Capacity Building and Empowerment
Tejaswini – Rural Women’s Empowerment Programme

MCM is a resource agency to support planning, implementation of the various activities in Tejaswini programme in three districts of Bundelkhad region namely Chhatarpur, Tikamgarh and Panna.
Tejaswini programme is funded by International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and being implemented by Madhya Pradesh Mahila Evam Vitta Vikas Nigam (MPAVVN) in partnership with Facilitating NGOs and two Resource NGOs. The programme envisages to reach out to one lakh eighty thousand poor rural women through twelve thousand SHGs in six districts of Madhya Pradesh viz, Balaghat, Chhatarpur, Dindori, Mandla, Panna and Tikamgarh. The programme aims at empowering rural women by mobilising them into self help group thus providing space for them to think and act collectively, building there capacities to manage their institutions and graduate to be members of federation for expanding opportunity for participation in social, economic and political spheres.

MCM is one of the Resource Agency of Tejaswini programme providing support to State Programme Management Unit (SPMU) and District Programme Management Units (DPMU) of Chhatapur, Panna and Tikamgarh in planning and implementation of the programme activities, training, capacity building and strengthening the working of SHGs, village level committees, livelihood planning and promotion with a gender approach.

The year 2011-12 is a fifth consecutive year of the programme. MCM as a resource NGO provided inputs in strengthening the SHGs through trainings for developing federations at cluster level, trainings of SHG accountants on day to day working, gender issues, group management, inter lending, bank linkages, micro finance etc. Exposure visits was also organised for members.

MCM is also a facilitating NGO under the Tejaswini programme. As a FNGO MCM has setup seven location centres in three districts – Bagauta and Nowgaon in Chhatarpur, Digoda and Anathapura in Tikamgarh and Amanganj, Gunaur and Ajaygarh in Panna districts.

MCM has formed 1404 SHGs under the programme with a membership of 18309 poor women. These group members have saved Rs.13810291.00 and have interloaned Rs.11114564.00 for various income generating activities.

During last five years SHG members under Tejaswini programme have earned a vast experience on various issues like working of groups, savings, interloaning, bank linkages, assessing the group performance, knowledge of government programmes and schemes like MNREGA, social security pension, Indira Awas Yojana, Janani Suraksha Yojana, Ladli Lakshmi Yojana, kitchen garden for nutrition, health and sanitation etc. As a result of this knowledge, experience and participation at various levels, they are in position to show their individual and collective strength and make demand for their entitlements. They are using opportunities and spaces to struggle against social injustice and gender equity as well as violence against them. They are attending public hearings, making complaints on toll free telephone numbers on various problems they are facing in their daily life. Now Gram Sbaha is a vibrant place where they are raising demands like Hand Pumps, Aganwadis and smooth functioning of Ration Shops and other development issues which emanate in the meetings of Village Level Committees (VLCs). They are also poised to strengthen their economic status by adopting livelihoods and income generating activities through elaborate planning and training. This is a long awaited change at women’s front in historically backward and feudally dominated villages of Chhatarpur, Panna and Tikgamgarh.