Fatima Bi presented U.N. award
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Fatima Bi presented U.N. award
Date: 18-10-1998 :: Pg: 07 :: Col: d
UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 17.
Mrs. Fatima Bi, who helped transform an obscure village
in Andhra Pradesh into a
dynamic self-reliant one, was honoured with the United
Nations ``Race against
poverty'' award at a glittering function.
The U.N. Secretary General, Mr. Kofi Annan presented the
award in recognition
of her pioneering effort, amidst cheers from a
distinguished gathering at the U.N.
headquarters on Friday.
Mrs. Fatima, who won from the Asia-pacific region, was
among the five winners
selected by the world body. The other winners are Ms.
Sonia Beltre of the
Dominican Republic, Mr. Nichole Rouvet of France, Mr.
Miyasser al-Saadi of
Jordan and Ms. Edith Wakumire of Uganda.
The award, comprising a citation and a plaque and
sponsored by the U.N.
Development Programme, was given away on the occasion of
``International day
for the eradication of poverty.''The 33-year- old Mrs.
Fatima Bi, sarpanch of
Kalva village in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh, got
the award for her effort in
spearheading social mobilisation and community
empowerment for poverty
alleviation. Mrs. Fatima, who is uneducated, mobilised
women in her village to
launch self-initiated programmes aimed at improving the
lot of villagers.
Commending her efforts, the citation said that Mrs.
Fatima was born in a village
where women wore a veil (purdah), were prevented from
working outside the
home, few girls were ever allowed to attend school and
many married off before
adulthood. Married at an young age, she put her heart and
soul into raising her
children.
The village committee, the citation said, was led by
land-owning farmers until three
years ago when the State Government decreed that
one-third of all seats in the
local bodies should be reserved for women.
At the age of 30, she became first woman village sarpanch
and then began her
transformation from a purdah-covered housewife to an
activist.
In 1996, Mrs. Fatima joined a self-help group in her
village, created under the
South Asian Poverty Alleviation Programme and supported
by the United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP).
Along the way, she gained confidence in her leadership
abilities, wrested control of
the village land and revenue records and insisted on
chairing committee meetings
herself. Her priorities were to make sure that all poor
households had access to
drinking water and low cost sanitation.