Released on: October 25, 2007, 6:48 pm

Press Release Author: Dr BR Natarajan, BITS Pilani Rajasthan 333031 India

Industry: Healthcare

Press Release Summary: The centre firmly believes that empowerment of rural women
can transform them into powerful agents of social change for the larger task of
nation building.

Press Release Body: Centre for Women Studies (CWS) sponsored by University Grants
Commission (UGC) New Delhi was established at Birla Institute of Technology and
Science (BITS), Pilani Rajasthan in March 2005.

The Centre draws its inspiration from Harriet Beecher Stowe Quote \"Women are the
real architects of society.\"

The activities of the centre include offering Extension Services, carrying out
Confidence Building Measures, Capacity Building Workshops, Training Sessions, Round
Table Discussions apart from Research, Lecture Sessions and Building Linkages with
other Institutions.

Apart from establishment of Telemedicine centre for villages around Pilani under
health initiative, the CWS extension services include for Raila Village near Pilani
water management incorporating Rain water harvesting and water purification,
training centre for stitching and tailoring, child care centre,,adult education for
rural women, village agricultural fair and street plays; training women from Jherli
village near Pilani for weaving, book binding etc; teaching support for the primary
school at Dhindhua village near Pilani.

Under confidence building measures, CWS organized a series of four workshops in
collaboration with British Council\'s Springboard Women Development Program for
Nurses. In collaboration with One World South Asia, CWS organized a project on Socio
Economic up-liftment of Rural Women through Technology intervention for Realizing
Millennium Development Goals through ICT.

The training activities of CWS include Training program in Computer Literacy for
Rural Women and Girls; Training on Embroidery, rope craft and crochet; training on
paper recycling, etc. In February 2007, CWS conducted a Round Table discussion on
Sharing Best Practices for increased participation of women in Science & Technology
Education & Career.

CWS organized lectures on topics like Livestock Production Management for Rural
women at Jherli village near Pilani, Gender and Health for participants of M.Phil.
Hospital & Health Systems Management degree of BITS Pilani, use of natural products
as beauty aid etc.

CWS research activities cover study on prevalence of Anemia caused by iron
deficiency among adolescent girls and its impact on their well being, study on
acceptability of alcohol based waterless hand sanitizer among street food vendors in
Pilani, studies on utilization of locally grown Aloe Vera for commercial
applications, study on effect of alcoholism on society, study on safe motherhood and
access to resources among nomadic populations in desert regions in Rajasthan in
comparison with Negev desert region of Israel, study on gender related issues
pertaining to admissions to higher professional educational institutions, etc.

CWS Pilani today has networked with not only Women Studies Centres at regional,
national and international level but also with several NGOs, Government
Institutions, UN and International agencies. It has active collaborative arrangement
with Jacob Blaustein Institute of Desert Research Ben Gurion University Negev Israel
and SUNY Buffalo USA department of Women and Global Studies.

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
(CEDAW), adopted in 1979 by the UN General Assembly, is often described as an
international bill of rights for women and CWS Pilani is planning Activities for
Capacity Building of Teachers on CEDAW.

Considering the fact that more than one in three women and over 60% of children in
India are anemic with the problem being more acute in rural areas, Prof Nirupama
Prakash (Email rupa@bits-pilani.ac.in), Coordinator UGC Centre for Women Studies,
BITS Pilani is drawing up plans to tackle the same for the villages near Pilani by
taking appropriate measures.

In the times to come, CWS Pilani is bound to grow from strength to strength.

About BITS Pilani: Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), Pilani
Rajasthan which has set a bench mark in industry university collaboration is one
among the top ranking universities in India today offering degrees in various
disciplines presently at Pilani, Dubai, Goa campuses and in the near future at
Hyderabad campus apart from an array of work integrated learning programmes for HRD
of a vast spectrum of Indian corporates.

Web Site: http://www.bits-pilani.ac.in

Contact Details: Dr BR Natarajan
Professor & Dean
Birla Institute of Technology and Science
Pilani (Rajasthan) 333031 India
Phone 91-1596-242210
Fax 91-1596-244183
brnt@bits-pilani.ac.in
www.bits-pilani.ac.in