WINGS: Women's International News Gathering Service - WINGS #47-25 Self-Help in Tamil Nadu India
Mahalir Association for Literacy Awareness and Rights or MALAR for short, grew out of a government-sponsored literacy program in the early 1990s. Women started using their literacy to place demands on government; the funding stopped. The women aggregated local self-help groups (SHGs for short) under the MALAR umbrella. Thirty years after its founding, MALAR wields collective financial power, supportive information, and many opportunities for jobs and leadership. It has touched the lives of more than 30,000 women and their families.
Guests: Sheline Mary, founding member, honorary President; Johnsily, Vice President; Dr. R. V. Bindu, academic researcher; Vasantha Latha, Vice president; Suseela, Joint secretary, block coordinator; Edwin Jaya Kumari, treasurer, block coordinator; Sindhuja, joint secretary, health coordinator; Pushpalatha, AIDWA Coordinator; Vijaya Lekshmi, President; Gino Bai, Secretary