EMPOWERING WOMEN THROUGH CONSUMER EDUCATION

In the age of globalisation and cutthroat competition, very few people or organizations are concerned about the general well being of people. The lack of firebrand leaders has led to the growth of NGOs that selflessly promote the interests of the common man. One such area where NGOs are playing an important role is towards strengthening the consumer movement in India. Consumer organizations like VOICE (Voluntary Organisation in Interest of Consumer Education) not only continue to fight for the rights of the consumers but also make the Indians aware of their rights as consumers.
Realising the importance of empowering women consumers, VOICE has made an effort to address women's issues through its consumer and environment education programme. One role where women are not underestimated is in their role as consumers. The responsibility of shopping for a family is usually the woman's since 80% of all household purchase decisions are made by them. This is also the reason why they are so aggressively targeted by the market and by advertisers as potential consumers. All consumption patterns affect consumer health, the environment and the economy, but women's consumption decisions are all the more important because they decide the quality of life of their families.
VOICE has made a constant effort to educate women consumers through its multifaceted consumer education programme. The organisation has been working on its consumer and environment education programme for years to extend its reach to the widest audience possible.
Integrated programmes that focus on empowering women of different age groups and social and economic backgrounds have been developed by the NGO.
Workshops are regularly held to impart consumer education to the rural women. Recently, in Varanasi a workshop was organised for the various stakeholders engaged in consumer rights and education of women, including the several local women groups. The objective of the workshop was to initiate a process that brings to fore consumer issues specifically related to women.
VOICE has been stressing on the importance of traditional knowledge and sustainable practices, which is inherent in the rural Indian lifestyle but is now being pushed aside by market forces. Homemade alternatives should be promoted as they are more reliable, cheaper than market goods and make consumers self-reliant.
The bi-monthly magazine Consumer Voice has consistently featured articles pertaining to women, their lifestyles, education and their impact on families and communities. The NGO also come out with a bi-monthly Hindi magazine, Ankit Vani, the National Literacy Mission, Ministry of HRD and Govt. of India support targeting neo-literate women in both rural and urban areas.
When thousands of Indians fell ill with dropsy due to adulteration of mustard oil, cheap and highly processed soya oil immediately replaced mustard oil in the markets after the government ban on sale of all unpackaged edible oils. Edible oil production became fully industrialized and local processing became a criminal act. Thousands of workers lost their jobs and millions of Indians were dispossessed of healthy oil. During the crisis, the US Soybean Association pushed for soyabean imports as the "solution." The National Alliance for Women's Food Rights organized protests for the return of mustard oil. They challenged the ban in the Supreme Court of India. They urged consumers in India to buy directly from farmers. The song heard in the Delhi slums is "Sarson Bachao, Soya Bhagao," or "Save the Mustard, Dump the Soya." VOICE has also been working to promote the use of mustard oil by Indian consumers.
VOICE has done pioneering work in educating women consumers of the disadvantages of using disposable diapers for their infants. This is a serious health issue and needs to be addressed by the women consumers.
Till a decade ago, the concept of disposable nappies or diapers was absent in India - mothers used homemade cloth nappies for their babies, but with more and more mothers working, it is hard not to give into the lure of buying a pack of Huggies or Pampers for their infants. Disposable diapers do have the convenience-edge but they are definitely costlier than cloth diapers, have a huge environmental impact due to their non-biodegradability factor, consume far more energy in their manufacturing processes than their reusable counterparts, and are also the reason for common ailments like nappy rash among infants, which is a type of irritant dermatitis (inflammation of the skin) that is restricted to the diaper area in infants but it may become infected by bacteria or yeast present on the skin, and turn itself into a niggling problem.
VOICE endeavours to educate women consumers in making right choices that safeguards human health and the environment.

For Further details please contact

CONSUMER VOICE, F-71, Lajpat Nagar Part II, New Delhi 110024




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