Section 6 (video)

thehungerprojectindia

The Hunger Project (India) is committed to support women's leadership and participation in local governance.

Today is the #nationalpanchayatirajday2025 bringin

Today is the #nationalpanchayatirajday2025 bringing into force the 73rd Amendment of the Constitution which created elected rural bodies and reserved 1/3 of the seats for women, especially SC and ST women, across panchayats.

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In 2024, @thehungerprojectindia embarked on a programme titled “Enhancing Nutrition Outcomes,” engaging with the most vulnerable and marginalised households and a range of institutional mechanisms at the panchayat level. A distinct element of the project was to #strengthentheroleofpanchayats in various nutrition-related services.

Equipped with tools and information, elected women representatives are better placed to address nutrition and food security. Their actions may seem nascent, in the context of this intervention, but they bridge critical gaps between citizens and their rights and entitlements. We still hear of challenges faced by Dalit and Adivasi representatives as they navigate the hostile terrain of caste and patriarchy. “But we are slowly learning to make full use of this office, to do the job right,” says Deepika Vandana, a Dalit ward member in Madhya Pradesh.

In Balki Devi’s confidence and Madhu’s patient resolve, in Kenchamma’s intentional leadership and Kamleshwari’s eagerness, we see elected leaders do the pivotal work of raising awareness. Time and again, we hear them say they must ensure “nobody is left behind.”

Across states, this was the common consensus: “We are learning by doing.”

Read the full story at the link in the bio☝🏽

This story is also part of the new photo book "We Saw The Seeds Grow - Communities Rethinking Nutrition."

#DALITHISTORYMONTH #GUTHYAMMA Guthyamma was only

#DALITHISTORYMONTH #GUTHYAMMA

Guthyamma was only 22 when she contested elections and became a ward member (Karnataka) in 2021. She displayed remarkable curiosity and courage to take on difficult issues. She fought hard to resolve the land dispute. “The land belongs to the panchayat, but for years it has been illegally acquired by the upper caste families. Nothing concrete was done by previous panchayat members. We can use it to provide houses for the most vulnerable and marginalised."

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The series imagines Dalit women leaders on billboards across rural and urban landscapes as a way to occupy public spaces. Their presence in the panchayat office defies caste-patriarchy. We invite you to celebrate Dalit women, challenging erasure, changing narratives, seeking dignity, building pathways for the future generation. From reclaiming the chair to fighting for land rights to accessing fundamental rights to mobility, education, health, water, safety and a dignified life for themselves and their communities.

#righttoequity #annihilatecaste #righttoland #accesstoresources #reclaimingrights #dalitwomen #localgovernance #smashingcastepatriarchy #dalithistorymonth

#DALITHISTORYMONTH #SUSHEELASAKET For Susheela Sa

#DALITHISTORYMONTH #SUSHEELASAKET

For Susheela Saket (ward member; MP), dalit women’s access to financial independence remains a major concern. The fact that she was able to connect more than 30 women to different sources of livelihood is the most important accomplishment of her tenure. "Change doesn’t happen overnight. Will and intention are all that is needed. And I have plenty!”

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The series imagines Dalit women leaders on billboards across rural and urban landscapes as a way to occupy public spaces. Their presence in the panchayat office defies caste-patriarchy. We invite you to celebrate Dalit women, challenging erasure, changing narratives, seeking dignity, building pathways for the future generation. From reclaiming the chair to fighting for land rights to accessing fundamental rights to mobility, education, health, water, safety and a dignified life for themselves and their communities.

#righttoequity #annihilatecaste #safeoccupations #righttowork #righttodignity #reclaimingrights #dalitwomen #localgovernance #smashingcastepatriarchy #dalithistorymonth

#DALITHISTORYMONTH #KANIYA Kaniya Devi (sarpanch;

#DALITHISTORYMONTH #KANIYA

Kaniya Devi (sarpanch; Rajasthan), a young, astute and poised Dalit elected representative; Her most gratifying, yet the most arduous task, of her tenure was to convince many men in the community to give up marble-cutting and opt for alternative jobs. The stone-carving industry, which is built on the labour of predominantly Adivasi and Dalit men, is causing many to fall prey to the health hazard of silicosis, a long-term lung illness. Her relentless efforts got one main stone-cutting workshop in the vicinity closed after 60 silica-exposed workers listened to her, understood the extremely expensive medical costs they could incur, and recognised the hazardous nature of the occupation and its long-lasting impact on them and their families. “Because they left the factory, it shut down.”

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The series imagines Dalit women leaders on billboards across rural and urban landscapes as a way to occupy public spaces. Their presence in the panchayat office defies caste-patriarchy. We invite you to celebrate Dalit women, challenging erasure, changing narratives, seeking dignity, building pathways for the future generation. From reclaiming the chair to fighting for land rights to accessing fundamental rights to mobility, education, health, water, safety and a dignified life for themselves and their communities.

#righttoequity #annihilatecaste #safeoccupations #righttohealth #reclaimingrights #dalitwomen #localgovernance #smashingcastepatriarchy #dalithistorymonth

#DALITHISTORYMONTH #MAYAARYA Fierce, brimming wit

#DALITHISTORYMONTH #MAYAARYA

Fierce, brimming with rage, hope and fortitude is the personhood of Maya Arya (Pradhan; Uttarakhand). Her proudest moment through her tenure was laying 100 kms road under the rural road scheme). She clarifies, “I am not talking about mindless and nonessential road building that profits construction mafia. I am talking about connecting villages and isolated habitations through rural roads so that people’s right to mobility is not affected. Especially pregnant women, school-going children and the most marginalised communities living on the periphery.” Access to basic services – health, education, livelihood – remains an ongoing struggle and Maya commits to this struggle with all her might.

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The series imagines Dalit women leaders on billboards across rural and urban landscapes as a way to occupy public spaces. Their presence in the panchayat office defies caste-patriarchy. We invite you to celebrate Dalit women, challenging erasure, changing narratives, seeking dignity, building pathways for the future generation. From reclaiming the chair to fighting for land rights to accessing fundamental rights to mobility, education, health, water, safety and a dignified life for themselves and their communities.

#righttoequity #annihilatecaste #moblitiy #safety #education #reclaimingrights #mobilityenablesrights #mobilityisfreedom #dalitwomen #localgovernance #smashingcastepatriarchy #dalithistorymonth

#DALITHISTORYMONTH #LOKAMMA Lokamma is a determin

#DALITHISTORYMONTH #LOKAMMA

Lokamma is a determined and daring ward member (Karnataka) and her presence in the public office is a testament to her efforts to reclaim her dignity and her commitment to the idea of equality for all. “Because of quotas, nobody can dare to sideline me. Otherwise, we are forced to withdraw or compromise. More Dalit women should get into politics. We need to enter this world and see how things are done.”

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The series imagines Dalit women leaders on billboards across rural and urban landscapes as a way to occupy public spaces. Their presence in panchayat office defies caste-patriarchy. We invite you to celebrate Dalit women, challenging erasure, changing narratives, seeking dignity, building pathways for the future generation. From reclaiming the chair to fighting for land rights to accessing fundamental rights to mobility, education, health, water, safety and a dignified life for themselves and their communities.

#righttoequity #annihilatecaste #dalithistorymonth #moblitiy #safety #education #reclaimingrights #reclaimthechair #dalitwomen #localgovernance #smashingcastepatriarchy

#DALITHISTORYMONTH #ROSHNIMERAWI Shaping her lega

#DALITHISTORYMONTH #ROSHNIMERAWI

Shaping her legacy as one of transformative change, Roshni Merawi, Sarpanch (Madhya Pradesh) exuberantly ensures access to education becomes a reality for all, especially addressing Dalit girls' desire to pursue higher education. Having faced caste discrimination (because of the colour of her skin) in class and gender discrimination at home when she was young, she deeply understands the impact of the entrenched inequality and the urgent need to uproot it.

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This week we celebrate Dalit elected women representatives, who have consistently looked up to the legacy of Babasaheb Ambedkar in asserting their identity. The figure of an elected Dalit woman leader challenges the systemic oppression unleashed by caste prejudice and patriarchy. From reclaiming the chair to fighting for land rights to accessing fundamental rights to mobility, education, health, water, safety and a dignified life for themselves and their communities. They are unfazed and steadfast and fully grasp the significance of the 73rd Constitutional Amendment (1992) and the power of the public office they hold.

The series imagines Dalit women leaders on billboards across rural and urban landscapes as a way to occupy public spaces. Their presence in the panchayat office defies caste-patriarchy.

We invite you to celebrate Dalit women, challenging erasure, changing narratives, seeking dignity, building pathways for the future generation.

#righttoequity #annihilatecaste #dalithistorymonth #moblitiy #safety #education #reclaimingrights #reclaimthechair #dalitwomen #localgovernance #ambedkarjayanti #smashingcastepatriarchy

As part of "Accelerate Action" this #iwd2025 we br

As part of "Accelerate Action" this #iwd2025 we bring attention to strengthening the role of village level institutions and panchayats in improving and enhancing access to nutrition-related information and services.

Mothers' Committees at anganwadi centres and the Village Health Sanitation and Nutrition Committee are critical spaces for community participation and collective decision-making at the panchayat level.

Here are some stories of new learnings, motivated leadership, and ability to participate in such spaces.

Read the full story at the link in the bio☝🏽

This story is also part of the new photo book "We Saw The Seeds Grow - Communities Rethinking Nutrition."

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#accelerateaction #IWD2025 #genderequity #enhancenutrition #panchayatmechanisms #safespaces #motherscommittees #VHSNC #increasedawareness #motivatedleadership #activeparticipation #accesstoinformation #accountability #transparency #foodsecurity

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