WOMEN EMPOWERMENT
Sima lives with her husband and two children, a five-year-old girl and a two-year-old boy, in Silfodkheda village, Dewas district, Madhya Pradesh. Her husband is a construction worker and provides for the family well.
When CARE India initiated the P.A.C.E. (personal advancement and career enhancement) curriculum under the Women + Water programme in Sima’s village, she got involved in the meetings. Initially, she was shy and inexpressive, hesitant and lacked confidence. But while attending the sessions, she realised that continuing in the same manner will not help much. Gradually she started participating in the discussions, which boosted her confidence. She also learned to communicate better and gained the confidence, knowledge, and skills needed to make life decisions.
One day while casually chatting with some of the learning group members, Sima learnt about the challenges some women were facing in menstrual hygiene. These women in the learning group knew very little about sanitary napkins and their advantages over traditional methods. She decided to help these women and introduced them to sanitary napkins. Her efforts were highly appreciated by the women she counselled. She is now motivated to make more women aware about this issue by devoting more time and effort towards this social cause.
Leadership is the ability to get extraordinary achievement from ordinary people.
CARE India is working with USAID and Gap Inc. as a partner of the Women + Water Alliance (W+W) to improve and sustain the health and well-being of 200,000 women by inculcating sanitation and hygiene (WASH) practices and working towards the availability and sharing of quality water resources in a sustained manner.
