VCAW

The Hunger Project Online Briefing Program The Hunger Project in Bangladesh: Empowering Women Animators  Page 12 of 21

Change Agents

VCAW        ¯   Animators        ¯   Trainers and Catalysts        ¯    Hunger Free Zones

The Animator Training is a four-day workshop in which people are grounded in the principles of The Hunger Project, and mobilize for grassroots action.

When I got to the meeting, there was a group of women and men, sitting outside in a circle. Many of the women kept their veils over their faces, and looked nervous to be there. I had never even seen a group like this, with so many women and men from outside of my family. When the workshop began, I was shocked to see that another woman stood up and introduced herself as the leader. I didn't know this was possible in my country. I didn't know that women could stand up and lead. For the first two days of the workshop, I was very shy. I couldn't speak. I had never interacted with other women. And I was afraid that my husband would be angry. At the end of the second day, I finally got the courage to speak up. I told the women in the group about my life and the difficulties I face. We spoke together about the challenges of life in this village. It was so wonderful for me to talk to the other women, and to see that their lives were so similar to mine.

• The animator training is a 4-day workshop in which men and women discover their commitment to catalyze action for a future free from hunger. 

• The training prepares people to mobilize and organize grassroots action. It fosters a deep understanding of the principles of The Hunger Project, and includes the three-hour Vision, Commitment and Action Workshop, which animators learn to lead in their communities.

• The animator training increasingly reflects The Hunger Project-Bangladesh’s commitment to women’s empowerment as the key to social progress in areas of health, education, nutrition, sanitation and income generation.

• It explores the critical link between women’s malnutrition, their subjugation, and the persistence of hunger in Bangladeshi society. These issues are the focus of action for both men and women animators.

• At the end of the training, the participants create an action plan for their villages for the next 3 months.

Measurable results

• Azima Begum is an experienced Hunger Project animator in the southern region of Bangladesh. After taking the animator training, she created a women's organization called Mahila Tarun, for women living below the subsistence poverty level.

• Azima and the 30 women declared that they would take responsibility for removing hunger and poverty from their village.

• The women began by learning their rights. They began to save rice weekly to sell at the end of the week. Together, they have saved 75,000 Taka (the currency of Bangladesh). 10 of the women have also launched a peanut project, where they invested 5,000, and have earned a profit of 9000 Taka.  They are planning additional agricultural projects in which they participate in every step of the production process.

• Today, every woman in the locality is literate. Every child above 5 years old goes to school regularly. They are working to establish more women's organizations in neighboring villages.

VCAW

The Hunger Project Online Briefing Program The Hunger Project in Bangladesh: Empowering Women Animators  Page 12 of 21

Change Agents