The Lok Sabha Elections of 2019, has indeed been a very special occasion for the members of Kudumbashree Mission, as this time, Kudumbashree members got a goldenyet rare opportunity to showcase their own strengths and make maximum out of it by becoming part of the electoral process in Kerala.  Kudumbashree Mission had partnered with the office of Chief Electoral Officer, Kerala (CEO) for providing various services during Lok Sabha Elections 2019. Through this partnering, Kudumbashree Mission envisaged at including these common women in the democratic process thereby ensuring absolute women empowerment in all arenas of their lives.  Kudumbashree Mission viewed it as an opportunity to serve the public and also proposed economic empowerment for the women through these activities.The Lok Sabha Elections of 2019, has indeed been a very special occasion for the members of Kudumbashree Mission, as this time, Kudumbashree members got a goldenyet rare opportunity to showcase their own strengths and make maximum out of it by becoming part of the electoral process in Kerala.  Kudumbashree Mission had partnered with the office of Chief Electoral Officer, Kerala (CEO) for providing various services during Lok Sabha Elections 2019. Through this partnering, Kudumbashree Mission envisaged at including these common women in the democratic process thereby ensuring absolute women empowerment in all arenas of their lives.  Kudumbashree Mission viewed it as an opportunity to serve the public and also proposed economic empowerment for the women through these activities.   Read More

Kudumbashree Mission launched launched three innovative enterprises in Paravur Municipality. Designer Cloth bag making units, A 2 Z service team and Fresh cut vegetable & Fish are the three innovative enterprises launched by Paravur Municipality associating with  Kudumbashree Mission. The teams are set up with the help of the centrally designed programme  National Urban Livelihoods Mission (NULM).
 
The five Kudumbashree units in Ward number 16 at Paravur Municipality are operating the bag manufacturing units with subsidy from the municipality. Designer cloth bag making units have started grabbing attention with their unique bag manufacturing project. When other tailoring units are struggling to dispose the pieces of cloth after stitching dress, these women find these clothes as raw material for their product. They collect such pieces of cloth and started making beautiful bags. Apart from hand bags and sling bags, the team also introduced pencil pouch titled ‘Changathi Cheppu’ to replace plastic pouches used by students. This eco-friendly project has secured recognition of State Haritha Keralam Mission. A year ago, the women attended a training session in cloth bag making at Paravur. Bhoomithra club in Ernakulam St. Terasas College organised the training programme  The municipality had even explored new ways to market cloth bags. The bags are being sold through the Nano market of Kudumbashree.  Apart from this, the municipality had strictly directed all shops to replace sale of plastic bags with cloth bags. Cloth bags and pencil pouches manufactured at Paravur will be made available soon in ‘Amazon', the online shopping site as the Municipality had reached upto an agreement with Amazon marketing department in this regard. The Municipality will sponsor ‘Changathi cheppu’, the pencil pouch, to all students in all LP schools and UP schools this academic year. The move was taken to completely replace plastic pouches or boxes with cloth pouches. The chairman noted that around 3000 pencil pouches will be made available from Kudumbashree for this purpose.  

The A2Z Service team is from Vaniyakkad of Paravur Municipality. They make avail the services to households and offices like paying telephone bills, electricity bills water bills, buying medicines for those who stay alone, getting food from hotels, buying and delivering grocery, vegetables, fish etc.The A2Z service team make avail all these services in minimal rates.

The Fresh Cut Vegetables and Fish supplies 'ready to cook' clean and fresh vegetables and fish in minimal rates to the customers. Sukrutham Fresh Cut Vegetables and Vegetables and Fish unit and Nanma Vegetables and Fish cut unit are the units which make avail the ready to cook fish and vegetables to the customers. During May 2018, Paravur Municipality had launched three innovative enterprises. It is in addition to those innovative enterprises, that the new set of innovative enterprises are launched.

Kudumbashree Wayanad District Mission join hands with Mananthavady Municipality to set up work space for street cobblers.

The street cobblers of the town, who are the part and parcel of the daily lives of the public were invisible as like the road side dwellers till then. They used to stitch,glue and polish the damaged footwear and made it good as new. Even in the midst of summer, they had to sit on the road side to earn their daily bread. Kudumbashree Wayanad District Mission and Mananthavady Municipality has now arranged them a proper and comfortable work space.

The twelve cobblers had been working near the Mananthavady block office road side for many years and had suffered several hardships due to the inconsistency of their damaged shelter. Even though they had raised their voice for about a decade, nothing had happened. They have had identity cards, but weren't able to work properly. But now, Mananthavady Municipality as part of National Urban Livelihood Mission (NULM) rehabilitated the cobblers with the support of Kudumbashree Wayanad District Mission.The National Urban Livelihood Mission aims at solving the concerns of urban street vendors and gives them suitable spaces for a good work environment.

The rehabilitation was done in three phases. In the first phase, the group of twelve cobblers was organised by Kudumbashree Wayanad District Mission through the Prathyasha Scheme and were given economic assistance. The activities to ensure suitable hygienic space for them was also started. They were given unified shelter to work properly. Rs 3 lakhs was provided to each group, which they do not have to pay back. Kudumbashree Mission is the nodal agency for implementing the activities of NULM activities in Kerala.

Kudumbashree received HUDCO Award for Best Practices-PMAY-LIFE House Construction through Kudumbashree Women Construction Groups. The award was presented by Shri.G.Parthasarathy IFS (Retd.), President, India Habitat Centre to Smt. Roshni Pillai, State Programme Manager, PMAY at the programme held at Stain Auditorium, India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road, New Delhi on 25 April 2019. Hudco Awards for Best Practices are given in 6 various themes viz., urban governance, housing, urban poverty and infrastructure, urban transport, environmental management, energy conservation and green building, sanitation, urban design and regional planning, inner city revitalization and conservation. Kudumbashree Mission has been awarded for PMAY-LIFE House Construction through Kudumbashree Women Construction Groups under the theme housing, urban poverty and infrastructure.

Kudumbashree women has been rewriting history by undertaking works in the construction sector. It was on anticipating the huge shortage of labour force in the near future because of various determined Government campaigns of mass housing,that training was extended to women in construction sector. So that groups of micro contractors could be formed, who can take up the construction of houses of poor and needy, in addition to taking up of bigger projects. As a part of LIFE mission more than 2.5 lakhs houses are being constructed in the state which provide huge employment opportunity for women construction groups. Further, once the construction groups completes 3/4 houses, it is aimed to upgrade them to become micro contractors for taking up various works of local self governments. Training is given by taking up the construction of the beneficiaries of various government schemes like PMAY(U), LIFE etc.

Accredited agenicies like State Nirmithi Kendra, District Nirmithi Kendra, Maithri, Habitat, Thrissur Labour Contracting Society, Pinarayi Industrial Cooperative Society, Kerala State Housing Board, Kerala State Construction Corporation, Costford, Uralungal Labour Contract Cooperative Society, Kitco, Eksath etc are extending construction training to the identified groups in the respective districts under the leadership of the the Kudumbashree District Mission Coordinators. Training on construction activities for Kudumbashree members aims to extend skill training for women in various trades in the construction industry for enhancing the skill of the women in construction related activities such that a sustainable income is generated.

Kudumbashree women would take up the cleaning activities in the polling stations at Kasargode in connection with the Lok Sabha Elections 2019. Kudumbashree women would serve drinking water to the election officials and would clean the polling stations on the completion of the election procedure. Therefore, Kudumbashree women would clean the 976 polling booths in the district. 2 persons each would be entrusted with the cleaning activities in all booths. Kudumbashree women would be given wages for a day as per the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, MGNREGA), the Indian labour law and social security measure that aims to guarantee the 'right to work'.

Kudumbashree Mission has been entrusted by the various DEO's in Kerala for various activities such as providing food in training centres, for arranging food for polling officials, printing and data entry works, Harithakarmasena for maintaining green protocol etc. Rangashree, the community theatre group of Kudumbashree Mission had already started working partnering with the office of Chief Electoral Officer, Kerala for conducting the SVEEP (Systematic Voter Education and Electoral Participation System) activities for Election to Lok Sabha. Kudumbashree had already opened 204 canteens across the state in distribution centres and despatch centres in connection with Lok Sabha Elections 2019.

Kudumbashree opened canteens in distribution centres and despatch centres in connection with Lok Sabha Elections 2019. Canteens are opened in 13 out of the 14 districts in Kerala. A total of  94 canteens are opened altogether.  In addition to this, food would be served to the officials in the polling stations as well. Kudumbashree units are entrusted for serving food in the distribution centres and despatch centres. Breakfast, lunch, tea, snacks and dinner are being served  to the officials. The canteens would be functioning at the distribution centres and despatch centres on 22 and 23 April 2019. Kudumbashree women would serve food in few collection centres as well. The Cafe Kudumbashree canteens opened will follow Green Protocol. Steel plates and glasses would be used for serving the food. The canteens opened in all polling stations are crowded with the officials.  Kudumbashree is offering food in nominal rates. Kudumbashree's canteens are being a boon to the officials.

Kudumbashree Mission has been entrusted by the various DEO's in Kerala for various activities such as providing food in training centres, for arranging food for polling officials, printing and data entry works, Harithakarmasena for maintaining green protocol etc. Rangashree, the community theatre group of Kudumbashree Mission had already started working partnering with the office of Chief Electoral Officer, Kerala for conducting the SVEEP (Systematic Voter Education and Electoral Participation System) activities for Election to Lok Sabha.

Kudumbashree Alappuzha District Mission conducted, 'Orukkam', the drama camp of Balasabha students in connection with Thakazhi Sahithyolsavam at Thakazhy Smarakam, Thakazhy, Alappuzha on 17 April 2019. The drama camp was of 8 days duration. During the camp, the Balasabha children were trained by the eminent personalities from the drama industry. 'Vellappokkathil' drama, based on the short story written by Shri.Thakazhi Shivasankara Pillai was performed by the Balasabha students at the camp. Twenty seven Balasabha students became part of the drama. Shri. Pramod Payyanur, Shri. C.J.Kuttappan, eminent drama-movie directors interacted with the Balasabha children.

The Drama Camp was organised by Kudumbashree Alappuzha District Mission associating with Thakazhy CDS. Thakazhi Sahithyolsavam is organised every year to commemorate Shri.Thakazhi Shivasankara Pillai, the eminent novelist and short story writer of Malayalam literature, who wrote over 30 novels and novellas and over 600 short stories focusing on the lives of the oppressed classes.The drama camp was indeed a new experience for the Balasabha students.

As part of the Gender development programmes of Kudumbashree Idukki District Mission, a new initiative named ‘ Grameena Vijnana Kendram is started at Vattavada with the ownership of Vattavada panchayath. The centre was inaugurated on 9 March 2019. The aim of the project is to start knowledge centres in the rural areas of the district. The uniqueness of the program is that the centre has the facility to conduct live online classes where teachers from any part of the world can take classes and interact with the students in the centre with the help of ‘tele classroom’ facility'.

The project is implemented as a common venture of Kudumbashree Gender Self Learning Programme under the ownership of Vattavada panchayath. Edyonet is the technology and teaching resource provider of the center. They provided the infrastructure, technical support and software for the functioning of the program. Kudumbashree Idukki District Mission, CDS, LSGD, EDYONET – Infopark, Grameen vidhya foundation are the stakeholders of the centre.

A visit to Vattavada by the District Programme Manager who is in charge of Gender and the Snehitha staff noticed that as many issues are prevailing in the area. Vattavada, being a remote village, faces the issues of lack of transport facilities, lack of educational facilities and financial difficulties. Education opens the door to the multiple possibilities/ opportunities across the world. The enquiry on how it would be possible to make services of experts available to different parts of the state resulted in the community education program through tele classroom. Kudumbashree in collaboration with EDYONET IT started a free online PSC coaching as the first step of the program. Around 60 students from Vattavada and 30 students from Devikulam Panchayath gets benefited through this coaching service. Weekly 3 hour online classes are provided to the students. This PSC coaching and spoken English class was started under the Vattavada GRC. Eminent teachers are giving classes through video conference. Now the students can receive classes from eminent faculties from anywhere without spending money for it. As it is live online classes, they can conduct discussions and clear their doubts as well. This technology is useful in multiple ways for the center in future.

The centre aims at organizing various programmes utilizing the possibilities of information technology and reach out diverse education opportunities to the socio economical and geographically marginalised spaces. The class are being conducted from the public teaching facility at Ernakulam. The subject experts will conduct the classes according to the convenience of students via specially arranged tele classroom that includes a projector, camera and speaker system. The students will be able to watch the classes in 50 “ television and interact through the system specifically designed for the purpose. The sessions for the registered students will be made available in the software and the classes will be provided according to the need. The gender resource person of the Kudumbashree Gender resource center in the Vattavada panchayath has the responsibility of co coordinating the program. It will emerge as a revolution in distance education.

Kudumbashree Mission is partnering with DEO's of Kerala to provide various services during Lok Sabha Elections during April 2019. Kudumbashree Mission has been entrusted by the various DEO's in Kerala for various activities such as providing food in training centres, for arranging food for polling officials, printing and data entry works, Harithakarmasena for maintaining green protocol etc. Rangashree, the community theatre group of Kudumbashree Mission had already started working partnering with the office of Chief Electoral Officer, Kerala for conducting the SVEEP (Systematic Voter Education and Electoral Participation System) activities for Election to Lok Sabha.

The Systematic Voter Education and Electoral Participation System (SVEEP) was implemented for ensuring that maximum number of voters are using their right to vote. Under this programme, Street plays are conducted by the Rangashree teams of Kudumbashree Mission in selected spots in the districts. The street play stressed on the importance of casting vote, It also reminds that voting right is not only men's right, but also women's as well. It also give awareness on how to add name in the voter's list, how to vote, the identity proofs for casting vote, how to correct the errors in the voting list and how to add name to the voting list online through Akshaya centres. The street plays also educate the public, not to cast vote to someone upon anyone's pressure. Along with the street play, voting machine and VVPAT is also being introduced to the public.

Workshop on Emergency Preparedness Plan (EPP) for Kudumbashree was held at Hotel Fortune South Park and Kudumbashree State Mission office on 26-27 March 2019. The Emergency Preparedness Plan Workshop was organised associating with 'Save the Children', a global non-profit organisation which was founded in 1919 and is India's leading independent child rights NGO, which run programmes in the remotest corners of India and urban areas to provide quality education and healthcare, protection from harm and abuse and life-saving aid during emergencies to children. 

Concept of hazard, risk, vulnerability and disaster, understanding humanitarian crises and its response frame used, understanding risk monitoring and risk analysis process, different standards (Core Humanitarian Standard, Sphere standards etc.) of emergency response, conceptual framework and understanding of organizational emergency preparedness and conceptualization of a stander planning template of organizational preparedness were discussed  during the 1.5 day's workshop. Assistant District Mission Coordinators, Resource Persons, District Programme Managers from Social Development  team and  the State Mission team actively participated in the programme.

EPP would an integral part of Kudumbashree Mission because of its reach and the capacities with the organisation where women and children can be the first respondents at the time of crisis and also contribute largely to reducing the magnitude and scale of disasters. Kudumbashree Mission and 'Save the Children' NGO had signed an agreement to reach out to 10,000 families from the most marginalized sections, to recover the losses due to the unprecedented floods and landslides across Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha and Wayanad districts during the Kerala floods in August 2018.