A group of students from Sweden have completed their 15-day tour of Wayanad, collecting information on cultural similarities and differences between the two countries. They also studied the state of women’s empowerment at the grass-roots level.
As many as 19 undergraduates students, including four boys, of the Global College in Stockholm, Sweden, arrived at Thrikkaipetta village here along with teachers two weeks ago for the project work.
The students visited tribal hamlets, micro-enterprises, neighbourhood groups (NHGs) of the Kudumbashree Mission, farmers in the village, and work sites of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) as a part of their project ‘Cultural similarities and differences between developing countries and Sweden and women empowerment at the grass-roots level,” Lotta Frecon, team leader and a social science teacher of the institution, told The Hindu.
“We had a fantastic experience, as we learned a lot from the people here, especially from farmers and students,” said Jonathan Granlof, a student of the group.
“We could see a lot of similarities between the people in both the countries, especially among the youths, on education and their aspirations,” he said.
Gender equality
“Gender equality is one of the cornerstones of the Swedish society. The aim of Sweden’s gender equality policies is to ensure that everyone enjoys the same opportunities, rights, and obligations in all areas of life,” Aislinn Dowling, another member of the group said. Gender equality in educational institutions was almost the same here, Ms. Dowling said, adding that girls generally had better grades in Swedish schools than boys.
Ms. Aislinn, however, felt all household chores were left for women here. The rural women here were yet to be self-reliant though projects such as the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) and intervention of organisations like Kudumbashree had brought about visible changes in their lives, she added.