Formulating state strategies for 2005

35 women and men representing the state councils, state coordinators, program officers, trainers and NGO partners from 12 of the 14 Hunger Project states in India - Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Uttaranchal - came together in New Delhi from February 8-11 to discuss state-wise strategies with The Hunger Project staff.

Each state team presented their 2004 accomplishments and their vision and strategies for 2005. There was special emphasis on the importance of The Hunger Project's role in the upcoming panchayat elections. This meeting, led by Rita Sarin, our India country director, was grounded in deep reflection, strategic looking and a commitment to stand in partnership with the elected women representatives. Here are some highlights shared by our state teams:

• Shabnam and Virendra (right) from Rajasthan spoke of their focus on the massive grassroots mobilization through the Pre-Election Voter Awareness Campaign (PEVAC) using audio-visual aids like posters, paintings, dramas, films.
• Aradhana from Orissa spoke to her state's specific focus on the formation and strengthening of state level networks of NGOs working on the success of the Panchayati Raj Institutions.
• Vasudha and Bimal from Bihar, shared the incredible success of having 2,000 elected women representatives from 38 districts present a memorandum of their rights as elected representatives to the Panchayat Raj Minister. In 2005 they will focus on strengthening local women's organizations like the Self-Help Groups and Women's Federations to further empower women's leadership.
• Mary from Karnataka set a target of training 3,000 elected women representatives through The Hunger Project's Women's Leadership Workshop.
• One of the highlights of our work in the state of Tamil Nadu was the expansion of our media work from the print media to a radio program which interviews panchayat women leaders, and discusses their key accountabilities and the importance of women's leadership. This year the team will continue to influence the editors, journalists and news media to allocate more space in their publications and air time to empowering the role of women in panchayats.
• Arif and Sharbani from Assam said that they intend to expand our work to 12 districts, and also motivate the journalists at the grassroots to better report on the effectiveness of women in panchayats.
• Tongam from Arunachal Pradesh had been reporting on women's issues before she came to work for The Hunger Project a few months ago. She can now see that there is a new level of leadership available to her and has found her voice to communicate with more power with the government officials.
• Each state committed to strengthening their documentation skills and Dr. Palanithurai (right) committed to writing a book on The Hunger Project's work with women and local democracy, which will be launched at the 5th anniversary of the Sarojini Naidu Prize on October 2nd.

In the last several weeks as The Hunger Project and its partner NGOs have assessed the devastation caused by the Tsunami in Tamil Nadu, and have identified 3 panchayats and 30 habitations in North and South Nagapattinam, one of areas most severely hit. These panchayats and habitations were specifically chosen because of their isolation due to which they are not being given the required attention by the local authorities and the NGOs.

While the exact nature of the activities will be outlined once we do the planning and resource identification phase with the villagers, here are some of the broad strategies proposed for implementation:

• Capacity building and empowerment of the panchayats and their committees for disaster preparedness.
• Strengthening and empowerment of women panchayat leaders and other members.
• Community afforestation initiatives through the panchayats for coastal protection.
• Skills building and training for alternate sources of livelihood other than fishing.
• Assistance in establishing local communication systems for awareness /warning / forecasting of any natural calamities.

The Hunger Project along with its 3 partner NGOs in Tamil Nadu is committed to stay the course with the villagers affected in Nagapattinam for three years.

Left: Mary from Karnataka and Uma from Tamil Nadu. Above: Bimal and Lorena, country director of Mexico who also attended the meetings.