By Correspondent Shalini Sajwan
A changed environment coupled with awareness enabled numerous women to begin moving shoulder to shoulder with the opposite sex. However, it's a truism that in several parts of India, women are being treated as second-class citizens. Smile Foundation has taken the initiative to give them their rightful position in society through its ‘Swabhiman’ programme whose objective is to empower women and girls besides healthcare of adolescent girls and young women.
“Due to illiteracy and lack of health awareness, most girls and women neglect the importance of nutritional and sanitary requirements. Smile Foundation works on empowerment and education. A lady who’s able to take decisions for her own self is empowered. Taking care of self, recognising her potential in the family and in society, that’s empowerment,” says Swabhiman head Seema Sharma.
On being asked about the role of her N.G.O., she avers, “We’re not only a pressure group but also support other groups. Everybody cannot do everything so there's a section like us who know how we can work with the regime, with available resources. We are focussing on health and scholarship. Our Foundation will spread awareness vis-à-vis well-being and hygiene-related issues. We shall also provide scholarships to girls so that they can become agents of change.”
Highlighting the hurdles they confront in sensitising womenfolk, she said that initially volunteers faced several difficulties in making the uneducated aware about pregnancy, delivery, medication etc.
“Earlier, women hesitated in taking medicine during pregnancy and making them understand was no easy task. It took a while. There were families that had reservations regarding institutional delivery but we demolished such mindsets. We received support from all sections of society. There was a time when people escaped from hospitals! Smile Foundation receives assistance from individuals as well as corporate in terms of money and morale,” says Seema.
Speaking about some women whose lives transformed with help from Smile, she said that ‘Shabana’ – a 17-year-old mother who migrated to Delhi with her one-year-old son for a better living – developed the habit of chewing gutkha/tobacco. This took a toll on her health; she began experiencing dizziness, stomach and mouth problems. After she connected with Swabhiman, she began attending meetings actively and was also given regular counselling. 'Shabana' eventually kicked the habit.
“Poonam (24) never got her kids vaccinated and didn’t even have a yellow card (antenatal record card) from hospital. Due to this, she faced problems at the time of delivery and also in routine check-ups that followed. Later, we educated her, she started coming to gatherings related to prenatal care and vaccination,” Seema concludes.