women

The project aimed to support elected members of selected village councils in Haryana and Uttarakhand States - especially women - , to fulfill their roles: planning and implementing village public works and their maintenance; local social and welfare activities; and contributing to community harmony and social justice. The findings from the baseline survey were considered for inclusion in the project plans to ensure that the reasons preventing women village council members executing their functions were addressed. The integration of both elected council members and Self-Help Group members into a single target group enhanced the project's focus on social and developmental community issues. The project achieved its long-term objective to increase the participation of women in local decision-making processes. Elected council members confirmed that they understood their rights and obligations to contribute to the improvement of local democracy. Anecdotal evidence suggests that women were empowered and that they have begun to intervene openly and more frequently during village council meetings.

The project organized women into informal Women's Democracy Forums to build a culture of collaboration between marginalized women from different social backgrounds in five Nepalese districts. It intended to give women a voice at the district and village level by providing information, education, and communication materials and offering training courses on women's rights. Project activities combined traditional and alternative means of communication, such as street theater. This oral mode of education was adapted to the needs of remote communities. The project's visibility was also enhanced by the production of weekly radio programs; 72 episodes on the political empowerment of women and democratic processes were produced and broadcast over a six–month period. Local authorities and grassroots resource persons increased their commitment to the political inclusion of women. All of these activities were innovative in these Nepalese districts and were skillfully carried out by the implementing team. All activities were successfully concluded and delivered results over and above expectations.