Oppam' project to empower women

Thiruvananthapuram: A comprehensive women empowerment project named ‘Oppam’ will be launched in Kattakada Assembly constituency on March 8, the International Women’s Day. The project planned under the initiative of Kattakada MLA I.B. Sathish proposes to start women- friendly waiting shed, she lodges,   programmes for developing women entrepreneurship  and day homes for elderly women.  As part of it, the Kerala Institute of Local Administration (KILA)  will organise a programme to senitise  women panchayat members in the constituency on February 24.

The meeting will finalise the project components and the cost.   The funds will be mobilised from  various departments which will cooperate with the project.
Mr Sathish  told Deccan Chronicle that he has been receiving various proposals   through Whatsapp and Facbook messages for the project.  A meeting of women  professionals like teachers, advocates and  journalists will be convened to  get their ideas, he said.

“The project has been named ‘Oppam’  because women should walk along with men, not behind them,” said Mr Sathish. “I was associated with the  ‘Jalasamirdhi’ project launched in the constituency to  ensure water self-sufficiency, which  gave me the confidence to launch the project. Many women and women’s group had supported the project,” he said. A women-friendly waiting shed would be launched at Kundamankadavu, which is the entrance to  the constituency.

It will have toilet facility, breastfeeding room, sanitary napkin wending machines and a snack bar.  It would be run by a women group like Kudumbasree,  Mr Satish said. The paper work for a day home for elderly women in Kattakkada panchayat was underway. Many employees found it difficult to look after their aging mothers while they went for work. They can leave their parents at this home and go for  work. There was also a plan to utilise the skills of the elderly women in productive work like agarbathi making.

Value-added products like jam and squash will be made from  jackfruit available in all  the panchayats in  the constituency. They will  be marketed by forming women entrepreneur groups. It is also planned  to start eco-friendly products from the stent of banana plant and  arecanut leaves, he said.