Welthungerhilfe announces the media award, “Women’s’ Right to Literacy and Land Rights for the best published article in English/Hindi in mainstream/alternate media on issues related to women’s access to land rights and literacy among the rural poor especially the tribals and the Dalits. This is being instituted as part of its EU Co-funded programme “Empowering Women: Access and Ownership over Land and Land Based Activities through Education, Legal Literacy and Advocacy in Rural India”. The programme aims atstrengthening women’s awareness on the right to literacy and strengthening capacities related to access, entitlement and management of property and assets.
 

As the main food producers, women’s access to land and natural resources is a key factor in eradicating hunger and malnutrition. However, it is a sad reality that few women have control over the income generated from the land they cultivate. On the other side, most of the women also fail to access credit facilities or loans since the land is not in their names.
 

Women from tribal and other forest dwelling communities are highly dependent on forest for livelihood but their role and involvement in the community-based forest management systems have largely remained invisible or insignificant.

 

It is here that literacy plays an important catalyst in linking women to their land rights. Various studies and empirical evidences show that women’s literacy play an important role in their empowerment, in reducing poverty.

 

Realizing and appreciating the immense importance of the media as a tool for advocacy and in giving more visibility to these issues, Welthungerhilfe in India plans to engage more proactively with the media to generate interest among dynamic journalists in reporting more on the aforementioned key issues that obstruct the empowerment of women. The award is one such initiative by Welthungerhilfe in recognizing the rights of women with respect to land and literacy.

 

The best published article will include a quality analysis of the issues highlighting the linkages of land and literacy with respect to the women especially in our target areas. The main thematic areas would include:

·        Women’s access to land rights and entitlements

·        Linkages between adult women literacy and land rights

·       Strengthening participation of women in governance structures and facilitating decision making powers.
 

The articles would have to  be published over the months of October 2011 to February 2012, to be eligible. The Award will be announced in the month of April and will carry a cash prize of INR 50,000 for the best published article followed by two cash prizes of Rs 25,000 each for the next two best published articles. The last date for submission is March 31, 2012.
 

About Us  

Welthungerhilfe was founded in 1962 as the national committee of the Freedom from Hunger Campaign set up by the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation. Non-profit making, non-denominational and politically independent, it is run by a board of honorary members under the patronage of the Federal Republic of Germany. The guiding theme of our work is helping people help themselves. The South Asia Regional Office with its headquarters in India serves the countries of India, Nepal and Sri Lanka.
 

In India specifically over the past 40 years Welthungerhilfe has supported over 750 rural development projects through local partner organizations who work at the grass roots level ensuring direct interventions with the most needy.