Make Women in Rural India Financially Secure

Dear Friends,

Thank you very much for your continuing support to the rural women of our region. With this letter, I would like to share with you a story of the ornamental fishery that women in Kaya village are doing.

However, before the story, we want you to know something about our monsoon. You will be very happy to note that the monsoon has turned out very good in Rajasthan this year. It has rained almost every day this monsoon which is unusual to our region. Usually we receive 20 rainy days in the monsoon. One of the most popular lakes in Udaipur city – Fatehsagar has filled up fully with lots of rain water and is currently over flowing. In villages too some of the streams are flowing and everyone is very happy. Hopefully we will have a good harvest of crops this year. The maize is the major crop and is currently growing in all the fields.

The women in Kaya wanted to help their families by supplementing extra income. The self help group (SHG) thought of starting a small business and therefore they started rearing ornamental fishes. The ornamental fished are in high demand in Udaipur. About Rs. 8 lakh (USD 16,667) worth fishes are sold in Udaipur every year. The Department of Fisheries of Mohanlal Sukhadia University in Udaipur was willing to provide the necessary support under their “Mega Seed Project”, supported by Indian Council for Agriculture Research.

Of the 6 SHGs, thirteen women decided to take up the project in 2006. They participated in a ten day training organized by the Department of Fisheries to learn about fish rearing, construction and maintenance of fish tanks, netting, etc. On completion of the training each of them were given 200 fish seeds. A buy-back arrangement had been agreed upon with the department who in turn sell them to dealers in Udaipur. Young boys from the village, who are children of the SHG members, have also been trained on aquarium fabrication, management and handling of ornamental fishes, and they provide the necessary support to women in rearing and in selling fish directly in the open market.

In the beginning women would dig up a pit in the ground in their field and would rear the fishes but eventually they realized that a kaccha pit (un-cemented) in the ground was a big challenge to manage. It also had a negative impact on the desired results because the seepage was high and the plastic sheet in the bottom of these pits got torn by the stones below and the rats & crabs ate up the sheets. These un-cemented tanks also got silted very soon and some tanks even collapsed. At regular intervals, the tanks need to be refilled with water. As you know water is scarce in the drought prone areas. As a result, the poor middle-aged women had to invest a lot of resources to keep their fishes alive.

It is then, when women decided to put up the cemented tanks. With help of funds raised from donors like you and Charities Aid Foundation India (CAF) the cemented tanks were built. Women also contributed 20% of the total cost (USD 521 for one tank) towards the construction of the tanks. Today thirteen women are rearing red, brown, gappi, silver and black molly fishlings in their tanks. According to an estimate last year women are able to earn between Rs. 500-1200 (USD 10-25) per member. Earlier, women were selling their fishes for Rs. 4 to 8/- but recently when I visited their village the women told me that they are selling the fished for more prices – like the golden orange fish is sold for Rs. 15 each. They are increasing their market base day-by-day and are quite happy with the progress they have made so far. Currently they are in communication with the Fishery Department to explore whether a shade over their tanks is useful and would help them yield better results.

This has all been possible because of the support received from people like yourself. We will keep you posted on these women’s progress. Your donations are significant at this stage when their investments are shaping up.

It would be very encouraging if you could provide us with your comments on our feedback reports that we post on Global Giving in addition to your continuing support. It would help us improve in our communication with you. Thank you once again.

We will keep you posted on our progress.

With warm regards,

Deepti

Dear Friends,

Greetings from Seva Mandir!

Thank you for your continuing support to rural women gaining financial autonomy and being able to help their families. Ms. Anjali Fleury from USA has been volunteering with Seva Mandir and is working on our SHG program. She has been meeting women in the rural areas who are associated with SHG program. Here is a small story Anjali has written about a woman she met in Shisvi village.

We hope you will enjoy reading the story. Please do let us know if you have any questions.

Many thanks once again for your support, faith and empathy.

With warm regards,

Deepti

------------------ (SHISHVI VILLAGE) Story of Nimi (changed name)’ – BY ANJALI FLEURY

Of the many projects run by Seva Mandir, the organization has made a significant impact by starting and assisting over 600 women’s self-help groups (SHGs). SHGs are women’s groups that use members’ savings to provide loans to one another based on need. As a volunteer, I’ve had the privilege to meet with many women in these groups to discuss their lives, struggles, and aspirations. In doing so, I met Nimi. Defined by the government as “below poverty level”, Nirmala’s family income was significantly low before meeting Seva Mandir. Through Sadhana, a Seva Mandir stitching project designed to help women gain income, Nimi began doing stitching orders and gaining a reliable salary. Nimi also joined an SHG starting in her village. With the SHG, she no longer needed to rely on money lenders with high interest rates, and was able to acquire several loans. With these loans, she started a general store and has continued to expand her shop inventory and business. Not only have these loans allowed Nimi to increase her business and income, but they have also helped her meet household needs. Today, Nimi is still doing patchwork with Sadhana, taking stitching and clothes orders from her local community, and running her general store. She’s also conducted a stitching class for local girls in her village, and has even hired her previous students to help with large orders. Overall, Nimi now makes around the same monthly income as her husband. To her, the SHG has changed her life. She feels she has become financially independent and can provide for her family. Previously, Nimi’s husband would discourage her from beginning her business by saying she could never repay her loans. Now, Nimi says they both make family financial decisions and her husband’s attitude has drastically changed. Indeed, her own attitude has changed, and she now feels successful and confident in her abilities. She proudly shares that she will never leave her SHG and hopes to remain a member for her entire life. Niimi’s poignant and inspiring story made clear that Seva Mandir’s continual guidance and assistance through community-based efforts has not only given new opportunities to these women, but has also resulted in women’s empowerment as they transform their own lives through their own groups. Witnessing firsthand the life-changing effects of SHGs has brought new meaning to my volunteer experience, and I feel privileged to have worked with an organization so dedicated to these communities.

Links:

• Seva Mandir women program