Today was another inspiring day at the WAWCAS program meeting. As usual, I completed my household chores a bit earlier to ensure I reached the designated meeting spot on time, along with the other women. Shortly after, our trainers, Deepak and Binod, arrived and greeted us warmly.
While waiting for everyone to gather, Deepak casually asked a few women, “How have your days been going? Is the training proving useful and effective for you?” This small conversation created a friendly atmosphere, making us feel heard and valued. Once all the participants arrived, Deepak greeted us again and commenced the session by reviewing the highlights of the previous meeting. He emphasized that the purpose of today’s gathering was to analyze our social situations.
At first, the term social situational analysis sounded unfamiliar, leaving many of us confused about its significance. Both trainers patiently addressed our doubts, dispelling the negative thoughts that had surfaced. They explained that this analysis plays a vital role in identifying and addressing challenges such as gender and caste discrimination, socio-economic struggles, and instances of physical and emotional maltreatment targeting women and children. It also encompasses issues like poor sanitation and resource mismanagement in our localities.
Deepak had meticulously prepared questions on five key topics of Social Situational Analysis:
- Women’s Rights and Violence
- Identifying Local Resources
- Market Management
- Cleanliness and Disease Prevention
- Children’s Rights and Development
He encouraged us to participate without hesitation or fear of judgment from others. He assured us that our answers would remain confidential, fostering a safe space for open discussion. As an example, he prompted us to consider practical issues, such as whether we had registered our children’s births or whether our husbands and children contributed to household chores.
Women’s Rights and Violence
The first topic uncovered numerous challenges faced by women in our homes and communities, including:
- Lack of knowledge about women’s rights and violence.
- Limited involvement of women in business and financial transactions.
- Absence of property ownership by women.
- Instances of scolding and physical abuse by husbands.
- Discrimination based on caste and gender.
- Lack of prenatal checkups during pregnancy.
- Women being unidentified by their own names within their communities.
Identifying Local Resources
Next, we discussed the hurdles in accessing local resources:
- Limited awareness of available resources.
- Delayed access to medicines from healthcare providers.
- Irregular classes in schools.
- Delayed distribution of seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides by local governance.
Market Management
While market-related challenges were fewer, some women highlighted issues like the long distance to markets and veterinary services.
Cleanliness and Disease Prevention
This topic revealed problems affecting personal and community health:
- Poor personal hygiene and dirty clothing for women and children.
- Unclean surroundings, including water taps and kitchens.
- Lack of awareness about HIV/AIDS.
Children’s Rights and Development
Under this topic, we identified pressing issues:
- Many children’s births remain unregistered.
- Irregular school attendance.
- Gender-based educational disparities, with boys attending private schools and girls sent to government schools.
- Lack of involvement in child groups or clubs.
- Insufficient knowledge about child malnutrition and balanced diets.
- Cooking meals without considering children’s preferences.
- Scolding, beating, and forcing children to work as laborers.
After collecting these issues, we moved on to creating change indicators—prioritizing problems and setting timelines to address them effectively.
Addressing Violence
A significant part of the discussion focused on the social, mental, physical, and economic violence experienced by women, children, and even men. Alcohol abuse by men emerged as a primary cause of such violence. Initially, many women were hesitant to share their problems, but the trainers’ efforts to foster a friendly environment encouraged us to open up.
Deepak assured us that these concerns would be further addressed in IBT (Intensive Business Training).
A Promise for Change
Today’s meeting was eye-opening. I realized the depth of the issues we face daily but often accept in silence. I made a promise, alongside my fellow women, to shed our shyness and hesitation. Together, we will raise our voices against societal problems, inspiring other women to do the same.
I am deeply grateful to our trainers and the WAWCAS program for organizing such a transformative program.