Weaving, group farming, selling pickles and tender coconut, and even catching stray dogs to make a living, Mary Stella has done it all. Ms. Stella has been elected chairperson of the Neyyattinkara municipality’s CDS-2 (community development society-2) in the recently concluded Kudumbashree elections in a remarkable example of women achievement.
Ms. Stella has been associated with the Kudumbashree right from the beginning. From the neighbourhood group (NHG) level, she was elected to the Kudumbashree area development society two or three times before reaching the CDS level to become a member and now ascending to the post of chairperson of Neyyattinkara municipality’s CDS-2 that has 23 wards under it.
As chairperson, her focus is on providing women a means of livelihood so that they can get a leg-up out of poverty. Ms. Stella says there are many women in lower strata of society who are not very aware, and barely make ends meet. It is her endeavour to involve these women in income-generating activities and support microenterprises so that Kudumbashree’s objectives of poverty alleviation and women empowerment are realised.
Ms. Stella knows what she is talking about. She too has taken up various jobs to support herself and family. She was a weaver, part of Kudumbashree’s farming joint liability groups, sold pickles and sarbath, and caught stray dogs as part of the Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme. Having run the gamut of experiences, she feels a distinct advantage in understanding what projects should be planned to support the women. One of her plans is to formulate a project for women weavers.
Ms. Stella who caught stray dogs for five years also wants Kudumbashree women to be allowed to catch dogs as part of the ABC programme. The number of stray dog bite incidents is increasing since the time Kudumbashree was restrained from carrying out ABC activities, she says. Moreover, women in eight districts were totally dependant on what they earned from catching stray dogs and releasing them after being sterilised. Without any steady income, the plight of these women is pathetic, she says.
