Women of Kunnackal, generally reticent, withdrawn and dependent, seldom came out of their homes. Not one of them from the low-income group had ever been to Ernakulam, which is just 35 kms away. Not any more. They are seen in the market, in the bank, in the local institutions practically everywhere. They are sociable. Decision taking comes naturally to them. They are aware of the government programmes. They seek after them and make them theirs. Above all, they are actively involved in the community. The researcher, an occasional visitor to this community, intrigued by this remarkable phenomenon, decides to enquire into it as she comes to live there. And the results were revealing. The Community Health Department of the Malankara Medical Mission hospital, Kolencherry, Ernakulam launched a peripheral outreach clinic in Kunnackal to build a significant interrelationship between health and socio-economic development. They realized that educating women is the key to developing a society. They did just that. What followed was history.