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The Methodist Church of Great Britain | 2002

2002


EMPOWERMENT GRANTS

18 projects were supported by Women's Network. 

In January 2002, grants were made to the following projects:

In July 2002, grants were made to the following projects:

Grants Agreed in January 2002:

Africa

Training to empower women health volunteers in Ghana. 

The project provides training for women primary health care providers working as midwives and providing maternal and child health care services to rural women and children in deprived communities which have no doctor.  The project promotes the health of women, environmental sanitation, personal hygiene, childbirth assistance, pregnancy care treatment and comprehensive health education to rural inhabitants.  Agreed to a grant of £1,500.

Asia

Comprehensive Community Health Care & Education through Women's Participation in 10 Micro Villages in Andhra Pradesh, India. 

The project aims to provide sustainable health education through the training and development of local women as health educators. The target groups - dalits, women from scheduled castes and fisher folk - will be enabled to realise their rights to proper health and gain access to various government health services available. The programme adopts a holistic approach, striving to enable women to identify their own health needs and to seek ways and means to minimise their health problems on a sustainable and self-reliant basis.  £2,034 was awarded.

Empowerment of rural poor women through dairy development scheme in Andhra Pradesh, India.  

The project is for "backward classes", scheduled caste and schedule tribes and other minority sections such as converted Christians.  The diary project will provide 12 Christian women with sustainable occupational resources, so eliminating hunger, poverty and insolvency.  The project promotes a collective spirit among participants, cultivates a habit of "thrift and credit" and empowers women through the development of self-confidence, self-reliance and self-respect.  £500 was awarded.

Empowerment of Christian women through tailoring and knitting programme in Andhra Pradesh, India. 

This project is for the benefit of local Christian minorities living below the poverty line in slum conditions.  The project aims to equip the women with a skill that will help them improve their living conditions and generate income for their families.  Through shared learning, the women benefit from a sense of community and motivation, in addition to gaining a valuable skill.  £500 was awarded.

Empowerment of women through brick-making technology in Andhra Pradesh, India. 

This project is focused on the economically backward and drought prone area of chitvel mandal. In this dry region, the people are mostly agricultural labourers and the majority of women are illiterate.  The brick-making project, which takes the form of a self-help group, aims to give the women an income-generating activity which will help to raise them above the poverty line.  A "thrift and credit" scheme is also to be introduced, encouraging them to save a small amount every month so that they can meet emergency needs when required.  Night classes in literacy and project management run alongside the daily work of brick making.  £500 was awarded.

Empowerment of women through a programme to make leaf plates in Andhra Pradesh, India. 

Twenty poor Christian women, otherwise known as "harijans" or "scheduled caste", will benefit from this project, which aims to give them a permanent opportunity for employment.  They will be able to improve their own status through self help groups, regular employment (and thus income generation) and community building.  Group discussions will take place every two weeks and night time opportunities running alongside the daily work will help provide the women with social and health education.  £500 was awarded.

Empowerment of poor tribal women through basket-making project in Andhra Pradesh, India. 

This project provides gainful employment opportunities to 20 poor scheduled tribe women through basket making, which will help them to generate income and so improve their living standard, health and general well being.  The project, in Chengareddypalli, Chittoor district, also aims to create social and political awareness among the beneficiaries, to form self help groups and "conscientise" them to work for social change through the building up of the economic status.  £500 was awarded.

Provision of a sustainable occupation to rural, backward, destitute women through a mat-weaving scheme in Andhra Pradesh, India. 

The project focuses on Buddayapalli village in Cuddapah district, an interior, remote rural area.  The people are generally illiterate, in ill health, unaware of the social and political structure and economically dependent on agricultural labour.  The project aims to provide 15 Christian women beneficiaries (5 Methodist) with a sustainable occupation to enable them to become self-sufficient, self-reliant and gain self-respect.  A "thrift and credit" scheme will enable them to save money for use on medical treatment, their children's education, and in times of emergency.  A literacy programme will run for 2 hours per day in the evenings.  A grant of £500 was awarded.

Empowerment of rural poor women through basket-making project. 

This project is in the village of Sugali Bidiki, in Cuddapah district.  It also runs adult literacy classes sponsored by local government bodies. Awareness campaigns on matters of health, environment and leadership, will also form part of these courses. 25 women beneficiaries will help to plan and implement the project.  A grant of £500 was awarded.

Empowerment of rural women through dairy development project, Andhra Padesh, India. 

The villages of Amugampalle, Ambavaram, Sriram nagar and yeddulayale palli in Cuddapah district will benefit from this project, the aim of which is to provide 10 women beneficiaries with a means of raising their own living standards and thus that of their families.  It is an income generation self-help group project, accompanied by a thrift and credit scheme.  A grant of £745 was awarded.

Application 25. Empowerment of rural women through tailoring in Kurnool district, Andhra Pradesh, India. 

The project offers the possibility of self employment to 20 dalit families, improves and enhances the earning and living conditions of the target group, removes them from a situation of poverty, hunger, disease and premature death and contributes to their economic independence. Self help groups and a thrift and credit scheme also form part of this project.  £745 was awarded.

"Training cum production unit of tailoring programme for poor women's self-reliance" in West Bengal, India. 

As in the above mentioned projects, the women to benefit from this programme are currently living below the poverty line, are illiterate and have no regular income.  The project is income generating and will help 25 Christian women to produce ready made garments.  Their skill and economic stability will bring self-respect, self-reliance and empowerment to the women involved.  Women helped by the project will also be able to pass on their skills to others and become educators in their communities.  £745 was awarded.

Europe

Lydia Project: Black Sea Training in Romania (with Georgia, Ukraine, Belarus, Armenia & UK).  

This is a 3-week training session for 20 women of different churches in the Black Sea Region, introducing how to set up and run new projects in local communities for marginalised and deprived people.  Women of Belarus, Ukraine and Georgia invited Lydia Project help to plan and organise these sessions; local women will act as hosts and resource persons.  Facilitators from the Lydia Project team of tutors will introduce work on computers, finance, project proposals and NGO work.  This includes presenting new projects with good PR, writing project proposals with realistic budgets, and aspects of working in community projects with volunteers.  £1000 was awarded.

Grants Agreed in July 2002:

Arundhathi Mahila Mandali (Cuddapah Dist., Andhra Pradesh, South India)

Empowerment of rural women in health and education. A project enabling women to rear sheep and cattle as part of a self-help group offering each other mutual support, the means to save some money and provide for their daily lives. (£945 granted)

Jya Bharathi pala uthpathidarula Yuvathi Sankshema Mandali (Cuddapah Dist.,Andhra Pradesh, South India)

Empowerment of rural women through ram lambs rearing programme. Helping 12 illiterate Christian women (scheduled castes), this project enables women to generate income for themselves and their families through rearing "ramlambs". Literacy skills are learnt alongside it. £600 granted.

Mother Theresa Mahila Mandali, (Cuddapah Dist., Andhra Pradesh, South India)

Self help group for depressed and widowed women. A tailoring project teaching widows tailoring skills that will enable them to earn an income and improve their standard of living. £734 granted.

Nellore District Welfare Society (Nellore District, Andhra Pradesh, South India)

Women's Development through stone-breaking and gravel-making schemes. A project aiming to provide women from scheduled castes with a sustainable living, creating permanent employment and protecting the target group from hunger and poverty. £655 granted.

Mercy Mahila Mandali (Cuddapah Dist., Andhra Pradesh, South India)

Empowerment of widows through a self-supporting tailoring project. Another tailoring skills project enabling women to gain skills that equip them for employment and to earn income to improve their status. £537 granted.