Orissa Experience : Gender

DANLEP's initiatives in Orissa, which did not have a single female leprosy worker in 1986, have resulted in a perceptible change in terms of women's participation and awareness of gender issues in the state.

TheDANLEP staff made efforts to build the confidence of women by involving them in various activities related to the detaection of leprosy and to communication of messages. They were involved in street theater, discussions and surveys. Emphasis was also laid on creating awareness of gender issues among men, whose support is required for the success of gender initiatives. By 1993, an attempt was made to widen the base by tapping women's organisations like the Mahila Mandals and Mahila Swasthya Sanghas.

Realizing the importance of sensitizing medical staff and policy-makers on gender issues, DANLEP organised a workshop at Puri in 1995 and another in Bhubaneswar in 1996. While the first was aimed at sensitizing policy-makers, besides examining the prospects of incorporating gender into all health programmes in Orissa, the second attempted to formulate a strategy on reducing gender disparities in health.

A notable initiative was the organization of a training programme on gender for the trainers of nurses at Behrampur in December 1996. In 1997, a workshop was held at Sambalpur to create awareness of gender issues in health, as well as the importance of incorporating gender issues in all health activities and training programmes. A very important result of this workshop was the introduction , in 1998, of gender in the curricula of students of nursing and medicine and women's studies, as well as in the training of state health personnel. The centre for women's studies in Bhubaneswar has developed, with DANLEP support, an IEC package for gender sensitization in the field of health.

The practice of training workshops has caught on at various levels. Several workshops have been held for femnale health worker trainees, trainers of female health supervisors, and National Social Service (NSS) volunteers, who, in turn, have organised workshops at the community level. NGOs have also been involved. In addition, DANLEP has been organising residential awareness camps in the villages and slums to impart training to health workers, teachers, social workers and other community members. Good use is also made of methods like street theater and script-writing.

The significant change achieved in the attitude of health workers to gender issues now needs to be buttressed by initiatives at the policy level.