EMPOWERMENT & COLLECTIVE ACATION:

During the last decade the M.V.Foundation Women have adopted a holistic approach of empowering women and village committees for village development, sustainable livelihoods and increasing their technical and knowledge base and to bring about a paradigm shift in lifestyles.

Each programme has committees and groups at the village level who network and interact at the cluster and mandal levels. This has made the groups and committees very enthusiastic and dynamic. Women have also been trained in the 33% reservation allotment of the Govt. by MVF.

With the group and village support women leaders and staff are being nominated for mandal president, Sarpanch, Gram Panchayat members etc.

They have also been oriented on basic health aspects such as public sanitation, safe drinking water, ANC and PNC and seasonal diseases. In addition, they have been monitoring the functioning of local public health institutions.

The main thrust of the programme has been mobilising women to participate in the programme. 18624 women have been mobilised so far with 794 women leaders now in important positions like Village Presidents, Members in PHCs, VOs, CBOs in committees etc. These women are now influencing the Government on several fronts. The quality and efficiency of the implementation of Government schemes has increased over time. This has led to the women being self reliant and improving their family and communities.

AWARD ACHIEVEMENT:

The project has received the Earth Care Award on the 22nd April 2008 in New Delhi under the category of Community led action for mitigation and adaptation on climate change. The Jury were - Dr . M. S. Swaminathan, Dr. W.D. Dar, Dr.R.K. Pachauri, Prof. Aneeta Benninger , Shri.Kartikeya V. Sarabhai, Dr. A. S. Manekar ,Shri. Sajjan Jindal, Dr. Jagdish Kishwan, IFS. The Technical evaluators were CEE and TERI'