Bhagwani Bai

HIAD 7510

Dr. Mistsonuri Misawa

October 27, 2015

Community Empowerment

It was few years back, World Bank mission came to visit our organization integrated

community development program. Our organization was working in partnership with

a national poverty alleviation organization Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF)

and World Back (WB) was their funding agency. So we were not directly working

with WB. Although, they were not assessing my sectoral inputs but I being a part of

integrated program I had to be there to respond if any question raised. They visited

a village of 200 households of diversified castes/communities. I cannot forget the

pictorial presentation an illiterate woman from suppressed caste community gave to

the mission and lead the villagers in presenting examples of integrated program in

their village. I would say it an example of both organizing education and

education organization and that resulted in critical empowerment. There were

service delivery or need based community development but same time the working

approach of organization and community mobilization tools were challenging social

structure in the village. It was the village where even suppressed caste men could

not sit on chair in front of dominated caste. Leading the whole village to a big

delegation from a women whose, gender, caste, class identity made her vulnerable

was a big challenge to centuries old social system. Due to the my organizations
community organization set up at grass root level through service delivery for

economic empowerment but same time its working approach was challenging social

structures and giving voice to voiceless. Although she was illiterate but was

president of village development organization. She could not read and write but

through pictorial map of the village she presented the whole development work in

the village. She never entered into the door of an educational institutions but I

would say that she was an educated lady.