Participatory impact assessment of women's groups

This article assesses the impact of NGO intervention on the lives of women, through a participatory tool such as Venn/chapati diagramming. Used by the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (India), it has motivated women in forty-five villages to form mahila vikas mandals. These mandals serve as platforms for women to come together to share their problems and try to address them. The article details the exercises carried out and the author concludes that women's groups are an empowering mechanism for women, giving them access to financial services and thereby greater control over decision making.