LAYING THE PATH TO EMPOWERMENT

The stark reality: Women in rural India are still suffering and empowerment is far away from them and here is Zubaida Bai fighting hard to alleviate this. In the interview she gave to us over mail as part of the "Getting to know the TED India Fellows better" series she speaks her mind on a number of issues surrounding rural women development and more.

Me: Hey Zubaida, could you tell us about yourself and your educational background?
Zubaida Bai (ZB): I am a mechanical engineer by profession. I went to Dalarna University, Sweden to study Product Development and design en-route to a Master’s in Mechanical Engineering. While working for three years in Chennai my hometown developing products for the rural poor, I realized there exists a big gap between the existence of appropriate technologies and their reach to this under-served section of the society. AYZH a venture I found with my husband Habib Anwar, a good friend and colleague Kellen McMartin and advisor Paul Hudnut, helps fill the gaps in the system and is the medium for helping and empowering women. I am currently pursuing the Global Social and Sustainable Enterprise (GSSE) program at Colorado State University (CSU) and it was here the idea of venture became a reality.

Me: With this kind of academic profile, what were your inspiration(s) to take up initiatives to improve living standards of rural women?
ZB: I am not a desk person. It is essential for me to be out in the field, interact with people and learn from my experiences every day. This led to me taking up a position with the Lemelson Foundation’s initiative in collaboration with Indian Institute of Technology – Chennai, and Rural Innovations Network in India, I offered technological and business advice on product development and design to rural innovators and helped bring innovations to market. Being technically involved with grassroots innovations and innovators allowed me to help with the empowerment of people.

Me: How it feels to be a TED India fellow?
ZB: It is a great honor.

Me: From where do you derive all the more energy and passion to stride forward?
ZB: If it was not for the strong support, belief and constant encouragement from my husband and our little monster I would not have the energy to keep on keeping on. In addition to them, my family and friends who have always stood by me, the AYZH team, Amy Smith (MIT) who has this invisible energy which drives her passion and just the thought of it keeps me going. Finally, the GSSE family at Colorado State University in Fort Collins.


Me: What is AYZH all about?

ZB: AYZH is a social venture looking through the eyes of women to identify the tools they want and need to help improve their standard of living. AYZH serves the needs of impoverished women worldwide by bringing them affordable appropriate technologies that increase income and/or improve health.
AYZH is committed to two core sectors that serve as the backbone of the economy in developing communities: Health and Livelihood.

Me: Your observations on the state of rural women in India.
ZB: Rural women have very little voice and no knowledge or means of improving their social and economic status. Several initiatives have been taken by the government and welfare organizations but only a few have achieved their goal. It is difficult to talk about empowerment of women when the basic necessities of life are not approachable to them.
What would you say if you were offered a job putting in 12-hour days working in the field, coming in out of the hot sun only to care for your children home from school because they have fallen ill from the water they drink, fearing how you will make ends meet to feed your family, earning little pay and no respect? This is current occupation for more than 1.2 billion rural women living on less than $2/day.

Me: Were there any challenges while taking technology to alleviate physical labor and improve quality of life and economic power of rural women and how successfully was it overcome?
ZB: Having started very recently, we have been faced with immense challenges in terms of access to distribution networks that can reach our target market, competition from non profit and charitable institutions. We are working on putting in place key partnerships self-help groups and key manufacturing & logistics organizations and this will be our-strategy to overcome and address these seemingly grand challenges.

Me: How important it is to empower rural women?
ZB: Without a woman this world would not have existed. It is important and utmost necessary to make rural women empowered in taking decisions to enable them to be in the central part of any human development process. The empowerment of women also considered as an active process enabling women to realize their full identity and power in all spheres of life. The development of women and their active participation in the main stream of development process is not just important but essential need for the future.

AYZH serves the needs of impoverished women worldwide by selling them affordable appropriate technologies that improve health and increase income. AYZH is about a commitment beyond just identifying technologies and making them accessible to women; it is a commitment to opening women’s eyes to their own potential and giving them the tools to achieve it.

Me: When would you deem the goal of your mission successful?
ZB: I would deem the goal of my mission being successful when I reach at least half the women rural population in India and help them gain access to better health and livelihood. I say half because at AYZH, we believe our success will create positive competition to reach the other half.

Me: One best moment of your life that you want to relive.
ZB: The day I was blessed with a child.

Me: If blessed with a boon, what would you wish for?
ZB: Healthy women leading to a healthy world

Me: Any interests or hobbies that you escape to?
ZB:Family, Long drives and cooking.