CASE STUDIES WITH FOCUS ON SHG AS SUPPORT STRUCTURE
1.1 More power to Nawal Dei! Helping Women to Help Themselves.- CMF Rajasthan
This is the story of 35-year old Nawal
Dei, wife of Govardhan Lal Raigar,
who belongs to the village of Piplai in
Rajasthan, some 13 kilometres away
from Pratapgarh and 70 kilometres
from Alwar. Though her husband was
a graduate, as the village was
backward, he only found work as a
daily wage labourer in Jaipur and
earned Rs. 2,500 a month. Nawal Dei,
herself, worked on weaving carpets
and was able to earn, with difficulty,
Rs. 2,000 each month, which was not
sufficient for her large family. She had
some land, but it was uncultivable as
there were no irrigation facilities in place.
Nawal Dei happily testifies that her life changed completely after she connected with the Ganesh
Mahila Self Help Group (SHG) set up in her village in November 2007, by IBTADA, Alwar, which
is supported by the Trusts under the Sakh Se Vikas initiative to, amongst other things, provide
microfinance support and training to migrant workers in Rajasthan (300 families in Piplai) to
enhance their economic opportunities and improve their livelihoods. Though illiterate, Nawal Dei
was quick to connect with the SHG and take a loan to help out finance her own carpet weaving
business. Nawal Dei’s husband soon joined forces with her: He stopped migrating to Jaipur,
underwent gender training and with a changed attitude, now helps his wife in household chores.
Nawal Dei also trained as a village animal health worker (Pashu Sakhi), and prescribes medicines
to cure livestock. She has become the SHG’s livestock facilitator and oversees better livestock
management training. As a Pashu Sakhi, she earns an additional Rs. 3,000 or so every month
and rejoices: “I earn money, and it makes me happy. I spend it on my basic needs and those of
my 3 children. The elder one, Mohini (aged 14), is a ninth standard student while Hemant (12)
studies in standard seven, and the youngest, Rachit (10), in standard five.”
As she benefitted so immensely from her SHG, she grew determined to carry her group further
and was chosen as its leader. Thanks to her efforts, six SHGs have been formed in Piplai, and
they, in turn, have set up, with the support of micro financing, animal input shops (these shops
sell animal feed, concentrates, mixtures, dewormers, medicines, etc.) that earn well. All the SHGs
have received goats through the Goat Project -- Nawal Dei, herself, has 3 goats, with the result
that her family receives 2.5 liters of milk daily, which was not possible earlier – and are getting
green vegetables as well.
Nawal Dei is well respected among all the SHG members in not only her cluster, but in the entire
village, who consult her on all community-level affairs. She now dreams of adding a room in the
village school and transforming Piplai into a “civilized”, educated village, with a lot of green fields.
The possibilities seem endless, as Nawal Dei has experienced, in her own growth and selfactualization as a budding social entrepreneur.
1.1 Panchi Devi – Pashu Sakhi
Name
Panchi Devi is very soft, sociable and
Husband’s name
knowledgeable in her own field. She is
Date of birth
attached with Maitree Mahila Mandal
Age
(Federation of Self Help Groups) that is
Place of birth
promoted by SRIJAN in Tonk district. She is
Education
a member of SHG “Hanuman Mahila Bachat
Children
Samuh” and President as well. She has been
Name of village
part of this group since last two years. She
got training of animal health worker i.e
provided by SRIJAN. After the training the
trained animal health workers called “Pashu Sakhi”.
: Ms. Panchi Devi
: Mr. Ram Narayan
: 1st January 1957
: 56 yrs
: Khajur Ka Nala
: Uneducated
: Two boys & one girl
: Khajur Ka Nala
She has been working as a Pashu Sakhi since last one and half years.
She got her inspiration from her childhood. She has seven siblings. She was fifth child of the
family so her family put her name as “Panchi”. She could not able to go school in her childhood
because of girl. She had started grassing her buffaloes at the age of 10 years. She had been
involved 5 years in this work even after marriage. While she used to go for out grassing with her
buffaloes she fell in love with a man at age of 13 years. After one year of love affairs she married
with her love. She had already shown her courage to marry a man of her own choice. That
determination and commitment still she has.
She has joined a Self help Group (SHG) two years back. When she had
joined the group she thought to get something in free. After a number of
trainings she suddenly woke up from a deep sleep. Her talent took a
shape in the SHG. She got a chance to get training of “Pashu Sakhi”. She
got five days intensive residential training. She shared that after training
she felt drastic change in her thought, action, motivation and vision.
Before she took over the reins, the village suffered a plenty of problems
in livestock. After any agriculture shocks people depend on livestock. But
the epidemic in livestock used to break the back bone of farmers. So how
does one actually make a village rise against such problems?
She took over the rein to bring a change into the society. That
determination changed her life too. Before that “Pashu Sakhi” she used to work as a seasonal
labour but she is a Doctor (The villagers called her Dr.) now. She made her empower and capable
to deal 150 to 200 people. She is capable enough to form SHGs and “Pashu Palak Groups” as
she formed four SHGs and three “Pashu Palak Groups” in the village.
The first thing she did she reached into the cattle shed, demonstrated the condition of cattle sheds,
mangers, hygiene etc. that causes diseases in livestock. She put lots of effort to aware people
about scientific package of practices of livestock rearing. That was her first step into her own world
of adventure. She is not doing any duty she is working voluntary. She has not been only fighting
for the rights of animal but she worked for them. She has been ensuring rights and welfare of
animals like any other animal right activist. Her action is louder than her words that can be felt in
her village. She is working on right to nutrition, health, hygiene, shed, manger, insurance,
vaccination etc. She has been working with 200 families and given new lives to almost 5000
livestock so far. Fragrance of her work can be felt in her own village as well as in neighbor’s
villages.
Her villagers had believed in traditional medicine to treat the animals. They had not been faith on
vaccination. She even worked on mind set of people. She made people aware scientific practices
of livestock rearing. The people accepted vaccination too. The mortality rate has gone down as
people shared. Therefore, she transformed her village in the span of one and half years. She
changed traditional practices of feeding, made people sensitive about the rights of animal and
realized people livestock as a new gold. Her work is phenomenal.
One would think that these accomplishments already made the lady, one of the great animal
activists of India, but on top of everything, livestock are healthy, rate of mortality has reduced—
all without Veterinarian; villagers take pride in preparing cattle shed and manger these things
were not exist earlier. Best of all, now that practice of having cattle shed and manger has
overtaken the village, there is a crucial benefit for the villagers for adopting these practices:
widespread disease has become a thing of the past.
Her work has not changed only her village but changed her personality too. She got exposure of
different villages of different blocks (Deoli, Hindoli, Niwai, Rainwal etc.) Her life transformed from
a daily wage labour and traditional rajasthani “Bahoo” so called “Bhartiye Nari” to a Doctor (as
Villagers honored her). It was challenge for her to start her work in the village as Indian culture is
gender biased but her result gave her the prestige and simplified her path to go ahead. She has
a special status and recognition in her own village. She enjoys home visits of the farmers, where
she exchange ideas and share feelings. Her husband is more cooperative now, has given
freedom to work and go other locations to give training to others. Her motivation and success
brought a new respect to a lady in the face of strong gender inequality of Rajasthani culture.
Now she is not only socially empowered but she is economically, emotionally empowered. She is
the head of the family. She has all power reserved to take decision of her own life. She enjoys
real freedom.
1.1 Manbhar Devi
"Sweet are the uses of adversity". This is the simple philosophy of
Manbar Devi. A native of Jyotipura village coming under
Chandsinghpura Gram Panchayat of Deoli block, in Tonk district,
this cheerful & outgoing lady doesn't believe in harping over her
misery & has taken the challenges life has thrown at her in her own
stride. She says that because of her initial adverse situation & poverty
she got a chance to be a part of her self-help group & find friends for
life, who have stood her through thick & thin. Some ten years ago,
Manbar Devi was a poor woman, with a shy & diffident disposition.
She & her husband Shri Babulal Meena attribute the change in her
life, to the development work being done by SRIJAN & Maitree
Mahila Mandal Samiti, the SHG federation that SRIJAN has
promoted in the area.
The now feisty 40 year old came to the village of Jyotipura as a young bride of 15. Her husband
was a poor farmer, with 3 bigha of unirrigated agricultural land as the only source of income
generation. A few years into her marriage Manbar Devi was struggling to make ends meet. What
with three more addition to her family, a daughter & two sons. The family's only means of
subsistence was agriculture & there was no other livelihood alternative. But after 2003 her life
underwent a sea-change. As a member of the Chamunda Mata Common Interest Group (CIG)
formed. She purchased two buffaloes & she never looked back after that day. She was chosen
as the President of her group. This brought a radical change in her personality & made her come
out of her cocoon.
Unlike many other CIGs in the area, Manbar Devi's group continued to run. The members of her
group had realized the importance of being united. The women had now found their voice &
footing. Even the simple act of learning to sign their names had boosted their confidence
immensely. Manbar Devi herself acknowledges that after joining the SHG, people's perception
about her changed. She is now honoured & valued as a member of her community & is an active
participant in the decision-making process in her family & in the society.
Through microfinance loan that she availed, Manbar Devi was able to get a bore-well dug in her
field. Earlier her family completely dependent on rain-fall for agriculture & was able to take only a
single crop in a year. She is now able to realize maximum output from her land because of an
assured source of irrigation. Her income through agriculture has nearly doubled. She now owns
2 buffaloes & 1 cow & has sold of one buffalo for very remunerative price.
Her family supplements the agricultural income by selling milk from the buffaloes & cow. Besides
that she has 8 goats for meeting household needs. Manbar Devi is able to realize optimum price
for the milk through linkage with Maitree Mahila Dairy. The health care of her livestock is ensured
by her fellow group member Narbada Devi, Pashu Sakhi & livestock assistant employed by the
Maitree Mahila Mandal. The veterinarian doctors are now not able to fleece her off her hardearned money because of this.
Manbar Devi has now moved on from the rickety ramshackle hut that she had entered as a young
bride, to a pucca, plastered house. All her children have received quality education. She believes
that her current lifestyle would not have been possible without SRIJAN's help & intervention. With
a determined look in her eyes she vows to take her group, cluster & Maitree Mahila Mandal from
strength to strength. Finally, to bring in holistic change, she is now motivating villagers to adopt
scientific package of practices of livestock rearing and make livestock a new gold for the farmers.
Interestingly, none of her suggestions are opposed as the village has full confidence on her as
she goes about trying to better their lives of livestock. She has shown that stimulating change is
easy. All it requires is good institutional support and her will to empower others in rising to a better
future.