Kudumbashree

Kudumbashree – An Introduction

Kudumbashree is the poverty eradication and women empowerment programme implemented by the State Poverty Eradication Mission (SPEM) of the Government of Kerala. The name Kudumbashree in Malayalam language means ‘prosperity of the family’. What is commonly referred to as ‘Kudumbashree’ could mean either the Kudumbashree Community Network, or the Kudumbashree Mission, or both.

Kudumbashree has a three-tier structure for its women community network, with Neighbourhood Groups (NHGs) at the lowest level, Area Development Societies (ADS) at the ward level, and Community Development Societies (CDS) at the local government level. The community structure that Kudumbashree adopted is the one that evolved from the experiments in Alappuzha Municipality and Malappuram in early 1990s.

Kudumbashree community network was extended to cover the entire State in three phases during 2000-2002. Kudumbashree membership is open to all women, limited to one member per family.

In 2011, the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD), Government of India recognised Kudumbashree as the State Rural Livelihoods Mission (SRLM) under the National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM).

Kudumbashree Community Network

Kudumbashree is essentially a community network that covers the entire State of Kerala, both villages and towns. It is arguably one of the largest women’s networks in the world. While the community network is formed around the central themes of poverty eradication and women empowerment, its main features include democratic leadership, and support structures formed from the ‘Kudumbashree family’.

Back to School

More than 40 lakh women joined the ‘Back to School’ campaign of Kudumabshree in 2023, where over a period of two weeks, women went back to their schools (that were opened out to them over the weekend), and relearnt the principles of community, micro finance, livelihoods, participatory governance, equity, voice and agency in conversation with resource persons from all walks of life, mostly their peers.

MF and Livelihoods

2.23 lakh Neighbourhood Groups have live bank linkage loans worth Rs.8948 crores and are engaged in income-generating livelihood activities. More than one lakh micro-enterprise groups are functioning under the Kudumabshree umbrella. Kudumbashree catering groups under the banner Cafe Kudumbashree, hotel groups called Janakeeya hotels, the Nutrimix take home ration suppliers, the haritha karma sena, the constructions groups, the joint liability groups of women farmers, facility managers, the digital survey entrepreneurs, the home construction groups, the wellness gym and yoga entrepreneurs, the apparel groups, the audit and accounts groups, the community trainers and micro enterprise consultants are just some of the diverse livelihoods taken up by members of kudumbashree and supported by the Mission.

ONDC

Kudumabashree has taken up aggressive marketing efforts to brand the products of these groups and have onboarded more than140 products on the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) platform. Kudumbashree aims to maximise the use of such digital avenues to strengthen the marketing capabilities of women entrepreneurs.

NRO

The National Resource Organisation of Kudumbashree which was positioned under NRLM to support livelihoods and panchayat – community interface in interested States has entered into MOU with over 16 states. Community based mentor resource persons from Kudumbashree move into remote districts and villages, learn the local language and culture, and help develop local idioms of community empowerment and development. The NRO today is transitioning into helping States undertake such empowerment on their own.