Women’s Federations -
Paving the Way for a Better Tomorrow
Over
the last two years, Sahyogini Mahila Mandal (SMM), a women’s federation
in Jhansi has established itself as a pioneer in collectivising and
empowering poor rural women to institute a model of women leadership
that is resulting in improving quality of life for themselves, their
families and their communities.
The federation was formed in 2014 with
support from NABARD and Development Alternatives with the mission of
socio-economic empowerment of women aimed at social recognition, income
generation and self-reliance. It comprises of members of 250 women self
help groups from 31 villages. Capacities of these women have been built
to emerge as local change agents in promoting awareness amongst the
community members regarding social and environmental issues and
influencing local development to be equitable and responsive.
A nukkad natak team, named ‘Kashish’ (appeal
for) comprising 20 federation
members
has been formed to carry out the agenda of creating awareness amongst
the community for WASH behaviour change as well as on the need and
importance of participation in local governance processes. This team has
conducted behaviour change communication in over 30 villages through
nukkad nataks, training workshops, promotional campaigns, advocacy and
dialogue under different projects of Development Alternatives and NABARD.
30 members of the federation have been
trained as Community Resource Persons (CRPs) to streamline all the
physical and financial operations of SHGs in Jhansi which helps not only
to fast track the financial inclusion process of active SHGs but also
helps in the revival of defunct SHGs. Under the leadership of SMM, the
community of Punawli Kalan village of Jhansi emerged as decision makers
in a self-sustained model of WASH governance through the establishment
of a ‘Community Owned Community Operated’ (COCO) water supply management
system ensuring safe drinking water at the doorstep of 350 households -
a major victory in the battle against gender discrimination related to
water management, faced over the last five years. The federation has
also taken significant leadership in influencing local governance
processes in 5 villages of Jhansi by means of mobilising participation
of the community especially the women in Gram Sabhas, raising voices for
collective development instead of individual benefits and participating
in the integrated village micro-planning processes.
SMM has also improved the economic status of
women members by providing
them
opportunities to link into different entrepreneurial activities. It has
facilitated credit services worth INR 1.5 Lakh to 10 different SHG
members to support livelihood generating activities like agriculture and
animal husbandry, as well as to help in fulfilling basic amenities like
children’s education and construction of household toilets. In order to
manage the economic service delivery in a lawful way, 100 members of SMM
have been joined to form a company named Udita Producer Company, which
has been registered under the Company’s Act 2013 for undertaking dairy
allied business operations. SMM has provided credit support to Udita for
initiating business interventions. In this effort, a total profit of INR
20,000 has been attained through operating two micro-enterprises of
animal feed at Badagaon block and by marketing and selling of water
purifiers and solar lanterns amongst the communities. In the last two
years, SMM has achieved a turnover of INR 9.5 Lakh as a cost of
providing different socio-economic services to the community.
The rapid growth of SMM in only two years
acknowledges that access to proper exposure, education, opportunity and
recognition can enable rural women to take initiatives for their
development into their own hands and thus drive the growth of society
towards sustainability, thereby proving what was said by Pandit
Jawaharlal Nehru “When women move forward-the family moves, the villages
moves, and the nation moves”.
■
Mahua Tripathy
mtripathy@devalt.org
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