Dalit Solidarity serves as a lifeline to those living at the fringes of society, encouraging and developing them. We are actively serving a population often forgotten and oppressed. Widows have been neglected and marginalized for centuries and even today in our Indian society. They are deprived of equal opportunity and human rights. We have been serving them pride and joy for the last 20 years and promoted their wellbeing and development.

Challenge

India is the country with the largest widow population in the world. It is estimated there are 40 million widows in India today - 10 per cent of the country's female population. Many widows are thrown out of family homes by their children or abandoned by their in-laws. Unfortunately, without a man by her side a woman has no respect in rural Indian society. It is part of a patriarchal culture where a woman is respected only if she is a mother, daughter and wife.

Long-Term Impact

In addition, this program will serve as the cornerstone in our effort to enable Indian widows to demonstrate that they are not a risk to the order of society because they have no husbands, but rather are productive individuals deserving of dignity and respect. Dalit Solidarity has constructed approximately 70 homes for widows and the poor families living in the Villupuram Dt. over the course of the past 22 years.

References

1. https://www.dalitsolidarity.org
2. https://dalitsolidarity.org/
3. https://dalitsolidarity.org/women-empowerment/

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