MANILA: An Indian grassroot activist whose pioneering community initiatives in Tamil Nadu empowered thousands of rural women to form micro enterprises and break the poverty spiral, is among this year's six winners of the prestigeious Magsaysay award.
Kulandei Francis, 65, whose Integrated Village Development Project in Krishnagiri has helped changed the lives of many in Tamil Nadu villages was adjudged the winner, along with other activists from Taiwan, the Philippines, Cambodia, Bangladesh and Indonesia.
Francis is being recognised for "his visionary zeal, his profound faith in community energies, and his sustained programmes in pursuing the holistic economic empowerment of thousands of women and their families in rural India," said a statement from the Magsaysay Foundation.
Francis, who himself came from a modest background, attained a graduate degree from Annamalai University, and started the IVDP in 1979, and over the years has expanded its reach in the state.
It helped establish self help groups for women that supported poverty-stricken women engage in group activities and start micro enterprises, create savings accounts, and secure reliable loans.
Through education and community activities, thousands of women have been able to help their families wriggle out of poverty.
Magazine : 
