FAQsIn some villages, nothing's worse than being born a girl. Except maybe, being born a Dalit one.
At 60, Jannabai a Dalit (low caste) woman is as old as India is. And perhaps as young. Bristling with an energy one can’t help but admire; her eyes speak for a world of change. But this is her now.
A far cry from the Jannabai of way back then.
Married at a tender ten (she can’t quite remember when). Her childhood marred by marriage was made worse for giving birth to one boy, but two girls. Like most women she lived with trauma. Until 1993.
In her village wracking under an earthquake, Jannabai sought solace in a temple. When the upper caste Maratha community got wind that a Dalit woman had entered their sanctum they dragged her out and beat her up. Jannabai pressed charges. She was given the run–around from police station to court, to Panchayat office to Tehsil and Gram Panchayat office. Undeterred, it was then that she began to understand the power of being in the system and became part of the Dalit struggle against age old victimisation.
No Figure Head This
1996-97 was reserved for a woman Sarpanch (Leader). Assuming they could get work through proxy the village elected Jannabai. The upper caste Marathas then asked her to sign a Power of Attorney letter transferring all her rights to the sub–Sarpanch (a Maratha). Jannabai refused.
Smarting from the rebellion, the shocked Marathas harassed her with a stay order and no confidence motion. When she found out that an official had been bribed to do this, she sought his incarceration as well. Even though her stint as Sarpanch was spent struggling to save her position, it taught her invaluable lessons for the road ahead.
Giving Birth to a new era
Jannabai joined Kalapandhari, an NGO working for community rights to become a Dai Prasikhshan (local midwife). There she took to a path of transformation. She formed women self-help groups dealing with adult education, awareness campaigns, health care and other issues. Being married off an early age, she was determined that through the process of creating awareness, the community understands the issues of child marriage and the law pertaining to the same and stop the practice of getting their children, especially girls married off at tender ages.
Jannabai swept the 2005 elections again as Deputy Sarpanch. It also marked the beginning of sweeping change for her people. 
Dignity for life…and death
Water a scarcity as it is; is even more difficult to come by for Dalits who for centuries have been denied the dignities of basic survival. The first thing Jannabai’s did was to provide water to the Dalit Basti (Colony). Working with the Social Welfare Department she constructed 3 water tanks connected to its pipeline, all for fifty thousand rupees ($1200).Next came the senior citizens often left a begging in their old age, She worked towards bringing in Rashtriya Vridha Yojna(National Pension Scheme) that provided a pension ranging from Rs.60 Rs.250 (1.4-5$)
She also sought sanctity for the departed by legally claiming land for shamshan bhoomi(Burial ground) for the Dalits. Today, Jannabai fiercely declares that today no one dare marry their girls off before 18 yrs of age.
Leader In True Right
Today Jannabai has an interesting take on leadership and management. Harking the decentralization of power, she opines that if the gram Panchayat (district level government) works efficiently, their dependence on any ministry is negligible. Her courage and leadership is inspiration for all to fight for their rights.
KMAGVS
Serving marginalized communities through people’s participation.
• 9 villages provided safe drinking water.
• 6 PHCs activated
• 100% newborns immunized.
• 100% retention of children in 1 of every 5 govt. schools.
• 20 families accorded 25 acres under Zamin Adhikar Andolan.
CRY America
KMAGVS is funded by CRY America through CRY India. CRY's near thirty years of experience in capacity building and monitoring ensures that every dollar is maximized addressing the root causes of poverty, exploitation and discrimination. Here’s how Cry India helped KGMAVS
• Helps develop a leadership team and to educate and advocate for community rights.
• Funds non-formal education centres and balwadis* .
• Empowers families and communities to give their children good education.
• Training and organizational inputs for programme accountability and effectiveness.
• Training communities on basic hygiene and healthcare.
• Links NGOs with KGMAVS, enabling them to share experiences and learnings.
