Ringyuichon Vashum is an Indian activist for

microcredit :''This article is specific to small loans, often provided in a pooled manner. For direct payments to individuals for specific projects, see Micropatronage. For financial services to the poor, see Microfinance. For small payments, see Micropayme ...

Ukhrul District Ukhrul district ( Meitei pronunciation:/ˈuːkˌɹəl or ˈuːkˌɹʊl/) is an administrative district of the state of Manipur in India with its headquarters at Ukhrul, that is Hunphun. The district occupies the north-eastern corner of the state ...

in the state of

Manipur Manipur () ( mni, Kangleipak) is a state in Northeast India, with the city of Imphal as its capital. It is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland to the north, Mizoram to the south and Assam to the west. It also borders two regions of Myanm ...

. She facilitates the formation of women's

self-help groups {{short description, None This is a list of self-help organizations. Twelve-step programs Recovery programs using Alcoholics Anonymous' twelve steps and twelve traditions either in their original form or by changing only the alcohol-specific ref ...

. She was awarded the

Nari Shakti Puraskar The Nari Shakti Puraskar is an annual award given by the Ministry of Women and Child Development of the Government of India to individual women or to institutions that work towards the cause of women empowerment. It is the highest civilian hono ...

for her work in 2017.

Life

Ringyuichon Vashum is President of the Participatory Action for Sustainable Development Organization based in the state of

. The organisation was formed in 1997 and seeks to support people's participatory action. In 2007, she began working to improve the lot of the women of the hills in the

in the north of Manipur, an area home to the Tangkhul Nagas. Vashum became the director of the Ukhrul District Women Institute of Micro-Credit (UDWIM) as part of the North Eastern Region Community Resource Management Project. Her organisation provides

to women in self help groups formed under UDWIM in the Ukhrul district. Vashum used the assistance to encourage the women to move away from growing marijuana and opium poppies, and into organic farming and the keeping of poultry. Other business opportunities have included embroidery, food processing and hand loom weaving. Vashum was invited to the Presidential Palace (

Rashtrapati Bhavan The Rashtrapati Bhavan (, rāsh-truh-puh-ti bha-vun; ; originally Viceroy's House and later Government House) is the official residence of the President of India at the western end of Rajpath, Raisina Hill, New Delhi, India. Rashtrapati Bh ...

) in

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...

International Women's Day International Women's Day (IWD) is a global holiday celebrated annually on March 8 as a focal point in the women's rights movement, bringing attention to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against wom ...

in 2017 to be awarded the

. She was one of 27 women who were recognised and five organisations were also honoured. Her citation credits her with working to "empower over 13,000 women SHGs elf help groups. At the awards, she encouraged another winner Reema Sathe to visit Manipur and its isolated villages. Sathe was impressed to see how the concept of sustainability was taking root in the region.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vashum, Ringyuichon 20th-century births Living people People from Ukhrul district Indian women activists Year of birth missing (living people) Naga people