Kudumbashree

Women matter. Just in case any of you had any doubts. The organization called Kudumbashree was devised as a social experiment in 1998. It was and still is a huge success. It offers choices (a most precious commodity) to struggling women in the form of limited financial assistance, skills counseling and training, and management oversight/administration. We were given a presentation by several members from the Trivandrum office and then got to go out and see some of the micro-enterprises that they have helped into existence. These are really micro--very small, with one self-employed dairy unit lady with 5 cows providing her an income of Rs 300/day/cow (roughly 900 USD/month), which moves her from poverty to middle class in this economy. We also met some ladies who run a business turning recycled paper into jewelry and other art. There are 5 women in this business and all make around Rs 100/day...still in the low income group but not poverty stricken--besides they have the fulfillment of earning a living and enjoying their work. We also met some ladies who own and run a baby food processing plant (albeit a very small one), which specializes in a recipe for pre-schoolers devised by nutritionists. All in all a very interesting day. Tomorrow we head for Kumarakom and stay on a houseboat, just a short 4-5 hour drive on India's most excellent roadways.....eeeeeeee, wish me luck! ;)