Sep 26, 2013 - are many SHG members who have been making beedis from childhood. ... making beedis at home in their free time, provides little motivation ...
9/26/2017
Success, small and unsung | Business Line
Success, small and unsung G. Karunanithi
How women's self-help groups keep the faith against odds.
From 1990 onwards over a million women’s self-help groups (SHG) have been set up in India, mostly in villages. Aimed at poverty alleviation and providing livelihood through microenterprises, for which loans are made available to members, in the last couple of years this model has run into a controversy amidst charges of corruption and fraud. To look at the impact on the ground, this writer recently did a survey of 20 women’s SHGs in nine villages of Tirunelveli district, in Tamil Nadu, facilitated by local NGO Nava Jeevan Trust. Thanks to the collective pressure brought upon the police by one SHG, the murder case of one of its members was solved. The husband, who was convicted of the murder, is now undergoing double life imprisonment. The group members were largely from Backward Classes and Scheduled Caste. Their families hovered around the official poverty line and depended mostly on beediwork and agriculture for survival. There were several mixed groups and included Dalit women. The members’ personal savings increased the groups’ corpus fund, and dividend was regularly distributed from the profit accrued through loans to members. The women also got access to bank loans for microenterprises. However, 10 out of the 20 groups were yet to start microenterprises, because the members lacked skills or confidence. As happens frequently, the members had divided the loan equally among themselves and spent the money on the family or to pay interest to moneylenders. They didn’t even attempt setting up small ventures. But as Vadivoo, a member, put it: “Access to bank loans has relieved us from the clutches of ruthless moneylenders”. The study highlighted the need for training and skill development to start petty ventures. Those who have already set up ventures require marketing support through annual trade fairs organised by the Government. For example, there are many SHG members who have been making beedis from childhood. The ease of doing household chores and making beedis at home in their free time, provides little motivation for them to leave the house for extra income. Proper training and improved profit will be an incentive. Coming to the other 10 groups which had used their funds, along with bank loans, to start various microenterprises, these were growing with moderate profit, and many of the women were helped by their husbands to run the venture. Mallika (47) said: “I am comfortable with my enterprise because of the continued support of my husband.” Chermakkany (44) added that her business not only improved the family’s total income, but also her social status. Several women categorically said that they ran their ventures independently and their husbands did not interfere.
Economic, social empowerment The most common activity was setting up small dairy ventures; while some women did tailoring, confectionary, selling textiles, pickles and candles, others marketed cleaning powder, indigenous andhome remedies for common ailments, brickworks, grocery, and even automobile spare parts. Apart from the extra income, the ventures gave members selfconfidence. “My access to and control over money gives me both economic and social empowerment,” said http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/variety/success-small-and-unsung/article5167997.ece
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9/26/2017
Success, small and unsung | Business Line
Mageswari.
The women said they freely communicate with bank and government officers without inhibitions. For instance, 51-year-old Gandhimathi said she had developed “better communication skills through active participation in group meetings, gram sabha and welfare programmes besides interaction with bankers and other officers”. Another positive outcome from the women’s participation in the microcredit movement is their greater involvement in village development activities. In one village, SHG members persuaded the public transport department to instruct its drivers to adhere to time schedules. Of course, they first had to resort to roadblocks to achieve the result. The SHG members in two villages pressurised the PWD department to construct better roads.
Yet another group got their MLA’s help to bring drinking water supply to their village. In another village the members worked with the community to make the entire village green and clean by planting trees and motivating people to construct toilets. Other success stories include shifting a wine shop to the village outskirts, resolving an intercaste quarrel through dialogue and intervention of elders organised by the SHG members and transfer of a male teacher who had professed love to his uninterested girl student! But questions remain on the effectiveness of the model in its present form and reach. Its purpose will be truly served if there are more voices such as that of 34-year-old Selvi: “My sizeable contribution to the family income has given me the confidence to voice my views freely not only on household, but also community matters.” The writer is Associate Dean, VIT Business School, VIT University
Download Ponemon Study Open Source Email. Viewpoints on Security and Privacy zimbra.com/PonemonResearch (This article was published on September 26, 2013)
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