Coping skills such as legal literacy, leadership training, personality development, training in human rights/women rights and other initiatives are integral parts of the training programme.
The Literacy program was initiated by identifying animators from the villages for literacy classes. We use Paulo Freire's method for adult education. Political education is part of the literacy classes, and this made an impact at the time of election. It is the usual practice in the villages that the vote goes to the party that gives the largest bribe to the individual candidate. As a result of discussions and awareness sessions in the literacy classes and in women's groups, women have changed this scenario. In some villages women, for the first time in their life, refused to take bribes, and influenced their family members to do the same. Instead of selling votes women advised the villagers to lay forward their village's needs before the political parties. When candidates came to campaign, women put pressure on them to improve the village infrastructure.
Ashankur Rural Women's Center
Village Bhokar
Tal. Shrirampur
Dist. Ahmednagar
Maharashtra
India 413 739
Phone: 02422 - 245649
ashwomen@rediffmail.com