(March 10, 2010) Marking International Women’s Day, the Church in Madhya Pradesh
state has launched two initiatives to help women access government schemes and assert
their rights. Madhya Pradesh Isai Maha Sangh, the federation of lay Christian organizations
in the state, observed the special day with a day-long program on how to access state
welfare schemes meant for women. “Our women are totally unaware of the government
welfare and employment programs meant for them,” said Sheela Santiago, a Christian
woman, an organizer of the program in Bhopal, the state capital. Anil Mittal, finance
manager of the state’s Backward Classes and Minorities Finance Development Corporation,
who led the classes, said schemes are available to give low interest loans to women
for self-employment, education and to start small businesses. But they “seldom make
use of such schemes,” Mittal said. Suhasini Das, one of some 300 people at the program,
said the Church should help educate the poor about such schemes. She wanted parish
priests to announce such schemes and Church media to publicize them. Most schemes
would “immensely help” the poor Christians in the villages, she said. In another
Church initiative, more than 250 women joined a rally in Rehli town to create awareness
of gender discrimination on March 7. The Sisters of Jesus and Sagar diocese organized
that event to mark Women’s Day. The culmination of the rally at the town’s market
included a play staged for some 2,000 people gathered there for their weekly shopping.
The play stressed the need for girls’ education and showed how moneylenders cheat
illiterate people.