It was a new world altogether for these women, who travelled to Luxembourg from the interiors of the state, to understand the social and cultural variations

The women in Latur and Luxembourg might be facing identical dilemmas but when it comes to the approach towards tackling them, it is very different, feels Babita Rathod from Latur, who was one of the three selected to visit Luxembourg last month. In Luxembourg, the approach was not only an eye opener but also an inspiration for her.

Sunita Kardure, Shobha Surwase and Rathod were shortlisted from more than 100 villages in Latur, Osamanabad and Solapur for a visit to Luxembourg organised by Aide a I’ Enfance de I’ Imde (AEI) and Terre Des Homes (TDH).

While Rathod and Surwase, both from Latur, have remained members of Nari Prabhodhan Manch and Kishori Gat, Kardure is from Osamanabad and has attended Rachnatmak Sangarsha Samiti and RSS's programmes in her village. The group along with Ingrid Mendonca, deputy regional coordinator, TDH, were in Luxembourg from June 14 to 26.

The women were tested on their analytical skills, through written tests and gave an orientation visit to Mumbai as a part of the preparations. Visiting several schools, hospitals, farms and presentations they also held meetings with women's groups and politicians in Luxembourg. Observing the differences in the society, Rathod says, "We admired the gender equality in Luxembourg. In one of the schools children were selling handmade drawings and paintings and sending the money to NGOs, this is inspiring. We learnt the cow dung manure system and will replicate the same in the village. There are also women who were deserted after an early marriage but they were brave enough to decide their future."

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