless in dealing with these men, but later I talked to women members of the SHG, gathered their support and then led a team of over 100 women to the local police. After much persistence, the police official agreed to our demand to intervene, and from the next day there was regular police patrolling during meeting hours. The village men then not only stopped disturbing the meetings, many of them even gave up on drinking or at least reduced their consumption of alcohol,” recalls Vimla. She adds proudly, “Now we are not afraid of anything or anyone. The officials listen to us and do whatever needs to be done in the village.” Change is in the air in the rolling plains of India’s largest state. And it is women who are making it possible.</p>
<p>“Tens of millions of women never get to experience the joy of childbirth, which for them is filled with dread, pain and sorrow”. This was an observation made by Melinda Gates, the co-chair and trustee of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, after she visited the rural women of the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh (UP). <br /><br />The UNICEF puts UP at the top of the table in terms of maternal mortality, with a woman having 1 in 42 lifetime risks of maternal death. Yet, in a corner of this most populous Indian state, women are working to address their problems.<br /><br />In Shahgarh block of Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj Nagar district (earlier known as Amethi), pregnancy is no longer associated with anxiety, as it was in an earlier era. The villages here have an ambulance service exclusively for ferrying expectant women to the nearest medical centre. The facility costs just Rs 6 or Rs 7, and what makes this service that began six months back so special is that it was initiated and is being managed by the local women.<br /><br />Concerned with the poor quality of education in the local primary school, these women have also set up their own school in the block two months back. The fee is fixed at Rs 50 a month and over 100 students have enrolled in it. The teachers, who have been trained by professionals in Rae Bareli and in Mysore, Karnataka — they were taken there on an exposure visit — are also drawn from within the community.<br /><br /> In fact, a few village women have started attending the school as well.<br />Members of Self Help Groups (SHGs) have been able to bring about a revolutionary change in ordinary lives in Rae Bareli and Amethi.<br /><br />In spite of a literacy rate of just 33 per cent, these women have been able to come out of their homes and get involved in income-generating activities, such as agriculture, cattle rearing, education, health programmes, initiatives to harness solar energy, social risk management and many other micro-enterprises.<br /><br />In the process, they are also developing commendable leadership skills. “Earlier, I would not dare speak with the district officials. My hands used to tremble when I was asked to write my name in front of a bank officer. But, recently, when I went to Lucknow to meet some bank authorities I felt no hesitation in interacting with them,” says Rajpati Vishvakarma (35), from Shahgarh block.<br /><br />Take, for instance, the case of Vimla Ahirwar (42) of Babina block in Jhansi district. Initially, the men of her village resented her power. They came to her bi-monthly meetings drunk, creating brawls and calling the women names.<br /><br />“I was helpless in dealing with these men, but later I talked to women members of the SHG, gathered their support and then led a team of over 100 women to the local police. After much persistence, the police official agreed to our demand to intervene, and from the next day there was regular police patrolling during meeting hours. The village men then not only stopped disturbing the meetings, many of them even gave up on drinking or at least reduced their consumption of alcohol,” recalls Vimla. She adds proudly, “Now we are not afraid of anything or anyone. The officials listen to us and do whatever needs to be done in the village.” Change is in the air in the rolling plains of India’s largest state. And it is women who are making it possible.</p>
