Dhira’s main responsibility is to support local organisations in their efforts to strengthen the position of women in India. We feel primarily responsible for mobilising financial resources. Planning, designing and implementing the projects lies in the hands of the project partner—at the moment Prajna.

How we see partnership
Dhira believes that in our interdependent world, problems can be best solved in cooperation with others through equal partnership. Our main responsibility is to support local partners financially with the implementation of specific projects, as the local project partners have the best knowledge of the problems and strategic solutions in that particular context. The partner organisation decides on priorities and develops, designs and implements the projects.

How we see ourselves
As white Europeans, we are aware of our enormously privileged position, and are also conscious of the fact that, historically, and, indeed, until recently, this relationship between race, power, and privilege often came about through colonialism. We always intend to reflect critically on our position and to understand the point of view of others. We are committed to tolerance, openness and respect towards other cultures and perspectives. We are very conscious of the necesssity of maintaining an appropriate discourse and of avoiding racially-orientated language.

How we represent others
In order to highlight problems, complex matters often end up being simplified. However, Dhira does not accept discriminatory and stereotypical representations of others. The  people with whom we work should not be represented as suffering individuals, seeking assistance but as autonomous agents. Especially with regard to women, we want to raise awareness about discrimination, inequality and injustice and women’s disadvantaged position in society, without reproducing stereotypical ‘victim roles’. Instead, we aim to show the complexity of the living conditions and circumstances of Indian women.