Kudumbashree is a classic example of how projects implemented in the State today are taken up by the country tomorrow, Minister for Local Self-Governments M.B. Rajesh has said.
He was speaking after inaugurating the 10th anniversary celebrations of the Kudumbashree’s Snehitha gender help desk at Vithura in the district on Tuesday. Snehitha was launched in 2013 to provide protection, legal help, and livelihood opportunities to women and children facing abuse.
The Minister said the Kudumbashree in Kerala had become an inspiration for starting women empowerment collectives across the country. The Kudumbashree model was studied both within the country and by other countries. Seeing the Kudumbashree women go to school as part of the ‘Back to School’ campaign was heartening.
The Minister also inaugurated two projects of the Thiruvananthapuram district Kudumbashree Mission – an adolescent personality development support mechanism and a project to create awareness about postpartum depression and provide mental support to emerge out of it. These were piloted in two wards of Nanniyode grama panchayat in the district. Following their success, a decision has been taken to expand them across the State.
The adolescent personality development programme aims at freeing them from various stresses and pressures such as those caused by drug abuse or examinations and developing their personality. A module has been developed as part of the programme to improve adolescents’ emotional intelligence through training.
The postpartum depression programme aims at creating awareness of the condition and providing women support to overcome it. An intervention to take care of children from the day they are born will be part of the programme.
G. Stephen, MLA, presided over the function. Vithura grama panchayat president Manjusha G. Anand and Kudumbashree Executive Director Jafar Malik were present.
