Samaj Shilpi: Gowri
District: Dharmapuri ; Block: Karimangalam
Taluk: Palacode;
Panchayat: Anumanthapuram
Villages: Anumanthapuram, Sonnampatti, Mathinerikottai & Iynthukottai
Population: 6557
Gowri’s Education: Diploma in Teacher Education

Before joining RIM as a Samaj Shilpi Gowri used to work as a volunteer teacher in her village conducting evening classes for children and adults. From 2012, Gowri is working with anganwadis (pre-schools) and schools. A new aspect that she introduced in her work was that of strengthening community groups and building a cadre of volunteers to take up development activities in the villages. 

A cadre of village volunteers formed under the leadership of Samaj Shilpi Gowri,  were able to stop  the production of illegal arrack in their villages. As Government Officials were also involved in the process, those engaged in the production of arrack, have been given alternative means of livelihood.

Gowri has built a good rapport with with her communities and has been able to organize motivated villagers into Friends of the Movement (FoM) groups. She has formed 3 such groups, comprising 39 members.  She was able to motivate villagers to attend  Gram Sabha meetings. In the year 2011, 252 members attended these Gram Sabhas.

Gowri is trying to empower the Mother’s Committees and has met with considerable success in one of the anganwadis in her village. It is very clean and well-maintained. The children attend the anganwadi regularly.

Thanks to the engagement of the Mother’s Committee and the village volunteers, who have become very active under Gowri’s leadership, the anganwadi teacher got the best teacher award at the national level.