Abstract

The case ‘Kudumbashree – Eradicating Poverty by Empowering Women’ is about the poverty eradication and women’s empowerment program initiated by the Government of Kerala, India, in 1997. The program played a vital role in empowering women and eradicating poverty in Kerala, and in enabling close coordination between government agencies, Kudumbashree, and the Panchayati Raj institutions. The case discusses the structure and mode of functioning of Kudumbashree and the multiple activities it undertook for poverty eradication and income generation. It contains a brief note on the success stories of various women beneficiaries. The case ends with the future outlook of the Kudumbashree organization and its adoption of the latest technologies to provide better service and its foray into new avenues for women’s empowerment and poverty eradication.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Understand the concept of public policy and the role of Government in implementing them.
• Analyze the advantages of providing financial support to women self-help groups to start their own micro enterprises.
• Analyze how women’s empowerment and gender equality play a vital role in poverty eradication.
• Understand the importance of sustainability in social welfare programs being rolled out by governments.

Keywords

Kudumbashree; Women Empowerment; Social Responsibility; Poverty Eradication; Social Justice; Collective Farming; Self Help Groups; Microfinance; Voluntary Activities; Small Scale Enterprises; Vocational Training; Women Entrepreneurs; Sustainable Farming