Advocacy & Mahila Mandals

Click here to learn about the unusual way we are celebrating International Women's Day this year!  

World Literacy subscribes to the idea that work done to aid individual beneficiaries should be accompanied by work to change the underlying social, economic, environmental and political circumstances which create beneficiaries’ hardship in the first place. The advocacy program works to actively engage targeted communities on issues of human rights, women’s empowerment, literacy, democratization and good governance.  Our goal is to help these people understand the larger issues that affect the quality of their lives, and to enable them to make their voices heard for change.
    At the core of our advocacy program, and in fact at the core of all of our programming, are the Mahila Mandals (women’s groups).  These are groups of adult women whose foundation WLC facilitates prior to engaging in any other programming in a community.  The Mahila Mandals are a venue for women to talk about and support each other on the problems that arise in daily life such as family health,  economic problems, domestic violence and children’s education. World Literacy of Canada then encourages these women to take collective political and social action in their communities: for example, to pressure the local government for legally entitled rights and services such as widows pensions, old age pensions, road repairs, electricity, water, latrine repair and installation, compensation for housing destroyed by floods, voting registration without intimidation and above all, women’s rights. Recently, a Mahlia Mandal in one of our communities has been fighting to have a neighbourhood bar closed which is contributing to alcoholism in the community.   
    World Literacy of Canada also organizes special events to draw public attention to the issues for which we advocate; most significantly for Literacy Day on September 8th, International Women’s day on March 8th and Children’s Day on November 14th.  On these dates we organize beneficiaries to participate in rallies and marches through Varanasi and/or host a day of songs and skits around the theme of the day.  This is a fun, festive way to engage our beneficiaries in social issues and to raise awareness in the community around us of how these women are fighting for change.