JULY 2004

A National Movement to End Hunger in India

India has a vast and diverse population. Each of India’s 27 states has a larger population than many African or European countries. India has 16 official languages and more than 1,400 dialects. So — unlike other countries, in which the Hunger Project directly mobilizes grassroots people — in India, we are building a nationwide movement of local nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) based on a shared vision and a shared strategy.

Our strategy (see below) is to train and empower grassroots elected women leaders to be the key change agents to end hunger in their villages. To date, this movement includes 60 NGOs from the 14 states of India that comprise 80 percent of India’s population. In Women’s Leadership Workshops, we have trained and empowered more than 15,000 women leaders — and to do that we have trained and empowered 480 trainers from these NGOs.

At the end of May, we achieved a critical milestone by bringing together the 40 most prolific trainers from across the country for a three-day meeting. All the participants deepened their understanding of The Hunger Project and had the opportunity to discover that they are not alone as they empower women in the face of harsh conditions. They are at the forefront of a national movement on the cutting edge of social transformation — a transformation that is working.

Leading the Women’s Leadership Workshop

At the end of the first national meeting of trainers in May, the women and men who lead the Women’s Leadership Workshop shared the following:

KAMLA (one of our first trainers) from Rajasthan
“I felt encouraged when one of the women I had trained was honored by the National Foundation of India for her exemplary work.”
JAYESH from Gujarat
“I learned the distinction between top-down development and The Hunger Project’s people-centered approach. I am already thinking how I will lead the workshop better.”
SHAILAJA from Karnataka
“Last year I attended the Women’s Leadership Workshop as a trainee, and now I am a trainer! Like the Olympic torch, I am passing on what I learned.”
JAYASHREE from Tamil Nadu
“I saw the achievements of everyone. I now intend to take up issues through our elected women’s federation.”
GITANJALI from Uttranchal
“On the first day I was a full bottle — all about myself. I realized that in order to gain something, I would have to empty myself of my past. I can now see all that I can do in my area differently and better.”
SR. DOROTHY from Madhya Pradesh
“I found out that things can be changed to bring about transformation in our society.”
JARJUM from Arunachal Pradesh
“I rededicate myself to something very dear to my heart — to have my sisters be empowered, and to have our future generations lead good lives.”
BOBBI from Assam
“After seeing the international reach of The Hunger Project, I see the pathway more clearly to invite women in my workshops into a global space.”
ANITA from Bihar
“I felt like no one until I met everyone from across India and around the world, and found out that their life is like mine!”
SANJUKTA from Orissa
“After being in the field for 23 years, I was feeling frustrated. I leave here mentally and physically recharged and strong.”

Our Strategy in India

South Asia is a region with abundant food, yet it has the highest rates of childhood malnutrition in the world — twice as high as Africa. The reason: women and girls in South Asia suffer a lifetime of subjugation.

A historic amendment to India’s constitution in the 1990s provides an opportunity to transform this condition. The 73rd amendment requires that one-third of all seats in village councils (panchayats) must be held by women. Women — most of whom have been denied health, education and nutrition all their lives — suddenly have a seat at the table. Each five-year term, five million women run for elections, and more than one million are elected — more than all the elected women in all the other countries in the world.

As women come to power, they shift the agenda toward health, education and nutrition. They become role models — winning the respect of men and building confidence in other women.

The Hunger Project is seizing this opportunity with a four-pronged strategy:

• Capacity-building of elected women representatives, through a Women’s Leadership Workshop, follow-up workshops and skills trainings.

• Making panchayats effective, by mobilizing greater public participation in public meetings.

• Influencing public opinion in support of women’s leadership, including action to mobilize the power of the media.

• Building alliances at the local, state and national levels, to change policies in order to strengthen local democracy and women’s leadership.

Heroes of the FF Campaign: Trudy and Andy Anderson
As activists across the United States continue their Financial Family (FF) Upgrade Campaign, we can all draw inspiration from Trudy and Andy Anderson.

For the past two years, Trudy and Andy have been the leaders of a small but mighty team of Hunger Project investor activists in Port Angeles, Washington, who were renowned for enrolling their friends, and friends of friends, into the Financial Family.

This year, Andy decided to come out of retirement and get a job, at age 80, for one and only one reason — because he and Trudy wanted to be able to invest more money in The Hunger Project!

The job offer he received required him to relocate — to Maine! So Andy and Trudy pulled up roots and moved to Kittery, Maine. One of their first actions, upon settling in, was to join the Global Investment Group. They have also set up a special bank account in which they deposit a percentage of every paycheck. They use this money to invest in The Hunger Project, and to cover expenses so they can attend Hunger Project events in New York. Although they miss Port Angeles, Trudy and Andy are thrilled to be joining the Maine activist team, led by our youngest activist team leaders, Jasa Porciello and Jon Petrusche.