Ever since 1975, when the UN began celebrating International Women's Day, the world has slowly been waking up to the benefits of the empowered woman. Today, more than ever, there is recognition of the social & economic transformation that women can bring about in society & hence the call for better balance in terms of access to opportunities.

In India, while women account for half the population, carry out two-thirds of the work and are responsible for half the food commodities produced, the wages paid are only one-third of what their male counterparts would earn. Additionally, they account for only 10% of the total property owned in the country. It is an imbalance that indicates a feminization of poverty that transcends classes and regions. 

In rural India, this imbalance is even more acute. On almost every major issue, rural women lag urban women and rural men, including food security, education & healthcare. This despite the fact that rural women play a key role in supporting their households and communities to generate income, food & nutrition security & improving livelihoods. It is indeed, unfortunate that in a country that reveres goddesses like Durga & Kali, there is still a long way to go to balance the gender divide that exists today. 

To achieve gender balance, it is crucial that women are empowered with appropriate skills & training and are provided with income generating opportunities that gain them social recognition. This, in fact, is the bedrock of ACF's approach in achieving gender balance. 

Women in rural India, just like their urban counterparts, need productive employment, social security, childcare, maternity benefits, healthcare and better working conditions. In every village that ACF adopts, the starting point involves getting the women to participate in Self Help Groups (SHG), building their confidence through education & training and then assisting them with opportunities to fulfil skill gaps in the village or district. This leads to them eventually gaining respect & recognition in the family & community, empowering them to break gender stereotypes & move towards creating a better gender balance. 

The process is long drawn but rewarding. Initial resistance from the community is usually high and it takes multiple rounds of dialogues and discussions to eventually gain their trust. The mobility of women is also restricted & it takes a fair amount of convincing to address this. 

While an SHGs' primary purpose is savings & financial assistance, it also plays an equally, if not more, important role of a platform for grievance sharing among its participants. Moreover, ACF promoted SHGs have a strong emphasis on imparting skills that can take women, families and communities out of the clutches of poverty. In each region, economic opportunities are identified, and the women are formally trained to capitalize on them. Each of these economic opportunities also has strong linkages to the program areas that ACF focuses on, to offer holistic 360-degree development to the community.