Inspiring Stories

When I started my social work activities from District Betul, Saraswati bai was one of the women whom I got in touch with initially.

 

She was going through a family crisis at that time. After marriage her in-laws were troubling her and she decided to go back to her parents house in village Temhni. She was feeling very dejected at that point of time

 

I started studying the nutritional aspects of women diets and at night would take literacy classes for women. Sarswati used to come there for studying.

 

After a few months of my fieldwork and analysis of the nutritional aspects of tribal people, I took three initiatives:

• Making nutritious “Ladoo” for school children. About 150 children benefited
• For pregnant and lactating mothers, I composed an “Ayurvedic Ladoo” based on local grains as well as some herbs. This was given to more than 120 women
• A nutritious composition “Amrit Ahaar” was made for about 280 Baalwadi children

 

This opportunity of making nutritious compositions for children and pregnant women provided an opportunity for Sarasawati and few other women. This work started in 1984 and she continued to do this with perfection for next decade.

 

When I met her she could only sign with her thumb impression. However she learnt reading and writing and would keep full accounts of income expenditure as well as stock in “ladoo making”. Slowly she bought a piece of land, started agriculture, constructed a house and is now happy with her family.

Sathin Federation is a network of 3000 women from different self-help groups promoted under SIRDI.

 

Till 2002 about 160 SHGs - self-help groups of women had been operating for a while. The self-help groups other than saving and giving loans to members were also engaged in

 

• Trading
• Small Shops
• Food Processing
• Organic Inputs
• Weaving

 

There was a discussion amongst the groups to form into a federation so that the self-help groups could be supported strongly including bank linkages. Smt Rajo Bai was elected as the first president of the Federation.

 

She had formed 7 SHGs in village Chichdhana and ensured that these groups performed very well over the years. She had a rare quality of taking everyone along in the activities and that is one of the reasons she was elected to be the first president.

 

She represented the Federation in many programs in Bhopal and Betul. She is now very old and does not travel, but is active in the village.

She was connected with SIRDI organisation from early 90s. In 1994 she visited Bhopal for the first time to participate in a meeting at the administrative Academy on the subject “ Role of women in Panchayati Raj”. She spoke powerfully on the subject in her simple language and style , dressed up as a tribal woman. Senior officers, journalists and development activists were enthusiastic to meet her. This encouraged her a lot.

 

When she came back from the meeting, she started with greater energy. Most important started reading and writing and would collect information on various aspects.

 

Later she joined the National movement of Ekta Parishad on Water, Forest and Land and even travelled abroad.

 

She gives credit for her initiatives and motivation to SIRDI and Upma Diwan . She continues to help SIRDI in her activities including women PRI members and future leader programs.

 

Last year she mobilised PRI members and women in the villages and got approval for 120 houses for the Prime Minister’s housing scheme.

The story goes back to 1995 when formation of self-help groups (SHG) was new to us. 25 women from five villages came together and formed into “ Megha Krishak Group”. In collaboration with NABARD we trained these women in agriculture -related activities.

 

Kamla Bai from one of the villages Edapur was the team leader who actively carried various activities and kept the team members motivated.

 

Later these 25 women also got exposure to running micro enterprises through EDI - Entrepreneurship Development Institute, Ahmedabad. Many of them set up micro enterprises based on the training and support of the group.

 

Later she created self-help group in her village where loans from ₹ 3000 to ₹ 20,000 were given. This self-help group was judged as the best group based on the audit of accounts.

 

Under her leadership a new activity was started in the SHG to make “Godhadi” , a cotton blanket made out of old bedsheets and saris.