Rajiv Gandhi Mahila Vikas Pariyojana

Vinya's story!

2012-01-03T15:32:00.001+05:30

Vinya is a woman from a tribal background, residing amidst a forest in Babina, Jhansi. She did not know where to go for work. Her family had no property, no food, no employment and no money. Her husband used to go in search of work and she used to stay hungry for days! It was painful and she often had to tie a cloth around her stomach to reduce the pain! They tried working for the local landlords but they did not get employed as they had no equipment to work. Her husband borrowed some money from the local 'shahukar' to buy food!

She finally joined a Self Help Group (SHG) and borrowed money at a very low interest rate. She first borrowed Rs. 3000/- and paid back the 'shahukar'. She then bought 9 goats within 10 months of joining the SHG. After paying back for the goats, she borrowed Rs. 25,000/- and opened a small shop and a soft drinks business at the roadside where she lives. She generated good income with that and later she borrowed Rs. 10,000/- more and bought a second hand bike for her husband, who now takes care of the shop.

In a span of one year, Vinya is now able to do a business with 45 goats! She is well off and takes good care of her daughter who has a small baby.She also has a son who wishes to pursue higher studies!

Vinya has not only progressed financially, but has also become confident of herself and her abilities! She is the President of the Village Organization and travels across districts to address various meetings to encourage more women like her to organize themselves into Self Help Groups!

Community Women Fight to Open Bank Accounts!

2011-12-19T12:24:00.002+05:30

Four months back, RGMVP started work in two villages of Maharajganj, namely, Patal Kunwie and Pipariya Karana Jahan. At presently, 17 women's Self Help Groups have been formed, 10 in Patal Kunwie and 7 in Piparya Karan Jahan. The groups are well disciplined, do their meetings regularly, have good savings and have initiated many activities in the last few months. Day by day, each member is becoming more and more active.

However, the major obstacle for the group has been the bank. The village comes under the State Bank of India, Ghughali. Despite trying our best to open bank accounts for these groups, our project staff in Gorakhpur remained unsuccessful. In a meeting organized by NABARD in Ghughali, we called the Branch Manager of the particular bank, but he did not come. Our Regional Programme Manager Mr. Pankaj, along with NABARD officials visited the Branch. The bank accepted the NABARD official's request and gave a date to have the accounts opened. However, on arrival on that date, he refused to open the accounts, challenging the project staff to go complain to whoever they want!

On 11 and 12th November, there was a two day Bank Sakhi (community members who get trained on bank related issues like account opening, etc.) training, including bank sakhis from this particular village. At the next Village Organization meeting, the discussion was on how to open their bank accounts.

On 24th November, we heard that 40 SHGs member lead by Bank Sakhi Mrs.Vindya Wasini Devi and Mrs. Neelam from the RGMVP team went to the bank. There they argued with the Branch Manager and within an hour he agreed! The very next day, on 25^th November, he sent his Field Officer to see the Self Help Group in the village. After assessing the groups, the Field Officer invited the women to come to the branch and allotted every Friday to open accounts. Till date, 7 groups have completed the paper formalities and 3 accounts have been open! The procedure has now become smoother for other women!

Why Village Organizations are Important!

2011-11-15T10:16:00.005+05:30

Call for Applications!

2011-10-31T18:03:00.003+05:30

Rajiv Gandhi Mahila Vikas Pariyojana

Call for Applications

November 2011

Rajiv Gandhi Mahila Vikas Pariyojana (RGMVP) is a rights-based organization that works for poverty reduction, women’s empowerment and rural development. With the belief that the poor have a strong desire and innate ability to come out of poverty, RGMVP organizes poor rural women into self-sustaining community institutions in the form of micro-credit linked self-help groups and their federations, creating social platforms to address issues of healthcare, financial inclusion, livelihoods and education, while also linking them to existing state and non-state structures and resources, like the MNREGA and NRHM. Based out of Raebareli, RGMVP has, till date, reached out to over 400,000 poor households in 109 blocks of 34 districts in the most backward regions of Uttar Pradesh.

Having successfully developed a holistic, cost-effective and scalable model for poverty reduction, we are now looking to expand our programme and double our outreach in 2012! We are thus looking for passionate, committed, hard-working and dedicated individuals to join us as we take our work forward and actively participate in the change that RGMVP wishes to bring about!

We are specifically looking for Programme Managers for HR, Finance, MLE, Health, Communications and Scale-up Operations, Regional Programme Managers and a Programme Director to manage the overall programme. All positions will be based out of Raebareli for now. Please find attached a detailed description of the job specifications and responsibilities.

If you are interested in applying for any of the following positions, please email your CV to hr@rgmvp.org, or address it to Rajiv Gandhi Mahila Vikas Pariyojana, 619, Kanpur Road, Rana Nagar, Raebareli 229001, Uttar Pradesh, along with a short description (not more than 500 words) on why you think you are suited for the job, by 1st January, 2012.

For queries or more about RGMVP, please visit our Website, Facebook and Twitter pages.

Positions:

Programme Director

Job Responsibilities:

- Providing strategic vision and direction to the programme

- Overseeing project development and focus

- Expansion of programme

- Overlooking overall implementation of programme

Job Specifications/Criteria:

- Minimum 10-15 years of experience (preferably in the area of poverty reduction and/or rural development)

- Comprehensive understanding of development issues

- Demonstrated ability to manage large scale development projects

- Excellent leadership and teaming skills, with ability to think strategically and programmatically

- Excellent negotiating and communication skills, in positions requiring diplomacy in communicating with a

broad and diverse audience

Salary: Negotiable as per qualifications and experience

Human Resource Manager

Job Responsibilities:

- Providing vision and building capacity within the HR function

- Developing talent to maximize effort and contribution; and providing recognition and/or redirection, as

necessary.

- Provide leadership and sponsorship for core foundation/HR projects on an on-going

basis.

- Periodic evaluation of employee growth and development

Job Specifications/Criteria:

- Minimum 10 years of professional experience, with proven mastery of HR competencies at the strategic level

and in large development projects.

- Demonstrated success at influencing, negotiating and collaborating at all levels within an organization.

- Demonstrated strong analytical, interpersonal, written, and oral communication, conflict resolution skills in

situations requiring communication with broad and diverse audiences.

- Good command over Hindi and English language

Salary: Negotiable as per qualifications and experience

Finance Manager

Job Responsibilities:

- Overlooking finances for the organization (including budgeting, accounting and audit)

- Managing international grants for the organization

Job Specifications/Criteria:

- CA/M.Com/Masters/relevant degree in Finance from a reputed institute

- 8-10 years of professional experience in accountancy in any reputed firm, company or social development

sector

- Prior experience of working with an auditor/financial consultant and handling internationally funded projects

Salary: Negotiable as per qualifications and experience

Programme Manager (Monitoring, Learning and Evaluation)

Job Responsibilities:

- Define measurement and research priorities, including developing theories of change/logic models, developing

interim milestones and outcomes, developing learning questions, identifying key stakeholders and how they

might use measurement and identifying research/knowledge-building activities essential for strategy

execution

Job Specifications/Criteria:

- Advanced degree in a field requiring fluency in applied research, performance measurement, statistical

methods and causal inference, or equivalent experience

- 8-10 years of professional experience in performance measurement, evaluation and applied research in large

scale development projects

- Strong analytic skills with the ability to think strategically and programmatically.

- Excellent consultative skills, especially skilled in building strong working relationships between program staff

and measurement/research experts

Salary: Negotiable as per qualifications and experience

Programme Manager (Health)

Job Responsibilities:

- Leading organization’s objective of reducing maternal mortality and infant mortality rates in Uttar Pradesh

- Overseeing health interventions of the organization and providing strategic direction to the same

- Handling grants and partnerships for the health interventions

Job Specifications/Criteria:

- Degree/diploma/specialization in public health or related field

- 8-10 years of professional experience in public health in large scale development projects

- Strong communication, inter personal and negotiating skills

Salary: Negotiable as per qualifications and experience

Programme Manager (Scale-up Operations)

Job Responsibilities:

- Providing strategic vision and direction for expansion of programme

- Fundraising and building partnerships for organization

- Securing and managing grants for the programme

Job Specifications/Criteria:

- Demonstrated ability to secure grants and raise funds

- Strong oral and written communication skills

- Minimum 5 years of professional experience working in large scale development projects

Salary: Negotiable as per qualifications and experience

Programme Officer (Communications)

Job Responsibilities:

- Managing all internal and external communications for the organization

- Responsible for overlooking documentation (case studies, films, photography, presentations, etc.) and

publications (brochures, manuals, case study books, reports, etc.)

- Responsible for managing social media (website, blog, Facebook, Twitter)

Job Specifications/Criteria:

- Minimum 3 years of experience working in this domain

- Excellent oral and written communication skills (both Hindi and English)

- Demonstrated excellent negotiating skills, in positions requiring diplomacy in communicating with a broad and

diverse audience.

- Knowledge and prior experience working with digital media like photography, films and online social media

platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Blog, etc.)

- Keen interest in advocating human rights through films and social media

- Proficiency with editing software (film and photography) preferable

Salary: Negotiable as per qualifications and experience

Regional Programme Manager

Job Responsibilities:

- Leading and overseeing all work in programme region

- Providing strategic direction for expansion of programme in the region

- Managing, motivating and monitoring field staff

- Overseeing documentation and accounts of the regional office

Job Specifications/Criteria:

- Post graduate degree/diploma in Management or relevant domain from a reputed institute

- Minimum 5 years professional experience working in development sector

- Demonstrated good leadership and management skills

- Knowledge of MS Office

Salary: Negotiable as per qualifications and experience

Learning and sharing!

2011-10-20T16:48:00.000+05:30

At a Village Organization meeting

About Us- Introductory Film

2011-10-18T13:45:00.005+05:30

Unity is Strength

2011-10-10T14:03:00.000+05:30

Sandhya was married into a conservative poor family. Bound by restrictions and the four corners of her home, she hardly stepped out of the house after her marriage. When she did, she practised purdah. She never knew what happened outside the village. She never knew what it was to have a bank account or be employed.

Sandhya’s family was going through a bad phase. Her husband was unemployed; they fell short of food at home; her mother in-law was ill. They had to take a loan from a local money lender at 10% interest to sustain the family. Days passed and her husband still couldn’t find a job. Their debt kept increasing. They were hungry and broke and soon lost the will to live.

One day, a woman in their village heard about Sandhya’s problems and told her about Self Help Groups. Sandhya decided to give it a try. The SHG women understood her problems and immediately helped her with food. A month later they helped her again with Rs.1000 which reduced her family’s debt. Sandhya felt a little secure and confident now. She decided to borrow Rs. 5,000 and repaid all her loans. Next, she borrowed Rs.7000 and bought a buffalo, which started giving her regular income of Rs.3000. A few months later, she borrowed Rs.10000 and opened a grocery store in her village.

Looking back at her dark days, Sandhya feels her SHG not only helped her family financially, but also changed her attitude and approach to life. She doesn’t practice purdah anymore. She is a post bearer in her SHG and goes to the bank herself to handle her group’s accounts. She feels empowered, confident and happy. Her husband, who once restricted her freedom, now helps her with her work and listens to her! He’s grateful for the support the SHG gave them and strongly advocates the idea of building unity among rural women through the SHG system!

SHG Meeting

2011-09-25T11:36:00.000+05:30

Burning the Midnight Oil

2011-09-12T11:08:00.000+05:30

Several Self Help Groups prefer to do night meetings, as it's at this time of the day that women are completely free, both mentally and physically, and they can discuss their issues and problems in peace.

Premvati's Story

2011-08-29T11:18:00.001+05:30

Premvati, from Jhansi, used to face numerous health problems due to some complications during child birth. She was always sick and suffering from pain, but couldn’t afford medication. She couldn’t work in her farm or send her child to school, as there was nobody else to take care of her.

Self-help group or SHG women in her village heard about Premvati and asked her to join one of the groups. They consoled her and helped her buy her medicines. She soon borrowed Rs. 5000/- from her SHG, which helped her undergo treatment from a good hospital. She then started participating in the SHG events actively and attended meetings in other districts as well.

She borrowed another Rs. 5000/- from her group and invested in farming to generate income. She started earning a good amount and managed to pay back all the borrowed money within a short period of time. Next, she borrowed Rs. 7000/- with which she opened a small shop in her village. Now she looks after the shop while her husband looks after the farm.

Today, Premvati is healthy, happy, generating good income and taking care of her family. She is educating her two children from a good private school. She has been to Hyderabad twice to be trained as a Community Resource Person and helps mobilise and motivate other women to organize themselves into SHGs, so that no other woman suffers from the difficulties and problems she had to suffer from!

From disability to ability!

2011-08-17T18:14:00.002+05:30

Mayawati from Babina District, Jhansi, is handicapped. Though she studied till 12th standard, being physically handicapped, she never got a job. She could not do any physical work. The days were hard. Her husband was single-handedly supporting the family working as a wage labourer in a nearby town. They ate when they could afford to buy food and remained hungry when they couldn’t. Mayawati wasn’t able to contribute anything to her family. She was disheartened and felt helpless due to her inability to do anything.

One day, Mayawati was asked to join a ‘samooh’, or self-help group, by a friend of hers. She reluctantly joined, but soon found herself gaining tremendously from the group activities. The micro finance help that the SHG offered helped Mayawati a lot. She borrowed Rs.2000/- at first and purchased a sewing machine that helped her to generate income, which took care of food and her child’s education. She then borrowed Rs.10000/- and bought a buffalo, which gave her an income of about Rs.3,000-3,500 every month. She saved about Rs.25,000/- with the income generated through the buffalo.

Next, she borrowed another Rs.5,000/- from the SHG and opened a small soft-drinks business in her village. Today, she is well off. Her husband no more works as a wage labourer. He helps her with the soft-drinks business, while her son has enrolled at a good private school.

Mayawati not only benefited financially through her SHG, but also became a leader in true terms. She is the President of her SHG and she handles various other groups and related activities. She solves problems and issues that plague her village by directly visiting the block headquarters and speaking to the respective officers.

Mayawati is now an energetic, bubbly and confident woman, who doesn’t feel inferior because of her disability, but empowered with what she has achieved!

“I got my children back!”

2011-08-06T11:31:00.002+05:30

Mamta, from Babina Block in Jhansi, was born into a family of daily wage labourers. While her father was away for work every day, Mamta used to take the buffalos into the jungle to feed them. She used to see other children studying and always wished she too could go to school! She asked her father, but he could not afford it. When Mamta turned 14, she was married off to a farmer in Badora. She soon had three children and was happy with her life!

Mamta’s husband and in-laws were very superstitious. One day, her husband and her father-in-law went in search of treasure in their farms, as directed by a local priest. In the process, Mamta’s husband fell into a well and died. Mamta’s in-laws blamed Mamta for his death, as their superstitious belief was that he died because Mamta was ‘unlucky’ for him! She was thrown out of the house, her children were kept away from her, and she was not accepted by her own family either! She was left homeless. She worked as a labourer, stayed hungry for months, fought for her rights, for her children… but all to no avail!

One day, someone told Mamta about Self Help Groups. She decided to give it a try and joined one. Through the awareness programmes conducted by the SHG, Mamta gained the confidence to confess her miseries to her fellow mates and seek their help. The SHG women consoled her and explained to her that she can legally fight for her rights and get her children back. They gave her strength and courage. Mamta called up the DIG and asked him for help. The DIG was so inspired by the way she spoke to him, that he came to her and helped her fight her in-laws. Within a few months, Mamta managed to get her children back and also a share of her husband’s property!

The SHG women also encouraged her to remarry. She’s now married, with her children, and happy again!

Mamta has also opened a small tailoring shop with the money she borrowed from SHG. She is economically well-off and also learning Maths and English from a tuition master in her village!

Mamta’s story tells us how SHGs not only help women to gain economic benefits, but also helps them gain confidence, courage and strength!

All Smiles!

2011-08-04T10:30:00.000+05:30

Our women are happy because they overcome poverty out of their own initiative, their own passion!

We only support them.

Why Community Institutions of the Poor are Essential!

2011-07-30T18:53:00.004+05:30

The distinct feature of poverty in India is that the boats of the poorest are nailed to the sea bed. When the tide rises, they sink. Often treated as dispensable commodities by those in power, they are helpless and unaware of even their basic rights.

This is where initiatives like RGMVP come in.

The Community Institutions of the Poor not only provide an interface or channel between the poorest of the poor and development initiatives, but also provides them with an opportunity to come out of poverty by helping them help themselves. Having said that, it is important to note that there is yet to exist a proper delivery mechanism, in terms of the Government and its agencies being able to implement schemes and programmes. Thus, there exists a wide gap between government initiatives and their actual implementation and delivery on ground.

RGMVP is not an extension of the aid delivery mechanism to the poorest. It is the yanking out of the sea bed of the chains that tie the bottom 30% of India firmly to the ocean's bed, which is a far more powerful and radical outcome.

We are not only helping them release themselves from the clutches of poverty and subordinated social status, but also helping them help themselves to unleash their true potential- through their own initiative.

Community institutions of the Poor bring together women, who voluntarily organize themselves, not only to practice micro-finance, but also to engage in awareness building and information dissemination activities (like government schemes, safe hygiene practises, agricultural practises, importance of education, etc.) and also citizenship based activities (helping them form a formidable force in fighting for one's rights, with respect to government schemes, entitlements, remedies/redressal or otherwise).

Women from within the three federations further volunteer to get trained on SHG formation (they help raise awareness amongst non-SHG members on the usefulness and importance of institutions of the poor, mobilise them and help them set up their own SHGs), issues of health, hygiene and nutrition (including maternal health, personal hygiene, menstrual health, latrine system and sanitation, child care, etc.), bank linkages (help women from SHGs set up their accounts and access loans, etc. and help them out with the procedure), etc.

The process is effective because the trainings capacitate these women to convince other women like them about the benefits of organizing the poor, as well as spread awareness and information on best practises, like the ones mentioned above.

We, thus, need to work towards helping the poor organize themselves. Over the last 10 years, we have reached out to over 350,000 households, forming over 30,000 SHGs in some of the most backward areas of Uttar Pradesh. We’re now striving to reach out to more and more poor women and help them overcome poverty and unleash their true potential!

How RGMVP Changed My Life!

2011-07-27T10:31:00.001+05:30

Asha Devi is a married woman with two children. She lives in Rasoi village of Jhansi district. Over a year back, her life revolved around waking up early in the morning, cooking food for her family, sending her husband to work, working in the farm till evening and then returning home to cook again. This was her life, day in and day out. She didn’t step out of the house for anything else. She didn’t speak to any strangers.

One day, a group of women from a very different region visited her village and knocked on her door. She opened it. They came in and asked her to listen to them for a while. She didn’t pay any heed to them. But they were persistent and so she reluctantly agreed. They took out some chart papers and explained to her the state of rural women in India today and what they could possibly do about it. Their concepts and ideas of organizing the poor to save money and solve problems really impressed Asha. She asked her husband to let her form a ‘samooh’ or self-help group. He didn’t find her plan worthy of any attention and argued that it’s a waste of time. Later, however, she did manage to convince him and formed a small group with women from her neighbourhood. Gradually, they found solace and solutions for all their problems in their weekly meetings. As they started openly discussing various aspects of women’s development, their inferiority started fading away and they felt more and more confident and empowered!

Things started to change for Asha. She borrowed a sum of Rs.600/- from her self-help group and bought a bicycle for her husband, who used to travel to work as a labourer, in a town 6 kms away from their place. Till date, she has borrowed Rs.35000/- and paid it all back. She has used the money to take care of her family’s health, children’s education, food and also to generate income by investing in buffaloes and growing cucumbers. She has also travelled to Andhra Pradesh twice- to see the condition of rural women there, observe how they fought

poverty from within their community and to get trained to become a Community Resource Person.

Today, a year and half later, Asha is a woman who confidently and fearlessly speaks to representatives of her area to solve local village issues and problems. She mobilises women from various groups and encourages them to lead better lives! She’s a known name in her village- not only as a good leader, but also as some one who wants to inspire other women to be good leaders!

How Meera Devi Fought For Her Security

2011-07-14T14:17:00.015+05:30

Meera Devi, Khajurah Kedi, Babina Block, Jhansi District, was a poor woman living with her family in a small hut in an isolated area close to her village. Residents of her area were prone to regular harassment by the customers of a cheap liquor stall nearby. After a lot of toleration, Meera got fed up with her insecurity and raised her voice against their business and filed a complaint against the stall at the local police station. This, in spite of solving her problem, made things complicated for her. The police did not help her and the owners of the liquor stall turned violent and injured Meera. She was helpless and thought she could do nothing but face it for the rest of her life!

However, one day, a few women from her village approached her and told her about the Self Help Groups that we help organize and suggested that she join it. Meera reluctantly agreed. Today, she proudly admits that she has gained a lot awareness and confidence from the activities of the ‘Samooh’ or Self Help Group. She knows very well now that self-confidence and unity that can do wonders for women.
Apart from solving her security problem, she has also progressed very well economically after joining her SHG. She has borrowed Rs.5000 to clear a loan she took from a local money lender. She returned the borrowed money and then took Rs.4000 and opened a small store of accessories for women. She borrowed Rs.5000/- again and invested it in growing ground nuts, which gave her a profit of Rs.25000! Now she is poor no more! She is independent, economically well of, able to educate her children well and also has security, for which she once struggled very hard! Meera’s story tells us that organizing poor women not only helps and empowers women themselves, but also her entire family and community!

After a couple of months, she gathered a group of 50 women and went to Babina Block’s police station in a tractor and demanded security. This move was quite effective. The police finally intervened and ensured them security from harassment.

Things were solved for her within a couple of days. She’s happy now, leading a peaceful life. Once in a while, she looks back at her dark days and says to herself, “how would I be now if there were no SHGs?”

Taking names for granted!

2010-04-14T12:56:00.008+05:30

We take it for granted, all of us do; what’s so great about being called by ones name, we might ask?

Confined within the walls of their house after marriage women in parts of UP and India for that matter, seldom get out of the house, seldom meet any one and are seldom called by their names. Some don't even know what they have been named.

The opportunity to meet friends and acquaintances and talk to them is something most of us have grown up with. But a visit to some remote villages in the state teaches us that for many, this is but a luxury that are able to afford.

The meetings that SHGs organize on a weekly basis do more than just spread awareness and encourage women to create savings. Giving the women a platform to talk to one another at these meetings gives the women an identity and helps them gain self-confidence and self-respect. When we ask them what difference the program has made to their lives, the women proudly tell us that the SHGs have given them a platform to speak and that the meetings have taught them how to talk. Some women have also confessed that because of the SHGs they have now learnt their names!

Many of us dismiss the very basic needs of our fellow citizens and fail to realize the impact and importance that merely speaking and meeting people can make on the lives of those who have little else but hope. The meetings that RGMVP organizes with visitors from different parts of the country helps the women develop a greater sense of self-pride. It gives them the confidence and encouragement to carry forward the work of the Pariyojana and empower more and more women.

Jamwati from Bundelkhand

2010-01-07T13:25:00.010+05:30

Jamwati came to Bundelkhand from Madhya Pradesh after her marriage. One of the only educated women in the village, she gives us a broad smile as she tells us that she is the Deputy President of her SHG.

Using the credit made available to her thrugh the SHG she proudly tells us how she was able to pay off the money lender from whom the family had borrowed money to build the pucca house behind her. “In the last three months I have already repaid half the money to bank” she tells us.

In Bundelkhand as in many areas of rural India one of the biggest challenges that the poor face is the poor knowledge of affordable credit that is available to them. While this credit is available, ignorance and tradition have forced the poor to return time and again to the local moneylenders. The incredibly high rates of interest (that are often five times that charged by the SHG) make it impossible for the poor to repay their debts. Unable to repay their debts the poor loose what little land or other possessions they have, forcing them down the debt spiral even further.

RGMVP works hard to educate the women about the resources that are available and thus helps them escape the vicious debt trap of local money lenders that have been exploiting the poor.

Above: Jamwati at the door of her 'pucca' (पुक्का) house.

Top Right: Jamwati at Swasth Sakhi (community health worker) Training.

Versha from Bundelkhand

2009-12-21T07:32:00.007+05:30

“There is nothing in my life to be happy about” she said a minute ago but now I can see a faint smile on her face. We are sitting across from Versha the President of Abhilasha Gram Sanghatan as she tells us her story.

My mother died when I was young and my father soon became an alcoholic in his sorrow. I was brought up by my Dadi (paternal-grandmother). Soon my Nana (maternal-grandfather) took me home to stay with his family. With limited resources in the house this led to problems with my aunts and soon I was back in Lalitpur. My Dada used to support my brother, sister and me. Though shifting between my grandparents homes did cause a problem for my enrollment at school the teachers were kind and allowed me to get back to my classes.

In class 9 when I was giving my final exams I came home between papers to find some waiting to see me. I did not stay long and returned for my next paper but in the evening when I returned I found people in the locality celebrating outside my house. The next thing I new was that I was getting married. My father I remember was not in favor of the marriage because of my tender age but my grandmother was insistent, she wanted to see her grandchildren before she died. I was 15 when I got married.

After a brief stay of two months at my home post marriage I came over here to live with my husband and his family. From the moment we started living together I told my husband that we should rent a place in the city and live there so that we could educate our children. My husband worked as a security guard first in Jhansi then at Babina and then he went to Maharashtra to work as a driver. He would visit us once in 2 months or some times more often.

Some months ago he returned to live here with us and worked at the military area as a daily wage laborer. One day in August he complained of a stomach ache so I asked him to rest. When he did not get better I asked my mother in law to come over and she massaged his stomach with the leaves of the Andi tree that used to give him relief in the past but it did not work. Later in the day my father in law gave him a pain killer to ease the pain but that too did not help so the next day we took him to the block hospital. At the hospital he was given an injection and some medicine. The treatment failed and by noon he could not swallow. I too began to have similar symptoms but kept quiet since I did not want to worry him and the family. Soon he could not keep his eyes open and his speech too began to falter. When his situation deteriorated to a point that he could not breath properly we got terribly worried and took him to Jhansi.

First we took him to Kapoor Nursing Home, there the doctors asked us for two thousand rupees that we promised to pay and we admitted him. You know he had no bad habits, he did not smoke or drink, didn't chew tobacco, he didn't even eat meat! At the hospital when he began to throw-up from his mouth and nose I could not hold myself together any more and broke down. Since the doctors were not giving him proper care we took him to Kherati Hospital.
The doctors at Kherati hospital told us he was serious and put him on an intravenous drip and asked us to take him to the district hospital.

At the district hospital we waited for an hour before some one attended to him and when they did they kept asking him to confess what he had eaten. I don't know why but they suspected that he had attempted to commit suicide. They put fingers down his throat to make him throw up and all the while kept asking him to tell them what he had eaten. When he repeatedly told them that he had eaten nothing they just left him. I thought they had gone to discuss and decide what to do for him but they did not so we had no choice but to take him elsewhere. We took him to D M Mishra hospital where he was immediately admitted into emergency. Since I too was quite ill by then the doctors admitted me as a serious case. I could not see him from where I was but I new he was there. I was given an intravenous drip I remember, but then I passed out.

When I woke in the morning I was told that he was doing better but had to be shifted to another hospital. My relatives told me that we should return home, no one told me that my husband had passed away while I was sleeping. When I got home I found many of my relatives waiting at the house, I thought to myself how lucky I was to get so much concern from them because of my illness. But it was when I finally entered the house that I learnt the truth. I was then dressed as a bride and taken to the river for the ceremonies. My family had hidden the truth from me all the way from Jhansi till I got home.

At this point she wipes a few tears from her cheeks that have seen thousands others roll down in the moths that have passed since the fate-full day and then continues with her story.

The women from the Gram-Sanghathan are better than relatives you know. When they heard this news they came with food and money to help me out. Today I am four months pregnant but cant have an abortion because I am of frail health, but I already have two children so I don't know what I will do. I plan to open a shop in the village and make ends meet, I’ll take a loan from the Samhoo to do that.

Later in the evening we returned to the village to attend the meeting of the Gram Sangahtan (a village level association of SHG’s) and met Versha again. There with representatives of all the 17 SHG’s that form the association she was a changed person. With all the problems she has she vowed to lead the women in helping them solve their problems. To see some one in such dire straits smile is unthinkable but she did and it shook me to the bone.

Vinya

2009-12-06T20:21:00.004+05:30

Vinya, is an inspiration not only to the impoverished women in Bundelkhand but to all of us at the Rajiv Gandhi Mahila Pariyojana.

Having been associated with her “Samhoo” - (Self Help Group), for over 10 months, sitting on the steps of her house Vinya recounts for us her story.

Vinya needed money to buy a goat. Historically all villagers borrow money from the village “sahukar” (money lender), thus subjecting themselves to almost a life term in debt. Since she needed the money she too had no choice at the time.

After joining her “Samhoo” Vinya was able to borrow from the local nationalized bank, with better interest rates and accommodative payment terms. With this help she was able to free herself from the clutches of the moneylender.

Vinya is now a proud owner of not one, but 12 goats! She has also managed to sell a few of them and generated profits for herself.

Today, Vinya is not only the President of Roshini Samhoo but, also of the village level association.

Like many other women benefiting themselves through Roshini Samhoo, Vinya believes that their Rs. 10 per week saving has been able to rid them of their dependence on the sahukar for financial help.

Over the next half hour, Vinya shares with us the future plans which the women in Roshini Samhoo have – to work towards developing medical facilities, in the light of the alarming rise in deaths due to pneumonia tops their list.

Overcoming Discrimination

2009-11-16T13:25:00.007+05:30

This is a story repeated time and again whenever RGMVP touches a new village. For eons now our country has been plagued by caste discrimination but now there is hope for the future as the story of Geeta Prajapati clearly shows us.
Here is her own story.

Discrimination is strongly rooted in our society. In my opinion it is a curse on us. Several situations in life have made me hate myself for belonging to a lower cast. Discrimination bothered me right from childhood. I often felt ashamed of myself just because of my caste.

Growing up our village was like any other but the one thing that pinched me was the difference between the lower caste and upper caste that was so apparent in our world. If one of us from a lower caste visited a higher caste persons home we were never allowed to enter inside the house. At public functions we were always made to sit separately, even at marriages we had to sit separately and made to dine last sitting on the ground. This treatment always annoyed and depressed me making me anxious to get equality in society. As a child I often asked my mother why there was this difference and discrimination towards the lower castes, but my mother would censure me “Don’t high fly otherwise we will stop your schooling”.

While my mother did succeed in keeping me quiet I was not satisfied and kept
my thoughts alive within me. Some years ago I learned that the Rajiv Gandhi Mahila Vikas Pariyojna was working for women welfare in our village, a Community Resource Person from Andhra Pradesh with came to my home and explained the benefits and importance of group. She also asked me to join the group. Belonging to a lower caste, I refused to join but they convinced me to join the group when they told me group does not discriminate. Hesitant as I was I stood in a corner to watch one of their meetings. When a Community Resource Personal saw me, she took me by the hand and made sit in the circle with the other upper and lower caste women, I was afraid of my sitting along with all of them but I was surprised that none of them objected. Not only did I face no objection the women both upper caste and lower caste welcomed me with open hearts giving me great confidence.

Over time the fear and hesitation inside me was aborted and soon I started keeping accounts of group. Now I look after bank linkage in the group and deal with the bank officials. The discrimination has died, there are no upper or lower caste in our group, all are equal.
Now no one is hesitant to sit and eat with me. Often group meeting are conducted at my home. My family and I get equal treatment in the society at functions as do others who belong to the lower castes.

Now I have my own identity that is not a servant of my caste. Everyone in the village takes my advice, mainly related to bank and accounts and I try my best to help them. Today I don't have to remember that I belong to a lower caste, or worry if I am with people of a higher caste, and I cant help think that this would not have been possible without the help of our “Swayam Sahayata Samooh”. Discrimination is man made and man himself can end this evil if he should choose to.

Today Geeta is the president of her Self Help Group (SHG), the Cluster Level Association (CLA) at the village as well as the the President of the Block Level Association (BLA).

Breaking Free

2009-09-20T18:51:00.004+05:30

When Saroj Devi first met an animator from the RGMVP she was in dire straights, her husband was deeply indebted to a money lender, and their income was too low to sustain their family. Often they went hungry! Convinced about benefits of joining SHGs she joined the Jai Maa Durga Swayam Shayta Samooh, and almost immediately her life took a turn for the better. The weekly meetings where members shared their problems and discussed ways and means to improve their lives gave her the opportunity and education she needed.
After being trained in several RGMVP camps, Saroj found a new freedom, and a space outside the four walls of her house. She became the Samooh’s Community Resource Person and helped manage and increase its resources of Community Volunteers.
From the first CCL credit of Rs. 25,000 she borrowed Rs. 10,000 and paid of the moneylender’s debt, and freed her husband from his clutches. She now saves regularly with the bank, and enjoys a credit that it extends to her. With the new resources available to her she has been able to set up a detergent manufacturing unit.
Over time, Saroj has come to be the proud owner of a house, a small piece of cultivable land, and a burgeoning manufacturing unit. She has also managed to have her children enrolled in school, which they had dropped out of because the family’s financial condition. She too has started to sign, and is educating herself.
Today she extends her help to those around her, through the Samooh, and has helped over 45 families escape the clutches of moneylenders.
Even in this day and age where the government has innumerable schemes to help the rural population get the much-needed financial help, ignorance of these facilities force many into the vicious net of the money lender. RGMVP consistently educates and facilitates families to avail these life saving opportunities to help them improve their lives and the future of their children.

We can and we will!

2009-08-21T14:02:00.017+05:30

When Mr. Gandhi walked into the hall the eagerly waiting members of the Self Help Groups (SHG) broke into a thundering applause as they greeted him with much affection and joy.

The meeting was held to find and formulate, pro-poor environment and CRP strategies to empower the lower sections of rural society, and to facilitate social mobilization and community participation.

Members of the SHGs case studies of the SHG’s influence in their lives, and the change and opportunities it now presented them. They explained the SHG’s roles in alleviating the hardships of the poor, and stressed the need for SHGs and similar projects. They all expressed their gratitude for their achievements, confidence, and new found awareness.

In his speech Mr. Gandhi explained vision for development in UP, with women playing an instrumental role in it. Seeing SHGs as the key to empowering women, he stressed that it was time to bring women into the mainstream of development. Viewing the SHG movement as an exciting change, and with the success it achieved in Andhra Pradesh, he expressed his confidence of similar success in UP. He pointed to the already improved conditions of women in Raibareli and Sultanpur, and hoped all of UP would follow their example. Encouraged by his motivating talk the women were specially moved when he joined them on the floor of the house rejected the elevated podium to explain his views and ideas.

In response to all the encouragement that they received the women promised to spread the SHGs to the entire nation.

“We can and we will” the hall echoed as faces smiled one and all.

Mr. Rahul Gandhi inaugurating a Mobile Micro Credit Van from the BUPGB that would take the bank to village thereby facilitating growth and development.

Inspiration

2009-08-18T16:42:00.007+05:30

The eleventh of august, 2009, will be remembered in Tala Gopalpur(village) of Rahi block. Mrs. Sonia Gandhi visited them, and the women of the SHG welcomed her, and told them their stories. Of how they went from being dependent, and hapless, to confident, and a force of change, and empowerment. They told her, about life before SHG when no one would come forward to help them, and they had no voice. They couldnt tend their families well, and were frustrated.
They put up a little skit, depicting the hardships of women in rural India. They told Mrs. Gandhi about the several bondages that women have to suffer: a women can’t speak, she can’t think, she can’t listen, she can’t go anywhere, she can’t do any work, she is bound to have babies according to her family’s wishes.
Then they told her how the SHG had helped them all, find a voice and each other, and become a source of strength, but also, how they were now, educating their families, and even doing incomce generating activities, to help their husbands in the house.
They expressed profuse gratititude to Mrs. Gandhi, for her example of leadership, and empowerment, and the inspiration she provides each one of them. They also thanked her for the very idea of the RGMVP, and for ‘hand holding support’ which has empowered them to take action both in their own lives and the life of the village.

Opening the door when opportunity knocks!

2009-08-13T10:33:00.005+05:30

Fareeda was a poor and illiterate woman of Kaziyana village who earned a pittance. When RGMVP volunteers visited her village, with the intent of creating a woman’s Self Help Group (SHG) and spread the message and empower the women of the village, Fareeda thought that SHG was something meant to benefit the rich, and upper castes, and that no one would really reach out to the poor. When the pariyojana volunteer visited her, she did not pay much attention to him, as she was too caught up in her own problems.

However, the opportunity may have been wasted, but thankfully, the SHG of the village found a firm footing, and later she was visited by members of this same groups, who were trying to reach out to other ladies like themselves, and give them the support and backing of the SHG to improve their standard of living.

They explained the functioning of the group, and related experiences wherein they had benefited immensely from the SHG. They discussed her problems of caste, social status, and low income with her, and convinced her that together they could help her find a better way of living. She finally joined.

In the group they discussed her problems, and helped get a loan to start her own poultry farm. Also the group made her appreciate the value of an education, she also started to teach herself to read and write.

When the Village Organization (group of SHGs) was later formed, she was nominated as joint secretary, and then, to the Village Level SHG federation, and even as a representative on the Block Level SHG federation (BLA).

Though the moment was the greatest of her life, the BLA office was too far away from her village, making walking there a problem, but she has taught herself to cycle, and now cycles to office and back everyday. This, her story of empowerment, and leadership, serves, as she does, to help others find their legs, and make more of themselves than otherwise possible.

An Example to follow

2009-08-06T17:16:00.011+05:30

The story of Rajpati and the Rajiv Gandhi Mahila Vikas Pariyojana (RGMVP) is an often repeated effort of the program to bring empowerment and understanding to women in the remotest parts of the nation. Rajpati, coming from a backward class and suffering from the practice of parda, never realized that there was a wider world outside the four walls of her house, and that, more importantly, she could participate in that larger world. Through the work of RGMVP, she has discovered not only her own latent abilities, but is now helping others to do the same!

When she first approached the RGMVP team, she was a purdah clad woman, barely able to speak to them. She stammered her name, but was almost unintelligible. Nervous and unsure of herself, she was another example of so many of India’s neglected women in villages across the country. Bound to their houses and by veils, they fail to realize that they can do so much more.

But the change in Rajpati is a beacon of hope for all the other women like her. Boosted by RGMVP, she now is a confident woman, sure of herself and unfettered by the binds of her past. But what is amazing is that she isn’t content to have found herself, she’s now leading others to leave behind the same chains, and discover their role in the wider world. As a Community Resource Person with RGMVP, she is helping women find the same confidence that she now has.

Rajpati has become an adept public speaker and is fluent in conveying the goals and ideas of the RGMVP to gatherings, and her own story is her best metaphor. The change in Rajpati, from a nervous, shy, and helpless woman, to a teacher and guide, truly is a story of empowerment and growth one should be proud of.

Together we can

2009-07-18T09:55:00.005+05:30

Every day at dawn, a new story begins. One more woman stands up to the test of time and takes the step towards independence and happiness. Malti's story is one such story that reminds us of the difference that we can make in the lives of the poor.

"When we were not in the samooh, we were scattered. When we came together, we got to know each other, we became strong because we are united. Recently when there was a fire in village Rudali, some houses were burned down. All the sisters got together and we helped with grain, clothes, other material.
We meet every week, which we all enjoy. At the meeting, the first thing we ask all sisters is what problems they have. If someone has a problem, we give the loan to them first.
We have learnt how to live together, we can now speak publicly. I have stopped doing pardah. We have decided we will not give or take dowry.
In the beginning my husband did not want me to join – he said why roam around here and there. Now he doesn’t say anything. In fact we hold meetings in the house and the men see what we are doing. When the men need money, they ask the group."