Mahila
Shanti Sena (MSS)
Report from Odisha, 2009 – Sri Gopal Mohanty
During 1999, when Odisha
( previously known as Orissa) State of India was hit by super cyclone, SEEDS
(Sustainable Economic and Educational Development Society)an NGO in the USA,
and Unnayan, a Bhubaneswar based NGO, started several
SHGs(Self Help Group) that were formed by women. The main activity of a SHG is
to create income generation opportunities for its members mostly by providing
micro-credit. Thus the incentive to augment MSS movement in conjunction with
SHG was very appealing. In 2005, Unnayan initiated a
MSS training camp in Mayurbhanj District. Till today
it has conducted two training camps, one training camp for trainers, several
workshops and regular consultative meets in Mayurbhanj
and Balasore Districts in North-Eastern part, one
camp in Jagatsingpur District in the Central Eastern
part and one in Anugul District in the Central part
of the State. In addition, it organized a special workshop on “Culture of Peace
and Women” in 2006 and a State level MSS Convention in 2008. Another NGO, BISWA
held one training camp in Sambalpur District of
Western Odisha in 2007.
In Mayurbhanj
region where the MSS movement is intensive, a remarkable change is noticed in
the mindset of the people, particularly on the issue of gender domination. At
the same time women have become more aware of social and political issues. MSS
training has brought self-confidence, developed self-reliance and promoted co-operative
action among them. The members have taken active role in many community related
problems, particularly in helping the recent flood affected victims in the
region.
The MSS movement in Odisha
has been financially supported by SEEDS, AID (Aid
This year it is planned to intensify the
movement in Jagatsingpur by conducting a fresh camp,
spread it to new areas in Sambalpur and initiate it
in Nuapada District which is in the farthest western
part of the State. Except Jagatsingpur, the regions
under MSS movement including the newly planned programmes
have predominantly tribal population.
MSS impact reported by Unnayan, 2007 –
Bhanu Prasad Panigrahi
Unnayan is a registered NGO in Orissa working for the poor and
marginalized rural communities with focus on livelihood promotion and women’s
empowerment.
In December 2004 we got an opportunity to learn about the Mahila Shanti Sena(MSS) programme initiated by Acharya Ramamurti,. Our active involvement began after eight months
when we invited two members of Shrambharti to train
our women.
This training and the subsequent exposure visits seemed to touch
some hidden capacity in the rural women with whom we are involved. The initial
training was received by 50 members. Now the membership has grown to 2752. But
it is certainly not a question of numbers alone. This training seems to have
empowered the women in actual terms, some of whom are SHG members and others
who are not, who have been coming together to address problems faced by the
community at large. Where do the women get their inspiration from? We often
wonder! Most of these women are extremely marginalized and barely literate. We
think that perhaps the idea that the training imparts that each member can
contribute collectively to maintaining peace and harmony in the family,
neighborhood and the community at large has a powerful impact on these women.
The response to the training has been so overwhelming that we are
convinced that for those of us who are working in the field of development this
is a powerful tool which can be used very effectively at the grass root level
for empowerment and capacity building.
MSS concept is a holistic one. (A) Community harmony and its
social relevance (B) Looking at livelihood issues (C) Encouraging women’s
participation in decision-making
process.
Thus NGOs and other civil society organisations
can integrate the concept of Mahila Shanti Sena in all their
activities, no matter what sector they are involved in, thereby establishing a
peaceful social order. MSS is without doubt a powerful means towards this
end.