Chhavi Rajawat: Say no progress

Business economist Chhavi Rajawat wants to give the women in soda a future. When her term of office ends in 2015, she wants to promote development in other rural areas.

© Nicole Wehr

Daylight meant working for the women in the village, drinking little and just not peeing. Only in the shelter of darkness did they sneak into the fields to relieve themselves. Not infrequently, they returned with snake bites, infections, pothole (or males) injuries. They told Chhavi Rajawat, who since 2010, the office of the village chief in the 7000-soul community Soda exercises. Soon after, the first lockable toilets next to the houses were made of clay. Rajawat had collected around 70,000 euros in donations from friends and businesses for 600 pits.

The 34-year-old would not have believed that she would even advertise for dry toilets at Deutsche Bank or Tupperware five years ago. At that time, the business economist worked for the mobile giant Airtel. But she was persuaded and moved to Soda in the state of Rajasthan. She is not the first woman in India to fill the position of "Sarpanch" - but the youngest and the first with a university degree. Why does she do that? Because 150 men from soda after 60 kilometers of moguls in front of Rajawats parents in Jaipur and asked them. Her grandfather had done a good job 20 years ago as head of the village. Somewhat overawed, Rajawat agreed, "Many of them carried me on their shoulders when I was little, and I just could not say no."

At the same time, she can say that quite well, no. No to the veil that almost all women in rural India conceal. No to marry and have children. No, she says now to the bribes that government officials demand of her for the state aid to arrive in soda. Rajawat reorganized the access to these funds, which are due to the villagers: they got computers and programs from SAP and opened the first bank in the village.



During her time as a manager for international companies, she had learned to implement large projects and to negotiate with potential sponsors. For a monthly salary of 40 euros she is now a multiple of donations. 200 new school desks and tables? No problem. On the other hand, it proved more difficult to improve the educational offer in the village. In elementary school, three grades are taught at the same time, in the upper grades there are only three subjects: geography, Hindi and Sanskrit literature. The topic of education, especially for girls, is therefore at the top of Rajawat's agenda. They should have it better later than their mothers, who are mostly illiterate. She proudly says that many girls call her "Chhavi didi", older sister. That some of them want to become a teacher. And that they also discuss with boys in the newly founded youth club. Just like the big sister.



India: Progress by saying no | Global 3000 - Young Global Leaders (March 2024).



Progress, India, Deutsche Bank, chhavi rajawat. soda, Jaipur, Rajasthan, village, sarpanch