A ‘school’ with 4.3 million students by S.Harikishore, IAS, Executive Director, Kudumbashree

A ‘school’ with 4.3 million students

S.Harikishore, IAS, Executive Director, Kudumbashree

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‘Kudumbashree School’  is a new concept of community training initiated by Kudumbashree Mission to provide informal education and awareness to all the 4.3 million members.

Kudumbashree, the state poverty eradication mission of Kerala government, has one of the largest women community networks in the world with 2,89,306 neighbourhood groups (self-help groups) with 4.3 lakh members. ‘Kudumbashree School’ is a 12 hour (2 hours per day, for 6 days) training given and capacity building programme designed for empowering all members

2,89,306 class rooms and 43,000 teachers

The neighbourhood groups of Kudumbashree consist of 10 to 20 women per group. They meet once in every week (mostly or Saturday or Sunday) for their weekly get together. ‘Kudumbashree School’ programme aims at providing training for two hours to all members during their weekly meetings through volunteer teachers. Teachers who are willing to provide training to the community on a voluntary basis were selected by Kudumbashree and intensive training was given to them. These master teachers will visit the neighbourhood groups for 6 weeks to take two hour sessions per week.

Social education and Awareness

Kudumbashree started this program in 2017- 18, when the first phase of Kudumbashree School was conducted from 21 October to 30 November 2017. Subjects covered were 1) Kudumbashree as an organization,

2) Kudumbashree schemes, 3) Role of Kudumbashree in the development of women and children, 4) Ensuring an addiction-free State, 5) Fighting against corruption, 6) Health and sanitation. In the second edition of Kudumbashree School, scheduled from 1 December 2018 to 15 January 2019, the topics that will be discussed during the six neighbourhood meetings are philosophy of 1) Kudumbashree Neighbourhood Groups, 2) Kudumbashree Programmes, 3) Accounts Management in Neighbourhood Groups, 4) Financial Management in Family and Neighbourhood Groups, 5) Livelihood Development through Micro Enterprises, 6) Disaster Management.

Empowering families

The broad aim of Kudumbashree school is to strengthen the community through education and awareness. The discussions will help them to understand various government programs, gives confidence to provide leadership to solve social problems and issues related to public health and environment. Interest exhibited by women members by their active participation in the discussions were praise worthy, and this massive public education program is slowly and steadily empowering the community to take up social issues, demand for more convergence and helping the poor to access resources through information dissemination.

Modules, Data and Details

Modules of Kudumbashree School (in Malayalam) with soft copy of handbook is available in Kudumbashree Website, www.kudumbashree.org -> Home -> Publications -> Book& Brochure

Other updates, Data and details are available in www.kudumbashree.org -> Home -> Web Monitoring -> Organisation -> Kudumbashree Second Phase

                                                                       

Visit us at www.kudumbashree.org