Kudumbashree: A Kerala story starring empowered women

Seventeen years ago, Yasmin Arimbra’s prospects didn’t look bright. She was 23 and without any formal education having dropped out of school. Hailing from Muslim-majority Malappuram district in Kerala, she couldn’t see a way out.

It was during this time that she received a proposal: a panchayat member in Thennala asked her to give the Kudumbashree neighbourhood group a shot.

With nothing to lose, Yasmin joined the group. Now, years later, the 40-year-old stands as a shining example of women’s empowerment; someone who swam against the tide and won.

Her list of laurels keeps expanding: Yasmin heads a 500-member farmer group; in 2015, she along with other women established the Thennala Agro Producing Company, which attracted global interest with its ‘Thennala’ brand of rice; she also earned her degree in sociology; fought and won a district panchayat election; and began a care home for 60 differently-abled children.

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Coming from a conservative Muslim society, this is a stellar resumé. Yasmin credits Kudumbashree for turning around her life.

“The confidence gained from Kudumbashree, especially the feeling that I am not alone, have helped me reach here; that too from a time when women, especially from Muslim families, faced restrictions in their social interactions,” Yasmin told DH.

That confidence shows. Yasmin, who is single, wants to “dedicate her life to the cause of differently-abled children”.

Kudumbashree has pulled thousands of Yasmins from the depths of poverty and given them the confidence to face the world; people who would have otherwise lost their way due to prejudice and socio-economic fault lines.

“Kudumbashree has already made Kerala feel proud by showcasing a successful women empowerment mission before the world and it would continue to find new paths to success,” says Kerala Local-Self Government Minister M B Rajesh.

With over 46 lakh members in 3.09 lakh neighbourhood groups, Kudumbashree is considered one of the world’s largest networks of women.

It was launched in 1998 following the recommendations of a three-member task force appointed by the then CPM government. Modelled on the lines of women self-help groups in Malappuram and Alappuzha districts, it was backed by agencies like NABARD. The key objective was to eradicate poverty through women’s empowerment.

The women’s network functions with a three-tier structure: Neighbourhood Groups (NHGs) at the lowest level, Area Development Societies (ADS) at the middle level, and Community Development Societies (CDS) at the local government level.

Kudumbashree, which celebrated 25 years last week, has spread its tentacles virtually into everything, from microfinancing to setting up microenterprises; from schools for differently-abled to male-dominated construction sector; it does social interventions, too, in fields such as infant mortality.

“Kudumbashree had a vision and mission. But the projects that evolved were mostly need-based,” says former additional chief secretary T K Jose, who was the founder executive director of Kudumbashree.

One of the crowning achievements of the community network has been empowering women, who never dared to dream of a life outside the house, to become financially independent and politically confident.

Someone like K Vasanathi from Kollam. The 76-year-old came from an economically weak background, but is now an ‘entrepreneur’, running a unit that specialises in craftwork using straw for the past 15 years.

One of the senior members of Kudumbashree, she was tasked with delivering the welcome address during the silver jubilee celebrations. "I am really happy that I am selected from among 46 Kudumabshree members to be on this stage to welcome dignitaries. Kudumbashree made it happen,” she said at the event.

Many women helped their spouses to start small establishments with credit facilities through the community network.

“Women started receiving much respect from their families after they began to earn. The credit schemes also played a key role in supporting many families in financial stress following Covid-19. Many women who were on the brink of taking extreme steps bounced back with Kudumbashree,” says K B Valsalakumari, a former executive director of Kudumbashree.

The microenterprises under Kudumbashree (1.08 lakh and counting) – food products, handicrafts, soaps and toiletries, garment-making, dairy and poultry products and electronics among others – have generated employment; some even started exporting their products. Kudumbashree eateries, too, are a hit.

Kudumbashree Programme Officer (Microenterprises) Sreekanth A S says many units are selling their products through various popular e-commerce platforms. The recently launched Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) is likely to give them a boost.

The network is not just focused on putting some money in women’s hands, but is actively involved in social causes – its major interventions being infant mortality and malnutrition deaths among tribal communities in Attapadi of Palakkad.

“Kerala is now on a new mission of identifying the 64,006 families found to be in extremely poor conditions in the state and make them free from poverty before November 1, 2025. Kudumbashree can play a major role in it,” Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said at the recent celebrations, underscoring Kudumbashree’s importance in his scheme of things.

Impressed by the success of the women’s collective, around 20 states have sought to emulate it.