Irudayamary is known and respected in her village Vadakkupalayam (Tamil Nadu). As a president of her village parliament she made her voice heard and gained influence and is now a respected person. Since long ago she had the wish to become politically involved. “As president of my Kolping Family I participated in workshops and trainings offered by Kolping India. This was important because it became clear time and again that women’s participation in politics is necessary.” Moreover, Irudayamary realized that she has leadership qualities. When there was a vacancy for the position of president she successfully applied for this office. The Indian constitution provides for village parliaments in the course of the local self-government.
Very often women from Kolping Families are proposed for these leading positions because they were trained at Kolping. They know how to lead a group, conduct a discussion and how to deal with different expectations of the members. This can also be transferred to the village parliament.