When Neelam Bhengra’s husband wakes up before she does, he makes the tea. It wasn’t always this way,Neelam told me when i met her last year in Jharkhand. Things changed after she joined a self-help group and started getting better yields from her crops. With surpluses came more self-confidence and a better standard of living for her family, and Neelam earned more respect and authority in her home. Now, her teenage sons boast about her. Her husband sometimes goes to collect water. My work at the Gates Foundation is inspired by the conviction that empowered women transform societies. That’s why i spent time getting to know Neelam; i wanted to learn more about what empowerment looks like for poor women in India. And Neelam’s story help

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