The best gift parents today can give to their daughters is education.

Empowerment encourages
people to gain the skills and knowledge that will allow them to overcome obstacles in life or
work environment and ultimately, help them develop within themselves or in the society. If
women are supported and empowered, all of society benefits '` Women as the other hood of the
nation should be strong, aware and alert."

KUDUMBASHREE

Kudumbashree was set up by the Kerala State Poverty Eradication Mission (SPEM) in
1998 and now has five million members, covering more than half of the households in Kerala.
Kudumbashree, which means prosperity of the family, is the name of the women oriented,
community based, State Poverty Mission of Government of Kerala. It is a massive anti-poverty
of the Government of Kerala aiming at eradicating poverty and salvages the destitute from the
wretches of extreme deprivation.

Kudumbashree has gained national and international acclaim as an ideal and workable model of
participatory development for eradicating poverty. Kudumbashree differs from conventional
programmes in that it perceives poverty not just as the deprivation of money, but also as the
deprivation of basic rights. The poor need to find a collective voice to help claim these rights.
Kudumbashree views Micro Enterprise Development, as an important tool for poverty
reductions. Lack of encouragement is the result of people being poor. The task of Kudumbashree
was so simple and challenging and also a relief to everything. All Kudumbashree enterprises are
linked with bank and a minimum of 50% of the project cost has to be through bank loans.

Kudumbashree is the network that brings women to the Grama Sabhas and helps them bring the
needs of the poor to the attention of the local government. The Community Development
Societies are also very active in Government programs and play significant roles in development
to community management and socio-economic surveys and enterprise development to
community management and social audit. Though its efforts to engage women in civil society in
development issues and opportunities, Kudumbashree in association with the local economic
centric governance.
The kudumbashree has since followed a multi-pronged strategy, which include:
(a) Convergence of various government programmes and resources at the community-based
organization level;

(b) Efforts to involve the CDS structure in local level anti-poverty planning; and

(c) Development of women's micro-enterprises, and thrift and credit societies. Indeed, it has been
widely hailed and rewarded for its innovativeness and unprecedented reach. While micro-credit
is one among the any strategies initiated in the Kudumbashree strategy, it has been gaining in
importance visibility with the programme .

Agriculture is just one focus for the Kudumbashree mission: their holistic approach
attempts to address all aspects of the poverty cycle. Kudumbashree relies heavily on their village
and district structure to identify and understand the women's needs.
ACTIVITIES OF KUDUMBASHREE

The activities of kudumbashree are controlled by a state level office (headed by an IAS officer)
and at district levels, by District Mission Teams, Panchayath, government employees working on
deputation, part time consultants and experts play important parts, too. These tasks were
governed under the Government officials, part tie consultants and experts. The executive
directors of Kudumbashree are:

1. Shri.James Varghese IAS - the first Executive Director and served the
organization from 1997-1998.
2. Shri.T.K.Jose lAS - he was the main person behind the growth of Kudumbashree.
They developed a term of passionate employees to work in the Mission and started innovative
programmes like Bhavanasree (Micro Housing) Ashraya (Destitute Rehabilitation Project), Clean
Kerala Campaign (Collection and dispersal of solid waste),vidyasree(IT @school
units,Bhalasabha)Maintenance of tourist destination by kudumbashree workers and numerous
micro enterprises ranging from computer to coconut oil production and food items to minibus
services. The major development was the tic up with the state social welfare development to
supply special nutritional supplements of the children in Anganwards. Under the name
"Nutrimic" Kudumbashree received most of the national and international recognizing during his
tenure.

3. Shri. Harikishore IAS - Current Executive Director.

 HISTORY OF KUDUMBASHREE

As a consumer state, reliant on importing most produce from neighboring states, Kerala's
agricultural sector is dominated by smallholders, with little commercial farming. Small holder
development is therefore at the fore front of the State Government's development strategies, as
reducing gender disparity. It is because of this focus that Kudumbashree was established.

Kudumbashree was born off the collective experience gained from the many anti-poverty
programmes of the past. Most of the well-conceived centrally planned, rigid, individual-oriented
anti-poverty programmes of the central and State Governments failed to bring about the desired
results, mainly because they didn't allow for the involvement
and commitment of the poor and viewed the "resource less" receivers of the benefits.

Poverty is a multi-faced state of deprivation. Hence by meeting one's disadvantage in the lives of
the poor, poverty cannot be eradicated or mitigated. Naturally, the un-co-oriented, income criteria
based programs implemented by different agencies did not come good. Moreover, though the
delivery costs of such programs were exorbitant, they were very much susceptible to under-
reporting and manipulations.

But in 1992 an innovative programme introduces by the Local Administrative Department of the
Government of Kerala in Alappuzha Municipality was a fresh ray of hope. The programme
created hierarchical community groups of urban poor women identified through objective
parameters and empowered the groups to take up community based action in various sectors.
This was an instant success and was extended to the other urban areas in the State.
 VISION OF KUDUMBASHREE

Kudumbashree strives to develop the model of a micro finance led financial security process into
a more comprehensive model of local economic development under the aegis of local
governments. This would hopefully sustain the transformation does not come about easily and
requires rewriting established administrative and development practices. It requires
institutionalizing processes that allow for participation and meaningful contribution. And when
we speak of community we speak of community we speak of the people for whom government is
a palpable entity influencing the quality of their lives, as well as of the people on the periphery,
both social and physical, for whom manifold deprivations have snuffed out hope of change. We
speak of the women who are finding, through collective endeavors, the stepping stones leading
from participation to citizenship, in its trust sense. It is through realization of citizenship that
Kudumbashree would be able to significantly address issues of equity and justice.

STRUCTURE OF KUDUMBASHREE

Kudumbashree was conceived as a joint programme of the Government of Kerala and NABARD
through Community Development Societies (CDSS) of poor women, serving as the community
wing of Legal Governments. Kudumbashree is formally registered as the "State Poverty
Eradication Mission" (SPEM), a society registered under the Travancore Kochi Literacy,
Scientific and Charitable Societies Act 1955. It has a governing body chaired by the state
minister of LSG. There is a state mission with field officers in each district. This official
structure supports and facilities the activities of the community network across the state.

The grassroots of Kudumbashree are Neighbourhood Groups (NHG) that sends representatives
to the ward level Area Development Societies (ADS). The ADS sends in representative to the
Community Development Society (CDS), which completes the
Unique three-tier structure of Kudumbashree. Today, there are 1.94 lakhs NHGs, over 17000
ADSs and 1061 CDSs in Kudumbashree.

ORAGANISATION

The following are the community structures suggested for the rural side:
 Kudumbashree Ayalkoottam (NHG)
 Kudumbashree Ward Samithy (ADS
 Kudumbashree Panchayath Samithy (CDS)

The paradigm shift in the approach is that any women who is residing in the Grama Panchayath
can become a member of the Kudumbashree Ayalkoottam irrespective of the fact that she belong
to a Below Poverty Line (BPL) family. Since this aspect gives an opening for the APL families to
enter into the community structures envisaged by Kudumbashree, it is further ensured that
majority of the office bearers should belong to BPL families. These structures give added
importance to women empowerment both social and economic.

WOMEN EMPOWERMENT THROUGH KUDUMBASHREE IN

NARANGANAM PANCHAYATH

About Naranganam Grama Panchayath

Naranganam is a village in Pathanamthitta District in Kozhencherry Taluk and Elanthoor block.

The panchayath came into existence in the year 1963. It covers an area of 20.42 sq.km with 14
wards. Naranganam is situated, in South-West direction, 4km away from Pathanamthitta. The
village shares the boundary with Kozhencherry, Kadammanitta, Vazhakkunnam and Mylapra.
The small hills valley have added more beauty to the village. At present Mr. Kadamanitta
Karunakaran is the president of Naranganam Grama Panchayath. Agriculture is the aim source of
income of the people of this Panchayath.
 PROFILE OF NARANGANAM GRAMA PANCHAYATH

Name of Panchayath : Naranganam Grama Panchayath

District : Pathanamthitta
Taluk : Kozhencherry
Number of wards : 14
Population : 17402
Male : 8339
Female : 9063
Population density : 852
Literacy rate : 95.13%
Literacy rate (Male) : 96.66%
Literacy rate (Female) : 93.76%

ABOUT KUDUMBASHREE UNITS IN THE NARANGANAM

PANCHAYATH

Kudumbashree has been started in Naranganam Panchayath in the year 2002. The Panchayath
consists of 14 wards and 88 kudumbashree units. Each Kudumbashree consists of 10-20
members. All the Kudumbashree units are controlled but CDS Chairperson an Member-Secretary
(Charge Officer). At present, in Naranganam Panchayath, the position of CDS Chairperson is
headed by Mrs.Priya Manoj T R. The Member-Secretary is Mrs. Renjirna. The Panchayath
consists of 14 CS members, i.e., one CS member for one war. The CDS Chairperson and
Member-Secretary have the full responsibility over the activities of Kudumbashree.
 NATURE OF ACTIVITIES OF KUUBASHREE IN
NARANGANAM GRAMA PANCHAYATH

Nature of activity undertaken by units are different success in the choice of activity will
determine the success of the units. The distribution of the unit according to the type of activity
given in table.

Distribution of units according to nature of activity

SL NO NATURE OF ACTIVITY NUMBER OF UNITS IN THE PERCENTAGE

CATEGORY

1 12 24%
Soap & Detergent
2 Food processing an curry 10 20%
powder
3 Readymade and Tailoring 8 16%
4 Copra and others 8 16%
5 Collective Farming 12 24%
Total 50 100%

Soap & Detergent an collective farming are the most popular income generating activities and
together account of about 48% of the total number of units. Next in order of importance is food
processing and curry powder.
 ROLE OF KUDUBASHREE IN NARANGANAM
PANCHAYATH

Kudumbashree, the women oriented community based poverty alleviation programme which is
based on micro credit and self-help group, bring implemented in Kerala by the State
Government, with the Active support of Government of India, NABARD tries to cure the morbid
development imbalance of the state. The mission of kudumbashree in a Naranganam Grama
Panchayath aims at removing poverty along households, the empowerment of women, through
forming self-help groups and encouraging their entrepreneurial or other wide range of activities.
The purpose of the mission is to ensure that the women should no longer remain as passive
recipients of public assistance, but active leaders in women involved development initiatives.
Thrift and credit societies, linkage
banking, lease land farming rural micro enterprises etc., are some of the initiatives introduce by
Kudumbashree to improve the livelihood of the poor women in the neighborhood groups. In
Kerala, in Naranganam Grama Panchayath also Kudumbashree is playing a critical role in the
implementation of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. Kudumbashree an
Panchayath have been very vigilant in spreading awareness about MGNREGS through radio,
poster, television, etc., The manifold functions taken up by kudurnbashree members range from
identification of projects to supervision of works submission of records for wage disbursement.
This arrangement has two positive aspects. 1) Since the Kudumbashree has grass root level reach
through NHGs, the projects identified by the would reflect the needs and requirements of the
people and 2) The involvement of women in MGNREGS is a capacity building process for them.
 OBJECTIVE OF KUDUMBASREE UNITS IN PANCHAYATH
1. Identification of the poor families through risk indices based service, with the active
participation of the poor and the communities to which they belong
2. Empowering the poor women to improve the productivity and managerial
capabilities of the community by organizing them in CBOs
3. Encouraging thrift an investment through credit by developing CDSs to work
as informal bank of the poor
4. Improving incomes of the poor through improved skills and investment for
self employment
5. Ensuring better health and nutrition for all.
6. Ensuring basic amenities like safe drinking water, sanitary latrines improved
shelter
7. Ensuring a minimum of 5 years of primary education for all children
belonging to risk families
8. Enabling the poor to participate in the decentralization process through the CDS, as it is a
subsystem of the local government, under which it works