MASS
MASS (Mahila Abhivrudhi Maththu Samrakshana Samsthe) is a membership organisation comprising of devadasi women. The organisation promotes development of devadasi women in Belgaum district, Karnataka. MASS was an outcome of the process of organising devadasi women. In 1990-91, The Karnataka State Women’s Development Corporation (KSWDC) and MYRADA (NGO based in Karnataka) started the project to ‘rehabilitate’ devadasis. This led to many rounds of village visits, discussions, brainstorming, mass meetings, etc. spread over many months and involving all the devadasi women. Gradually what started as a project was transformed into an organisation called MASS in 1994-95 under the dynamic leadership of Ms.Shobha Gasti. It was only in September 1997 that MASS was registered as a Society. It is now an independently functioning organisation with a membership of over 5000 devadasis.
Within a short span of less than five years, MASS has acquired greater visibility and sound working systems. The membership drive has been facilitated by the Panchayat bodies and community support. The organisation has also campaigned to acquire benefits from government such as the state government assistance in the form of loans and subsidies for income generating programmes, land lease from the government and representation on one or two of the local Temple Trusts (where dedications used to be performed earlier).
Over the years, the organisation started implementing many development initiatives through the support of KSWDC, NOVIB and Government. The project supported by NOVIB enables the organisation to go beyond subsidy and loan activities to focus on strengthening livelihood opportunities of members and developing institutional capacities. The organisation is managing many initiatives such as the credit programme (i.e. KSWDC’s credit support to devadasis), keeping the campaign against the devadasi tradition, offering legal support to women, and contemplating the inclusion of new campaigns.
Vision: Eradication of devadasi system and empowerment of exploited women and young girls trafficked under the guise of the devadasi practice for commercial sexual exploitation.
Objectives:
- Provide care, protection and education to children in difficult circumstances especially young girls from being trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation under the guise of the devadasi practice.
- Creating and developing effectively functioning institutions of former devadasi women at all levels (village, cluster and district) and ensure socio-economic benefits to members and their children.
- To eradicate devadasi system in Belgaum district and extend support for the same in other districts
- To provide timely legal support to devadasi women facing violence and abuse.
EveryChild India and MASS: Working together
EveryChild India and MASS entered into a partnership in 2007 to implement the Bidugade project in 38 villages in Raibagh Taluk of Belgaum District, Karnataka. Through this project MASS has been working towards protecting the children from being trafficked under the guise of the Devadasi practice, creating awareness about trafficking of children and women and its ill effects, supporting the children for their secure future and creating access to quality education. Simultaneously, it is also making efforts to create and strengthen the devadasi women’s group, so they can form federations and organize their financial resources into a co-operative bank, which will promote their economic development. Protecting the children from traditional and modern forms of discrimination is one of the key areas of their work.
Read more about the EveryChild India Bidugade Project
Contact us:
MASS
Raju Talwar Building
Jalapur Sai Nagar
Raibag - 591317
Belgaum (Dist)
Karnataka, India
Phone No: 91-8331-224 558
Email: mass@sancharnet.in
