Women Empowerment

Jeevan Jyothi District Women’s Federation

Jeevan Jyothi is a district-level women’s Federation registered under the Karnataka Co-operative Societies Registration Act, 1960. This federation is the result of four decades of CMSSS’s dedicated contribution in the field of Women Empowerment.

CMSSS has addressed different issues of women such as awareness, advocacy for rights, involvement in local governance, micro-financing through SHGs, and sustainable livelihood. As a result of this, today we have reached over 18,000 women and actively monitor the socio-economic growth of 6,105 women through 514 Self-Help Groups.

The Jeevan Jyothi Federation is the mother federation of 30 Mahasanghas (clusters of Self-Help Groups). The JJF Governing body consists of the President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and 11 directors chosen from these Mahasanghas.

How the Federated Structure Empowers Women:

• Multi-Tier Micro-Credit: A SHG can avail loans from its Mahasangha and also directly from the Jeevan Jyothi Federation at lower interest rates, reducing dependence on predatory private micro-finance lenders.
• Tiered Dispute Resolution: Individual issues are resolved at the SHG level; cluster concerns are handled by Mahasanghas; and taluk/district policy matters are addressed at the JJF mother federation.
• Collective Income Generation: Federation shares, membership fees, and group earnings form revolving loan capital for needy women to start small enterprises.

Socio-Economic Empowerment Project (MISEREOR & KROSS)

Started in 2003 with the support of MISEREOR (Germany) through KROSS (Bengaluru), this project focuses on disadvantaged rural women across Hassan and Arsikere taluks, encompassing 2,500 women under 7 cluster federations.