To help 10,500 poor, marginalized women in 35 rural villages in Bihar, India organize self-help groups, escape money lenders, increase income, manage their savings, improve their health and education.
In densely populated Bihar, over 70% of the people live in poverty. Most belong to socially marginalized castes. Women are especially disadvantaged. Only 11% of women are literate. Many girls marry before they are 18. Women suffer from lack of maternal health care, unwanted pregnancies, and closely spaced births. They lack vital health knowledge and have a limited role in decision-making. Women do not have a chance meet to discuss how to solve their priority problems.
Activites include providing high quality community-based reproductive health care services, and training in women's leadership and organization.
Reduce unwanted pregnancies and increase average spacing between wanted births; Increase percent of women obtaining pre-natal care and assistance at birth by a trained health professional; Increase credit provided to women's group members
This project has provided additional documentation in a Microsoft Word file (projdoc.doc).
