A total of 1,823 groups of young women have been formed under the Kudumbashree Mission in Ernakulam with a view to give them the benefits of being organised under an empowering institution that has worked to provide employment, skills training and social empowerment over the last 23 years. Kudumbashree sources said the auxiliary groups had enlisted women from most of the 1,831 wards in the district. The total membership is about 26,000 with each auxiliary group enlisting 50 members between the ages of 18 and 40.
Membership in the Kudumbashree Mission is provided only to one member of a family. However, over the years, young women in these families did not have representation in the Mission programmes. The auxiliary groups would work independent of the Kudumbashree Mission while providing the members training in entrepreneurship, social action and social empowerment, added the sources.
The new formation will not disturb the present neighbourhood groups, which are the basic units of the working of the Kudumbashree. The auxiliary groups, made up of 50 young women each, will be led by a team of five leaders, that will include the president, secretary, and volunteers in the health and social sectors. They will be given training in responding to social issues, provided with opportunities to express and bring out their creative talents as well as opportunities for skills development.
The new groups will also explore the possibilities of tapping opportunities provided by the Youth Welfare Board. Besides skills training, the groups will also help create a digital platform for the members to create new job opportunities.
There are a total of around 3.5 lakh members in the Kudumbashree Mission in Ernakulam district under 27,000 neighbourhood groups and 101 community development societies. The Mission has succeeded in finding employment opportunities for women and providing them social and economic support through a number of group-based activities, including micro-enterprises.
Another standout effort by the Mission has been joint liability groups promoting agricultural activities. There are 5,872 joint liability groups in the district, under which 26,203 women are involved in farming activities on 2,495 hectares. The crops being cultivated include nendran bananas, vegetables and paddy.
