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Volume-33

Communicate Minds
15th March 2006 FORTNIGHTLY

ADVISORS
Khirod Ch. Malick Pitabasa Sethi Jogeswar Majhi Makardhwaj Sahu Shiv Prasad Meher Aurobinda Mahapatra Pradeep Kumar Mohanty

WOMEN EMPOWERMENT & AIDS

As we mark this years International Womens Day, we look at the devastating toll; the global HIV/AIDS epidemic is taking on women, and the critical role of women in fighting AIDS. At the beginning, many people thought of AIDS as a disease striking mainly at men. Even a decade ago, statistics indicated that women were less affected. But a terrifying pattern has since emerged. All over the world, women are increasingly bearing the brunt of the epidemic. Today, in sub-Saharan Africa, more than half of all adults living with HIV/AIDS are women. Infection rates in young African women are far higher than in young men. In the world as a whole, at least half of those newly infected are women, and among people younger than 24, girls and young women now make up nearly two thirds of those living with HIV. If these rates of infection continue, women will soon become the majority of the global total of people infected. As AIDS strikes at the lifeline of society that women represent, a vicious cycle develops. Poor women are becoming even less economically secure as a result of AIDS, often deprived of rights to housing, property or inheritance or even adequate health services. In rural areas, AIDS has caused the collapse of coping systems that for centuries have helped women to feed their families during times of drought and famine leading in turn to family break-ups, migration, and yet greater risk of HIV infection. As AIDS forces girls to drop out of school - whether they are forced to take care of a sick relative, run the household, or help support the family they fall deeper into poverty. Their owns children in turn are less likely to attend school - and more likely to become infected. Thus, society pays many times over the deadly price of the impact on women of AIDS. Why then, are women - usually not the ones with the most sexual partners outside marriage, or more likely than men to be injecting drug users - more vulnerable to infection? Usually because of the societys inequalities puts them at risk. There are many factors, including poverty, abuse and violence, lack of information, coercion by older men, and men having several partners. That is why many mainstream prevention strategies are untenable, for example those based exclusively on the ABC approach - Abstain, Be faithful and use a Condom. Where sexual violence is widespread, abstinence or insisting on condom use is not a realistic option for women and girls. Nor does marriage always provide the answer. In many parts of the developing world, the majority of women will be married by age 20, and have higher rates of HIV than their unmarried, sexually active peers - often because their husbands have several partners. What is needed is positive, concrete change that will give more power and confidence to women and girls and transform relations between women and men at all levels of society.

In this Issue...
Editorial Women empowerment & AIDS CARE Documentation Other BISWA News

The Link
Chief-Editor Debabrata Malick Editor Guru Prasad Nahak

Contact :The Link BISWA At-Danipali P.o-Budharaja Dist-Sambalpur, PIN-768004 Tele fax- +91-663-2533597
Email:biswamalick@rediffmail.com

kc_malick@yahoo.com www.biswa.org

15th MARCH

Empowerment of women would mean equipping women to be economically independent and personally self-reliant, with a positive self-respect to enable them to face any difficult situation. Women should be able to contribute in the developmental activities of the country. The empowered women would be able to participate in the process of decisionmaking. Women empowerment is a dynamic process that consists of an awareness, attainment and actualization cycle. Again, it is growth processes that involve intellectual enlightenment, economic enhancement and social liberation of women. Education is one of the factors, that plays the most crucial role in empowering women. Schools, colleges and other professional bodies are persistently trying to educate, motivate and train the women in their chosen areas of career through curriculum, training, field-exposure and other practical methods. Research and publication in the areas of womens problems, social evils and their eradication and women empowerment are the hot topics of the present era. We observed the International Womens Day on March 8th, 2006 in such a scenario, with a hope to bring the centuries-old struggle of women to participate in society on an equal footing with men. IN-HOUSE TRAINING BISWA organized a two day training program in its campus on Financial Management with the support of CARE, Bhubaneswar from March 1st to 2nd, 2006. The objectives of training program were to identify components, purpose, relationship and importance of main financial statements and to analyze the financial statements and to monitor profitability, efficiency and portfolio quality. Mr. Bishnu Panda, Partnership CoordinatorCARE, Sambalpur and Mr.Sanjeeb Puhan, System Analyst-CARE, Bhubaneswar, were the resources persons in the training

International Womens Day was celebrated by BISWA on March 8th, 2006 at its conference hall. Dr. Narayani Panda and Dr.Diptibala Pattnaik, renowned women of reputation joined the function as guests on the occasion. Mr. K.C.Malick, Chairman-BISWA welcomed the guests and explained how the organisation is working for empowerment of women in their respective fields. Dr. Pattnaik, opined that how today women have come up & taken active participatation on the process of development. On the grand occasion Ms. Amulya Sahu, Area CoordinatorNaktideul block, Mrs. Subidha Bag, Organizer, Sambalpur Urban and Ms. Tapaswini Singh, District Coordinator-Malkanagiri district were felicited by BISWA for their outstanding performance in SHG mobilization and helped the women to be self sufficient.

INTERN ATION AL WOMENS DA Y INTERNA TIONAL DAY

BISWA organized an inauguration ceremony of technical REDP-Soap making at Budapada in Maneswar block on March 10 th, 2006. The welcome address was delivered by Sri Shiv Prasad Meher, PRO- BISWA. Sri B.K. Das, AGM, NABARD, Sambalpur, as the chief guests explained the objectives of the training programme to the trainees a n d emphasized upon the self reliance of the rural poor people. He also opined that development planners are increasingly giving emphasis upon rural cottage industries for providing sustainable income to the rural people. He also advised the trainees to learn about making business plans and go on setting up of their own enterprises with availing loans, if necessary. The vote of thanks was proposed by Sri Mihir Kumar Nath, area coordinator of BISWA at the end.

IN AUGURA TION OF TECHNICAL REDP INA UGURATION

VISIT ORS: TO * Mr. & Mrs. Nagarajan, the renowned personality of India visited BISWA on March 11 th , 2006. Basically they studied the structure of BISWA for installation

of computer software for better functioning of microfinance program. They interacted with the desk staffs and computer staffs to know the working pattern. * Mr. Jaan Messiner, a research scholar from GTZGermany visited BISWA, as sponsored by NABARD, Bhubaneswar for six days. His main objective to visit BISWA was to study on vialbility of SHG, comparative transaction cost analysis for delivery model in SHG lending in microfinance program. Mr.Ashish Kumar Sahu, Project Officer and other field staffs appraised him about participation and achievement of BISWA in this field.
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CARE DOCUMENTS BISWA ACTIVITIES BISWA microfinance program got a shot in arms after CARE came to participate in it as a partner. Its activities got a boost, moral as well as physical, when CARE-CASHE was introduced in it. It is now getting such support in the district of Sambalpur. Various banks from government and private sectors are now willing to extend their financial loans to BISWA only after they could see the success of BISWA-CARECASHE program. CARE has extended similar supports to eight NGOs (including BISWA) in Orissa. CARE has designed an ambitious program to get documented these activities. A camera crew in the leadership of Sri Birendra Das, an eminent television personality, came here to document activities on BISWA-CARE-CASHE program. The team consisted of Sri Sudipto Das and Sri Supdipto Bhowmik (both are famous cameramen from Kolkata) and Sri B.P.Panda from CARE and Sri S.P.Meher from BISWA participated as local guides. The crew team visited Hatibari Health Home to document the agricultural activities and particularly the ongoing vegetable growing project works on March 11th. They took shots of their barrack and interacted with the inmates to take stock of the situation. They visited BISWA microfinance federation office at Barmunda in Dhankauda block to cover the success story of its land bank project there at the next morning. The crew took shots at some beautiful outdoor locations there. They visited the Common Facility Centre at Rengali and met the traditional artisans of brass and bell metals at works. Besides, their traditional works in making household utensils the artisans are also being given training on Dhokra for value addition to their products with using lesser raw materials. Sri K.C.Malick, Chairman, BISWA and Dr. Amulya Mohanty, Technical Manager, CARE also helped the crew in their documentation works on the final day. 123456789012345678901234567890121 123456789012345678901234567890121
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IN AUGURA TION OF DHOKRA CL USTER INA UGURATION CLUSTER

An inauguration ceremony of Dhokra Cluster was held at Kamrei in Anugul district on March 13 th, 2006. The program was supported by Director of Handicraft & Cottage Industry, Bhubaneswar. BISWA is the implementing agency of the program. The program started with the welcome address by Sri Shiv Prasad Meher, PRO-BISWA, who also introduced the invited guest to the trainees. Among the guest who graced the occasion are Sri Dharanidhara Mishra, AGMNABARD, Dhenkanal, Sri Sanatan Nayak, GMDIC, Anugul, Sri Gopabandhu Pradhan, DCIODIC, Anugul. The guests explained the objectives of the cluster development program and advised the trainees to extract maximum benefit out of the ongoing training program. They also advised the trainees to learn the art from the master trainers sincerely & utilize the same for improving their socio-economic conditions. They also highlighted and praised the initiative taken by BISWA and urged the trainers to establish a long association with the organisation. Mr.Jayant Swain, Planning Manger-BISWA, Mr. Sanjeeb Mohany, Cluster Manager were also present on the occasion.

15th MARCH PAR TICIP ATION: ARTICIP TICIPA

Exhibition: BISWAs sales outlet Laxmipriya is used to participate in district as well as state level exhibitions to demonstrate the SHG products. Recently Laxmipriya participated in a state level exhibition at Mysore Haat, Mysore from February 14th to 27th and in a district level exhibition Gramshree Mela at Bhubaneswar on March 6th to 14th, 2006. In these two exhibitions, the rural SHG products like Badi, Papad, Sisal Fiber products, Brass & Bell Metal works, Bamboo & Stone Crafts were exhibited and all these products are highly appreciated by the public. Sri J.P.Sahu & Sri Dinesh Mahana coordinated to organize the exhibition on behalf of BISWA. Workshop on TSC: A review meeting cum workshop was organized by the district administration on Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC) on February 9th, 2006 at the Collectorate Conference Hall, Sambalpur. Sri Arbind Behera, Commissioner cum Principal Secretary Rural Development Department, Government of Orissa presided over the workshop. The objective of the workshop was to review the progress and implementation of the Total Sanitation Campaign. Sri Ashok M. Dalwai, RDC (ND), and Sri Vishal Gagan, IAS, District Magistrate & Collector-Sambalpur were present on the dais. In this program the point of discussion was the problem & issues related to the implementation of the TSC program. Sri Lingaraj Dash, Asst. Planning Manager and Sri Bhawani Sankar Panda, HR Manager represented BISWA in it and expressed their views on the program. Meeting on District Natural Calamity Committee: An emergent meeting of District Natural Calamity Committee took place on March 4th, 2006 in the chairmanship of Sri Vishal Gagan, IAS, District Magistrate & Collector, at the Collectorate. Sri Sanatan Bisi, MLARairakhol, Sri Julias Lakra, PD-DRADA, Smt. Prativa Dora, District Emergency Officer and Sri Sudhakar Naik, Revenue Officer were seated on the dais. The discussion covered on the present supply position of drinking water & how to serve the un-served area. Ways and means were also discussed on how to combat the adverse effect of heat waves and sunstrokes this year. Sri Pitabasa Sethi, Secretary and Sri Shiv Prasad Meher, PRO represented in it on behalf of BISWA . Training on SHG federation: A training on SHG Federation was held from March 6th to 11th at Hyderabad. It was organized by APMAS. The main objectives of the training program were to understand SHG federation promotion, to enable the participants to understand the system, principles of SHG federation, to understand the advantage & disadvantage of SHG federation, to inform the participants about the book keeping, Systems in SHG Federations etc. Ms. Mamata Sahu, Federation Officer, Ms. Bandita Parida and Mr. Sandeep Rout represented BISWA in it and another Delequency Management Training attended by Mr.Subal Sahu, Area CoordinatorBargarh, organised by APMAS from March 6th to 9th, 2006 at Hyderabad.

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BISWA
At-Danipali P.O-Budharaja Dist-Sambalpur PIN-768004 Tele-fax- 0663-2533597(O) **********

Printed and Published by Debabrata Malick, Chief Editor. The Link, at BISWA Computer Section, Danipali, Budharaja, Sambalpur. PIN- 768004 Ph. No- 0663-2533597