ICNW and WWF President Dr Nandini Azad recently organized a dialogue with poor women workers at the high tables on the “Best Practice model” with the International Raiffeisen Union (IRU), the oldest cooperative union in the world. This event was in virtual mode and was organized from Germany. IRU has members from 53 countries. Nandini is the lone elected Board member from India.
Coordinating the event, Dr Azad said WWF-ICNW takes this opportunity to describe the successful path of poor women workers who transformed from informal to pre-formal sector, investing from 3Euro to 1000 Euro now in 37 loan cycles, employing 3 other staff, generating employment, gained greater profits/assets/ investing on children’s education as Engineers, MBA’s etc (Skilling for formal sector).
Now economic and social leaders (in communities for other poor women) are engaged in enhancing growth with equity. Such poor women entrepreneurs are given the “Corona Micro-entrepreneur Warrior’s Award”, said Nandini Azad.
She further said “To strengthen women’s leadership in the cooperative sector globally around the world in policy making, field levels, WWF-ICNW has announced The International Network for Women in Cooperatives with 1,000 members convened to advocate awareness of gender in cooperatives.”
Having provided around 5 billion US $ with low interest in small and petty loans to micro entrepreneurs in 276 occupations and enterprises with 90% repayment, the innovative financial inclusion program at ICNW is a long-term preventive program to counter gender-based violence, she underlined.
The ICNW developed the model within the context of SDG’s (1-5,9,14), “The Gender and Equality Model”, that highlights the transformation of atomized women workers mobilized into a mass platform, trained as co-operators, Women leaders. This model has been appreciated by the world leaders.
Later, on LinkedIn, IRU wrote “Had a terrific IRU-Connected with our member organisation Indian Cooperative Network for Women hosted by President and IRU Board Member Dr Nandini Azad!
Indian dailies such as Hindu and New Indian Express also published the event prominently. A release from WWF says that Dr Nandini Azad will be participating in the next IRU Board and Presidium meeting that will take place in Leuven, Belgium on October 4, 2022.
The release also adds that the Forum was formed in 1978, promoted the ICNW India in 1981 with 800 women members now reaching out to 6,00,000 women members in 6,544 villages/slums in South India.