Women's Empowerment

Grassroots group work allows women's voices, lives and needs to be heard and valued.

The empowerment project provides women with a secure place for discussion and dialogue, and examining accepted social/cultural norms for women, while building confidence, self-esteem, and promoting critical thinking on the family and the social status of women. For many, it is one of the few chances they have to talk about themselves. Weekly workshops with women introduce gender issues to those who live in villages and towns, and in cities. Some women choose to continue meeting in an advanced module for capacity building, called community organizing. As a grassroots organization, Kayan has worked with dozens of groups, with thousands of women mainly in rural areas.