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A Beacon Light for the Poor A story about Fathima Bi!
01 What is the Meaning of the Lesson Name?
Meaning of the Phrase ‘Beacon Light’ A light used to signal or guide, such as at sea or in aviation(flying of aircraft).
Introduction of Fathima Bi! Fathima Bi is a 34-Years Old women. She is living in Kalva, Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh, India She was a ordinary housewife till she was elected as its Sarpanch (Head of a Village) She did a very absolute great job of fulfilling the duties of her village for 3 years. She got ‘Race Against Poverty’ Award for Asia-Pacific region on 16 October 1998 at United Nations in New York honored by UN Secretary General (Kofi Annan). This day is International Poverty Eradication Day
Challenges Faced By Fathima Bi • The UN citation recognized Fathima's efforts in spearheading social mobilization and community empowerment for poverty alleviation. • She launched self-initiated programs aimed at empowering women. • Fathima's achievement is significant despite being one of five recognized individuals. • She struggled against oppressive societal equations, gender discrimination and caste conflicts. • She overcame the strangleholds of customs and traditions. • Her contributions are remarkable given her limited formal education.
Challenges Faced By Fathima Bi • She was married at 14 • She gave birth to 7 children out of only 3 survived! • According to the 74th Amendment, one-third (33.3%) of the seats in local government were reserved for women. • Many villagers, especially the powerful feudal landlords, resisted Fatima's efforts to take control of village administration. • Fatima began asserting herself after attending a workshop held for newly elected heads of local bodies. • She faced malicious verbal attacks and sarcastic remarks from some men in the village. • These challenges only strengthened her resolve to move forward with unwavering determination. • Fatima emerged as a new reformer, committed to making a difference in her community.
About Kalva • Kalva is like any other backward region. • In this village there is no proper roads, adequate drinking water or irrigation facilities • Around 600 families was deep in poverty and outside help was not available • The children or kids in this village did not have any facilities like proper education. • The men who studied would need to migrate from place to place looking for work!
Actions taken by Fathima Bi for Kalva. Fathima began investigating why her village was in its current state and decided to make a change. She gave ‘Empowering Women’ the topmost priority. Shankaramma, the head of a voluntary women’s organization called “Poddu” was guiding Fathima They both motivated the women to be disciplined. They started a thrift(practice of saving money) scheme where they saved 1 rupee. When the savings reached ₹2,00,000 in under a year, the district administration and United Nations Development Programme representative, Vijayabharathi, provided grants and encouraged Fathima to initiate productive programs.
Programmes Initiated by Fathima Bi Small Bank distributing Loans for the people who need it! The thrift group started to fix the village by repairing borewells, self-employment etc. Adult Literacy Scheme Adolescent girls were enrolled in literacy classes and taught many extra-curricular activities
The Effects of these Programmes • Women was courageous • They discovered their inner strength • The village finally got Tarred Road, Dames, Water Facilities etc • From being slaves to simple women with a change Fathima Changed many peoples lives! • Kalva is now one of the most progressive villages • The movement for empowering women at the local level achieved another milestone when the government raised the reservation percentage from 33 to 50.
02 Question Time! Answer the questions to let us know you listened the class!
Thank You! By Bodhiswaran.P Varesh Raghavan.P Grade - 8
