Give Up? Says Who?!: Inspiring Stories 6

Ms. Padma Raut from village Manikwada stands out from other rural women in more ways than one. 
A gritty personality with a ‘never say die’ attitude;
Not a person to mull long over spilt milk, she fights back with a vengeance.
The difficulties have to bow down ultimately.

A life which has consistently thrown challenges at her from a very young age- Poverty, lack of education, lack of resources, with mother dying of snake bite, father being swept away and lost in flood waters. She herself was married off as a second wife to a person who already had 2 daughters from the first marriage.

Her spirited fight back led her to try out as many things as possible.  Anything which could give some money to tide things over for the next few days.

Ms. Padma Raut

Educated only upto 1^st standard in school, she worked as agricultural labourer, tried her hand at odd jobs of tailoring, working as an insurance agent, established a small shop selling stationery.
She also tried selling bangles, worked even as a barber for small children - a trade operation by a WOMAN unheard and unseen in rural India.  She gets Rs.5-10 for each trimmed head, earning an average of Rs.175/- ($3) per month.

All trades with meager capital and most working only as seasonal.

Meanwhile, her husband tried to set her on fire after a drinking bout.

Life stumbled along with impending marriages of daughters, a costly affair in India, a drunkard husband, education, food …. and after some time, even her husband’s death which brought fresh problems in its wake.

At such times, the question is more about survival, than rights.

Woman barber - a revolutionary scene in an Indian village

After a few years her inherent spirit goaded her to tackle things squarely.

The support from GlobalGiving came along. On advice from other committee members, she sought access to a higher credit.

A loan amount of Rs.10,000 ($168) allowed her to start a small trade of spices especially red chillies, an important ingredient in Indian cooking. She bought the chillies at wholesale prices, when the prices were low in the market. She converted half into powder and sold this processed spices at retail prices.
Cost price = Rs.18,000 for 300 kg. of chillies.
Processing cost = Rs.1,500 for 150 kg. of chillies.
Selling price= Rs.14,000 for 140 kg of chilly-powder. (10 kg is lost in processing).
(From chillies cost of Rs.9,000 + Processing Rs.1,500 = Total cost Rs.10,500).

150 kg of unprocessed, whole chillies still remain in her home.

She usually keeps the selling price a few notches lower than that commanded in the market. And takes utmost care to maintain the quality of her product. Even if the profit is low, it is the business which comes to her.

Padma selling chilli powder to a local customer

She plans to expand the business further.
She has already repaid the loan amount to the federation.
This will go to help another deserted woman in need.
Her husband no more, her sole aim in life is to get a decent education for her son.
With this stability in life, her go-getter personality consistently keeps on trying to help other women with difficult lives, egging them on to step out and improve their condition.  Her motto -  NEVER GIVE UP !

Padma with her friend

Friends, please note that your support in terms of time or resources actually gives you and your friends a chance to help women like  Padma, providing vehicles which should and will help them catch up with rest of the society.

I request you to promote this link http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/empower-deserted-women-and-widows-in-rural-india/,
Thank you !
Warm  Regards from us and Padma !

Facing Challenges 24 x 7 - Inspiring Stories 5: Archana Mhaiskar

As a young bride ……
Filled with dreams and enthusiasm for future, a young Archana entered into married life with Vijay. What she did not know, was that, she was slyly being deceived into a partnership which would bring only misery and pain.  Her in-laws suppressed the fact that her husband was terminally ill.  It was after some months into marriage that she came to know about it.

Bristling with silent anger, she decided to face life in whatever constructive way as possible.  She helped her husband in illness, took him to hospital.  She had conceived already, gave birth to  a son, but decided not to have further issues.

When her husband died …..
“I had developed fondness for my husband and was still in shock at his demise. 
I was in for further shock when my in-laws asked me to hand over the child to them and leave.”

"I thought, enough of injustice from these people.” 

“I fought with my in-laws and got to stay on after partitioning the house.”  

“I could do this because I was armed with information given at camps held by Chetana-Vikas about my legal rights, property rights.”

 “I had no money, I was doing odd jobs as an agriculture labourer and was living hand to mouth.”

“My friends, women members of our Self Help Group,  used to help me with small loans which were used up for every day living only.  Seeing my integrity and honesty, they then recommended my name for getting a loan of higher amount.”

Archana's friends in SHG examining the material bought from the loan amount

“I have come to know that,  this was made possible because of your support”.

“I am happy to tell you that with this money I could set up a small shop at home.” 

Archana's shop

“My villagers like many different type of things. So I decided to stock up an variety of things like stationery, sarees (an Indian attire), various cloth materials, inexpensive artificial jewelry etc. I even sold the miniature Indian Flag on our independence day.”

Archana at her sewing machine

“I go to the fields at 10 am and come back at 6 pm.  There was still time on hand while waiting for customers. I decided to buy a sewing machine.”   

“Due to budget constraints, I bought a second hand machine within the same loan amount.  Now, on an average, I can stitch 2 cloth materials a day.  My son helps me in tending to customers when he is free.” 

Archana and her son tending to their customers

“Now with some steady and extra income, slowly my life has started picking up. I can now start hoping for a future and also a decent education to my child.”

“ I will continue to fight for myself, my son & my house.”

Friends……
Archana  Mhaiskar is from village Pimpalgaon Lute.  In her life of 32 years, she is facing challenges 24 x 7.  Instead of moping over her sorrows, she is willing and eager to meet these challenges. 

Appropriate support whenever and wherever needed helps her to go ahead confidently.
We once again call out to continue helping women like Archana who are ready to meet such challenges, by providing opportunities.

The upcoming "Festival of Deepawali"  would be a good opportunity to spread the light.  Please tell your circle of friends and relatives about http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/empower-deserted-women-and-widows-in-rural-india/

Thank you !

From "Barely Living" to "Being Alive" - Inspiring Stories 4: Kanta Dahake

Hello Friends,
10 August 2012 - Today rural women in India celebrate "Janmashtami" - a festival in India dedicated to Lord Krishna and cows.  Cow is widely domesticated in rural areas and is believed to bring health and prosperity to the people in general.

So, it is a good day to share something with you about KANTA DAHAKE and her cow.

Kanta at her home. Leader of SHG in the background

Living in a village of about 100 house holds, middle aged Kanta has studied up to 4^th standard, owns land a bit above 1 hectare.

How is she different ?
Kanta is not only a widow since some years but has been deserted even by her grown up son and his wife.  Nobody has seen them since many years. 
Mostly, the couple did not want to shoulder her responsibility, reflecting the changing family values of the society.

What makes her different, again ?
So, her life dragged on, from one day to another....
Kanta is a member of the local Self-Help Group (SHG) and was till now taking small loans for agricultural purposes. After her husband’s death, she made a resolution and used the loan amount to buy a cow.  That improved her situation a bit. She again demanded a loan to buy another cow.
With the support given by you all, Chetana-Vikas, and the other women of the SHG of her village decided to sanction her loan appeal since she had worked hard to return the earlier amount on time. Moreover, they noted that Kanta suffers from arthritis, and so she needed a business, which she could operate from home.
She does not go to the fields because of her pain and so her field is mostly tended by the youngest son living with her.  Kanta is required to put in very hard, round the clock work to make things happen.

Kanta today
The two cows today are yielding milk which on an average fetches her family Rs.4,800 per month (about USD 87). 
The milk is consumed locally, sometimes is processed and sold on festival days which adds to  her income.
The cows have given birth to male calves.
The bulk of farm-yard manure, now available from these animals, has increased from 2 tractor-loads to ten and is valued at about at Rs.20,000/- which Kanta and her son prefer to apply to their fields.

The milk ensures a steady, daily income for family

Abundant farmyard manure has played a role in doubling the production from their field that is totally dependent on rains of four months.
The two bullock pairs have attracted nearby farmers and has a market offer of Rs.40,000/ for a pair.  But Kanta refused to sell the calves saying that “money comes and goes but the calves are my true wealth which will increase further”.
Kanta makes it a point to mention that “since you people are with me, I feel the presence of some heavenly powers with me which helped me sail through difficulties”.

Kanta & her son with their "wealth"

Kanta and her future
She plans the impending marriage of her son.
This would also leave her some time to expand her business.
She says further, “I will try to bring in more women like me into our fold, so that they can also make their lives better”. 
As Kanta has mentioned, we at Chetana-Vikas also feel that there are many more Kantas that we have to reach.

Your support ensures bringing back color to an otherwise life full of drudgery and subsistence.
Ensure your friends and relatives visit the page link –
http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/empower-deserted-women-and-widows-in-rural-india/
You can also put up a widget on your Facebook page, Twitter to spread the information.

Bye for now.  We are off to a village were the women are celebrating the festival with lots of cows.

On Road To Recovery - Inspiring Stories 3: Manda

Meet, 45 year old Manda.

A widow, barely able to sustain with earnings of Rs.30-50/day (up to 0.920 USD) is now able to earn
Rs.200-300/day (up to 5.520 USD).

Manda – a shy, demure daily wage earner  from village Talegaon, has studied up to 7^th standard. Her world became totally a question mark when her husband died of renal failure, a few years ago.  Her three teenaged children, who were till then aspiring for better education, suddenly had to think whether they could  continue the education at all. But daunty Manda did not waste much time fretting and worrying.  She realized that her meager earnings were not enough, for her family. She started with some odd jobs, took up a small loan to set up a petty shop.  Due to inconsistent earnings and uncertainties, she could not keep it open and had to shut down intermittently.  Moreover, there was no money to buy enough material to stock up. She even took up a contract of preparing porridge as mid-day meal at  a government child care centre.

Her commitment and efforts to somehow improve her and children’s lives was noticed  by the women of her village. With the program of helping widows like her gaining momentum at Chetana-Vikas , her case was brought to the notice of the Committee and she was provided an amount of about 110 USD.  With this support, she bought stuff for her shop from a town 12 kms away, spruced up the small tin shop a bit and started stocking up on demands of villagers. She sells grocery items and stationary.  Very soon, the continuity showed results.  The shop is running smoothly and her life has become stable. With earnings increasing six fold, she is now on the road to recovery for a decent and better life. She plans to expand further.
Her kids could continue their education due to some support from her maternal home.

The Women Committee members are village women who are pioneers and are selected because of their capacities already shown. With consistent efforts, they have developed the knowledge, attitude and skills to help people like Manda. It is the precise and necessary information gained at trainings regarding available government schemes, legal aid, property rights and other related issues which allow these Committee members to take up or suggest concrete action for the needy women.

Daily business and the stocked shop

Committee members disbursing money

Devising the future action plan & strategies

On Our Way to Rebuild Lives - Inspiring Stories 2: Sangita Thakare

The first installment of Global Giving report is ready. Those of you who are not aware of what Global Giving is, take a peek at our project here (www.globalgiving.org/projects/empower-deserted-women-and-widows-in-rural-india/). Your support will be welcome, through monetary means and through circulating this among your contacts. Today's story is about Sangita and several other women like her to whom we could reach out through the financial support of individual donors helping us directly or through Global Giving.

Before we get on with Sangita's story, we are glad to share an interesting piece of information with you. Our official website will soon be revamped with extensive help from our well-wishers. All of them have serious careers of their own, but feel the need to support organisations like ours that fall outside the conventional domain of their current professions. We consider them a part of our extended team, hence do not say it often, but heartfelt gratitude to all of them.

Coming back to what we have been doing in past few weeks. You could read a concise report at http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/empower-deserted-women-and-widows-in-rural-india/updates/?utm_source=email2.globalgiving.org&utm_medium=email&utm_term=chetana_wda%40bsnl.in&utm_content=Your%20project%20report%20has%20been%20approved&utm_campaign=project-report-approved

We are also reproducing the report here on the blog.

Sangita at a meeting with other widows

Dear Partners!

Hullo! It is good to connect with you again. Well, things got moving since your support came in the month of December, 2011 at GlobalGiving.

It is Sangita who wants to thank you. The widow who seldom comes out of her village and who barely utters a word in meetings. She has been able to complete the paperwork and bypass corrupted channels to avail of Rs.10,000 (USD204). In all, USD 3,250 have been channelized directly to beneficiaries from the Government Scheme for widows.

Sangita Thakare, a young widow at 35 with 2 children, is barely able to make two ends meet. She had no knowledge and inkling of what to do & how to improve her life. A daily wage laborer. Educating her children is the prime concern on her mind. Today, with the knowledge and help received, she is already speaking of setting up a small trade and reach out for better opportunities in future.

This was possible for her, because of the help rendered by the Committee, which gave information, legal aid and advice on methodology to win her case. 9 such Cluster Committees each catering to an average of 25 villages, solely has women members which include deserted women/widows.

YOUR SUPPORT helps them travel to meetings, hire lawyers, hold regular camps on legal aid, consistently spread information, awareness, take up cases, fight with officials when necessary, campaign with Self-Help-Groups.

These Committees could also take up issues related to children of widows. Atleast 17 children of widows were helped in variety of ways. They got textbooks and uniforms which improved their attendance at school, got accommodation in government hostels and 2 children could avail of treatment for sickle cell disease as part of already existing government schemes. The Committee now wants to help Sangita and many like her, get loans for micro entrepreneurship. 74 deserted women/widows have already come forward with appeals to the Committees for help in starting small businesses.

Your small help has helped make meaningful change. Please keep on directing your circle of friends to project 9386 at Global Giving. Visit : http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/empower-deserted-women-and-widows-in-rural-india/

You can also put up a widget on your Facebook page, Twitter to spread the information. Your suggestions and feedbacks are welcome.

We will remain in touch with all the developments. Together, we will bring back the smiles on their faces.
Thanks from all of us here at Chetana-Vikas, Wardha in Central India.

Committee members discussing a widow's case

Legal aid & awareness camp on rights of widows

Inspiring Stories 1: Janardan Kinkar

Mr. Janardan Kinkar is one of the several Indian farmers who provide the society with food and are the pillars of Indian agriculture, but have not themselves eaten expensive and nutritious foods like green gram (mung dal), black gram (udad dal), peas, and fruits in past 35-40 years. He represents a vast majority of farmers who grow cash crops and crops that fetch more money, sell them, and spend that money on less expensive grains and vegetables from public distribution systems and local markets. The diet consists mostly of carbohydrates, and lacks severely in proteins, vitamins and minerals.

Mr. Janardan Kinkar in his field

Opportunities Chetana-Vikas offered:

After coming in contact with Chetana-Vikas and initiating new techniques of dryland farming in his fields, Mr. Janardan has increased his net income by 10 times in last 8 years (Fig. 1). The basket accommodates at least 35-40 different food crops. This variety is important for two reasons. Indian agriculture suffers from seasonal variations, especially variations in monsoon patterns. A mixed cropping technique makes sure that the farmer gets something in her/his hands at the end of the season. The second reason deals with nutrition which is even more important. India stands at an abysmal 67th rank (out of 84 countries) in terms of global hunger index 2010, released recently by International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Washington D.C.

Mr. Kinkar making structures with local materials for soil and water conservation for conscious natural resource management

Fig. 1 Mr. Kinkar's net income through years before and after Chetana - Vikas's intervention

Today:

Mr. Janardan's family of four sit down for food after completing the day's work in the fields. Lunch is a wholesome meal of sorghum (jawar) roti, and green gram (moong dal) - stuff that they grew in their 4 acres (~1.5 hectares) of shallow drylands.


In his own words, "If I hadn't followed this self-reliant method of farming, I would have to commit suicide like others..."

Access to beans and pulses for affordable food and nutrition security for the family

In the process of selling organic cotton

Soyabean harvest

Marketing committee of self-reliant farmers' collective procuring Mr. Kinkar's cotton

Mr. Kinkar who is a "village enginner" is seen here along with his female collagues, taking up construction of soil-water management structures for the area

Inspiring Stories

Success stories that we would showcase on this blog are the people Chetana-Vikas has been associated for past several years, sometimes amounting to decades. A common thread running through all the stories is the economical, political, social and personal uplifting of these people.

These stories convey one thing above everything else: each one of us is extraordinary, but those of us who are forced to lead an ordinary life do so purely as a result of circumstances. A slight facilitation in the right direction, with right methods is all it needs to emerge, bloom and flourish.

We'll be back soon with some inspiring people and their lives' stories on this blog!