Application of Saemaul Spirit and Its Impact: An Assessment of Women Cooperatives in Bangladesh

Abstract

Gender equality and women empowerment are one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, but also integral to all dimensions of inclusive and sustainable development.To empower women it is very much necessary to ensure their access to material resources and services, established socio-political rights, and concern about intellectual and idealistic issues. So,themselves in a group-based organization or individual initiatives to walk through the road to development which will ensure the said components. But rural women are in a more vulnerable position to organize themselves in a group. So, cooperative activities can solve their social and economic problems as well as other related issues which will lead them to reach the road to empowerment. They can be enlightened by acquiring knowledge by themselves within the power of self-help, achieving social equality as well as equity and group solidarity. On the other hand, the inheriting spirits underlying SMU 2.0 are valuable content to materialize the community-based project by organizing the rural women in this perspective. To create self-conscious among rural women as well as solve their economic and social problems, BARD initiated a project named Women’s Education, Income and Nutrition Improvement Project (WEINIP) and implementing in 24 villages in Cumilla districts in Bangladesh for the last few years in where the value of SMU 2.0 is inheriting in its all activities. This secondary- based assessment aims to assess the status of 24 women cooperatives supported by the BARD revenue budget which included management process, decision- making, and member participation, the capacity of women cooperative leaders in operational management, financial management, business performance, awareness raising to local community and lessons learned from the women’s cooperatives. The spirits by Saemaul Undong 2.0 is unique and have universal values which can apply in any community development model. These spirits have the ignition power to lead any development project to go ahead with its full potential. By using SMU 2.0 spirit the WEINIP has emerged as an instrumental base in strengthening rural organizations as well as playing a vital role to move rural women towards the path to empowerment and live a better life.