International Feature
Investing in women, transforming communities by Colleen Hutchison | photos: CJI
A
n African proverb says, “If you educate a man, you educate an individual. But if you educate a woman, you educate a nation.” In India, two organizations supported by Canadian Jesuits International (CJI) are advancing gender equality and transforming communities by investing in their women.
Julie Rai weaves a bag at Hayden Hall. Photo: Hayden Hall.
Hayden Hall Institute and the Human Life Development and Research Centre (HLDRC) serve the most vulnerable members of India’s Darjeeling district. Known for its scenic beauty and tea plantations, Darjeeling — like many areas of India — has made significant progress in women’s rights, including in education, civic life and health care. But many women — especially in the country’s low socio-economic classes and those who work in the tea gardens — continue to face gender discrimination, sexual violence and low literacy rates. Hayden Hall and HLDCR work with women who live below the poverty line and work as daily labourers. They are often uneducated and financially unstable. Hayden Hall’s philosophy is to help women help themselves economically, knowing that self-empowerment will positively impact their children and families. Working under an integrated community development model, Hayden Hall’s flagship program is its mother and child health care services. The program assists mothers from
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Sashi Rai, Hayden Hall Community Development Worker, checks the blood pressure of an elderly woman at Dabai Pani, Darjeeling, India. Photo: Hayden Hall.
