It is important to understand and recognize the limitations of using an engendered strategy. In recent years the success of some organisations in enlisting large number of women as their members has suggested that microfinance is an intervention uniquely beneficial to the needs of women. This is not so. Microfinance, just like other interventions, cannot fight inherent power imbalances which result from the inequalities in the way society treats men and women. It has to compliment a program and contribute effectively towards raising the living standard of women. Our team visualizes the microcredit groups as not only being a forum where the women can save and discuss issues, which they deem as important, but also where they can take strength from each other and affect changes in their panchayat functioning by acting as a strong pressure group.
For example, recently in a canal being constructed in Sahibnagar Gram Panchayat, the construction of the canal was substandard. As a result of this, the fields belonging to the villagers adjoining the canal were being flooded and over a period of time, were being washed away. The SHG members took up this issue with their local Pradhan and forced him to make a budgetary allocation so that the walls of the canal could be reinforced with better construction.
The formation of women's groups is a fairly recent initiative of the team. The team found that by pursuing our activities in the political sphere only, it was limiting its reach to only a certain section of women. Its aim in encouraging women's self help groups (SHGs) is to initiate not only a process of economic empowerment but be instrumental in raising the concerns of women in local panchayat bodies thus, acting as pressure groups and finally these women could act as animators and mobilizers for their communities.
We started working on forming SHGs in the month of April '99. At present we are working with SHGs in all the six blocks of Dehradun, as well as in two blocks of district Tehri and Uttarkashi. At present, twenty groups have been initiated with the teams' intervention. Presently, active intra loaning is being practiced within these groups. We foresee the groups in a couple of months would have consolidated themselves enough to be able to begin income generation activities with their own savings and loans from the banks.
One of our lady pradhans, Pushpa Rana of Attak Farm Gram Panchayat, has out of her own accord, created a self help group which had, over time, collected a reasonable amount. The group then utilized the amount to buy a tractor. This tractor is now rented to farmers and villagers by the SHG and a decent profit is made by the SHG amount because of this economic activity.
In the future we envision that local problems that would be addressed essentially by the panchayats, along with the help and monitoring of the SHGs. We believe that by supporting the creation of a group of women, we would not only help them save (thereby supplementing their family's income) but also be heard in local self-governance bodies. They as strong groups could help prioritize development programme in their region, ensure effective and accountable local self- governance, but also be able to access various governmental schemes, which are available only to groups.
A new government scheme called 'Swarna Jayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojna' (SGSY) came into force early this year. The SGSY is a holistic programme in the sense that it covers all aspects of self-employment such as organization of the poor into self-help groups and then providing them with training, credit, technology, infrastructure and marketing. This programme combines all previous employment schemes such as DWCRA, IRDP TRYSEM etc. that previously existed in isolation. This scheme would be helpful to the SHGs to obtain loans easily when they embark on income generation activities.
To enable the Self Help Groups members to regularize their way of functioning the team provided to them savings and loan cards. These were made available to them at a token amount of Rs. 1 per card. Registers have also been provided to them for keeping a record of their proceedings.
Although, women in united in SHGs have been trying to resist societal pressures and constraints and there are places where they have been able to make a difference ( for example when they forced the Pradhan to make extra budgetary allocation for the canal ) but they still face challenges. In the month of July 2000, a Self Help Group by the name of 'Maya' tried to resist against an atrocious verdict arrived at by the Sahibnagar panchayat members. A certain unmarried girl in the village was labeled as person with a 'loose character' and the panchayat, as a penalty passed the verdict that the face of the girl be blackened, her head be shaved and that she leave the village. 'Maya' resisted this, but were warned of dire consequences if they came in the way of this verdict. Faced with such a situation, the SHG had no other choice but to back down. Although in this case, the intervention of the SHG was not successful, but we view it as such, because the women are finally asserting themselves, in affairs of the community.
In one of the trainings and held with members of the SHGs, we were asked by them to help some of them access para - medical training, as in many of the villages in the hills have primary health centres, which are at substantial distance from their villages and the women thought it important that at least one person from their SHG and village, should know at least basic medical knowledge, so that they do not have to depend on 'quacks' or belated, substandard medical care.
It would take some time for our intervention in the field of SHGs to bear fruit, but we are emboldened by the fact that women are using this opportunity and are attempting to change power relations in their lives - politically, economically and socially.
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