At the moment climate change is the most important issue on the agenda in the village Danatliki. "Ten years ago there was enough water for everybody. Now the rainy season is unpredictable and it rains less and in short periods. This is the main focus of our local group", Chandí Devi says.
"When there is water shortage, we must be careful. We have less water for cooking, farming and personal hygiene. For a long time we thought this was a local problem, but it turns out that villages all across the country are experiencing the same problem. As a consequence we need to raise the issue with the authorities, "Chandí continues.
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Chandi Devi (Photo: NCA) |
Democracy in practice
Chandí Devi is a small part of an Indian movement for the very poorest. As a mother in a village in Jaipur district in Rajasthan, she cannot influence the authorities in Delhi on her own. But as a participant in a local manch (public organisation), she creates lasting changes for the poor in India.
The manch is a forum where villagers meet regularly to discuss the concerns and issues of their local communities. Everybody’s opinion is heard - both women and men, casteless and poor - and a common agenda is made.
Representatives from each village meet to discuss common issues for their region. Water scarcity, poverty, poor infrastructure and pollution are some of the issues that recur. Representatives from the region discuss the issue (like water scarcity) with leaders in the province of Rajasthan, and then at the national level where representatives from manches in 14 of India's 28 states tell the authorities that thousands of villages in India are struggling with water shortages. This is lobbying at the grassroots level, and as they represent a half billion people, their message is being heard.
Women are being heard
It has taken ten years to establish the network, and it is constantly increasing. Norwegian Church Aid’s Indian partner organisation CASA is hoping that some day the entire country will be covered. The process has been demanding, but successful.
"In the beginning the politicians in Delhi didn’t feel comfortable in the meetings with the poor casteless male lobbyists. They were feeling challenged. Instead, it was decided that women should attend these meetings. They achieved results immediately. For the politicians the women's groups were more harmless and they listened to their message", Manu Sharma, the coordinator of the manch system in Rajasthan, says.
The decision to use women as advocates at the national level in Delhi proved to be a smart move. Today the dialogue is good. The manches all across India have learned that women should always be present when a campaign is being run against the authorities at local, regional or national level.
Spin-offs
There are spin-offs of this attainment even for the women in Danatliki. "We decided to save some money and opened a bank account. Every woman saves 20 rupees a month, and we may borrow money from the account when we need new equipment for our household. This means that we can make our own decisions and free ourselves from our husbands. They listen to us more now that we have some financial independence", Chandi explains.
There is no doubt that the Indian government is listening to women like Chandí. Only time will show if they manage to reverse the trend and mitigate climate change. The world eagerly awaits the outcome of the climate summit in Copenhagen in December 2009.