Yerrampalli Suseelamma: Andhra Pradesh, India
When Yerrampalli Suseelamma from Cuddapah, Andhra Pradesh, took part in rallies to campaign for her right to own land, she was sneered at. And when she submitted a land application to local revenue officials, she was laughed at. “Meede rajyam,” village men would say sarcastically, meaning “as if the government is yours”.Proving the sceptics wrong, Yerrampalli, a Dalit (formerly called ‘untouchable’) agricultural labourer whose family eats only when they get work, is today the proud owner of the title deeds to one acre of agricultural land.
She says that the land will “bring a sea change in my life. My family will have daily food, and our children will get a good education.” Her successful campaign experience has also inspired her to help others. She travelled to Prakasam district in December 2008 to join 1,200 Dalit women, men and children at a HungerFREE rally to demand their land rights.
Tirupati Subbamma describes her treatment as a widowed Dalit woman and the hunger that she and her children have endured as landless labourers. Women like Tirupati have joined the land struggle and are working with ActionAid/HungerFREE partner Dalit Federation to achieve this. We are demanding "food sovereignty" for all: people need to be able to provide for themselves in a self relient and self sufficient manner. HungerFREE India has mobilized thousands of Dalit women to fight for land rights and it is now a movement. Since 2007, 7,000 acres of land has been secured for 5,000 women and the fight is ongoing.
