A step towards Empowerment
Excerpts of an interview with a Beneficiary of Income Generating Programmes

Q: Since how long are you residing in this slum?
A: I am residing in this slum since eleven years.

Q: How many children do you have?
A: I have two boys and two girls.

Q: What was your previous occupation?
A: I am a native of Hyderabad. Earlier, our means of livelihood
was my husband’s earnings, he is a painter. I did not work, as my
children were too small and earnings of my husband was sufficient.
As children started growing, we were finding our earnings
insufficient to meet the requirements. The biggest challenge and
need was to send children to school. So I decided to work and took to this occupation as I had earlier
learned tailoring.

Q: What is your education ?
A: I have studied till 7th class. Later, due to marriage I had to stop my studies.

Q: From whom did you take loans earlier and what was the rate of interest?
A: I have not taken money from outside earlier.

Q: How did you come to know about HCHW-A.P.?
A: I came to know about HCHW-A.P. from its staff members who used to move in our Basthi enlightening
us on different issues.

Q: When did you join the group?
A: I joined the group in 1999.

Q: What is the name of your group and who named it?
A: The name of my group is Ujala and we members have named it.

Q: How was the behaviour of your husband, in-laws and other relatives towards you, four years
back and now do you see any change ?.
A: I am lucky, the response of my family members has always been positive. They felt very happy.

Q: What is your income?
A: Earlier, my income was
Rs. 800/- per month but now after I have expanded my business through IGP loan, my income has increased
to Rs.1500 /- per month.

Q: Have you everrealised the benefits of joining intoSHGs ?
A: Benefits are many after joining into SHGs.

Q: Did you know about the Government Schemes earlier?
A: No, I came to know about it after joining group.

Q: What do you feel about savings?
A: I am feeling very happy after being able to save money.

Q:Do you have a say in decision- making process athome ?
A: There is mutual understanding in decision making process between my husband and myself After joining
group, whenever we have any problem we sit and talk over it and decide.

Q: Why you thought to start this IGP, what made you start this IGP?
A: I knew tailoring earlier but was unable to make income out of it. I took loan to set up a full fledged unit and
then expanded it and the results are visible.

Q: Why have you taken loan from HCHW-A.P. only, why not from other source ?
A: I have taken loan from HCHW because the rate of interest is low; repayment is through easy monthly
installment and above all there is no exploitation.

Q: Are you satisfied with the loan?
A: Yes, I am very much satisfied.

Q: How much loan have you taken till now?
A: I have taken Rs. 3000/- as loan till now.

Q: Are you regular in paying the instalments?
A: No, in the beginning I was regular but after sometime due to some family problems I was not able to pay
loan on monthly basis..

Q: What are the changes in your life as a result of IGP?
A: There is a positive change in our life. We have got many benefits through IGP by which our business has
improved, the profit helped me to pay fees of my children and to give them good education which is the
ultimate aim of both my husband and myself.

Q: What are your future aspirations?
A: I want to expand my business. I need Rs. 10,000 /- to expand my business and for that I will be applying
for a loan of Rs. 5000/-

Our Work with Women through the words of Malan

I was born in a poor family of five sisters and two younger brothers. My mother was a maid servant and father a richshawpuller, a thorough drunkard drinking all his earnings. I don’t remember much of my childhood or my house as I was there for a very short time. I was very small, I do not even remember properly when I started working as a domestic servant
rather a bonded labour. Yes, I remember my father coming once a year and taking away the money from my master. I would work, work and only work the whole day long -all for an adequate meal. Apart from doing all household chores, I would have to take care of my Master’s four year old boy. I always wanted to go to school like my master’s daughter but couldn’t. Thanks to Bade Amma (my master’s mother) who was kind enough and taught me to read urdu. At the age of 15, I was married and by 17, mother of two. My husband was not a drunkard like my father but was very lazy and would never go to work. He always wanted to make quick money for which he would gamble with his friends. I would try to explain to him that it is of no use to get into such activities but he would not listen and worst of all, his mother would support him. My mother-in-law being very orthodox would not let me even peep out of the house. My children would sometimes sleep hungry, I would then think of working somewhere but I knew that my mother-in-law would not allow me to do so. The only solution for the family was to borrow money from the money lender at high rates of interest time and again. One day when my mother-in-law was away to her native place, I had attended HCHW community meeting, where I was introduced to the concept of ‘Self Help Groups’. I was convinced with the idea and immediately acted upon pooling members to form a SHG called Ujala, registered with HCHW. Initially, I would hide from family members and attend the group meetings. However, I was able to save an amount of Rs.30/- every month without the knowledge of my husband and mother-in-law. In my late childhood days, I had a chance to stitch my own torned and shattered clothes in my master’s house with the limited skills I had learnt with help of Badeamma. Soon after the marriage, my mother-in-law referred me to her close friend (neighbour) in order to groom
my skills in stitching. The prime motive is to add up family income out of this earnings. However, it has really picked up in terms of business after I enrolled in SHG. While interacting with the other members of my Self Help Group and other Self Help Groups, I have established a good rapport with a number of women who started giving me business.

*Name is changed to respect confidentiality

In the process, I got in touch with few women who use to stitch cloths for outside shops. I appealed them to get orders and thereby started stitching clothes in my house and it became a means of livelihood for my family. The training programme on Entrepreneurial Development Skills have really helped me at that time and I learned the art of business. As months passed by, I have understood the concept of ‘Savings and Credit Management’ and realised that I can access credit facility ranging from Rs.5,000 to Rs.8,000. Suddenly there was a medical emergency in the family, as my mother-in-law had to undergo a hysterectomy. My lazy husband was in a shock and made desperate attempts to support her beloved mother. At that moment, I pat on my husband’s shoulder and shared with him the available alternative to seek credit explaining
him the concept of ‘Self Help Promotion’ initiated by HCHW in our slums. Although surprised he came along with me and together we sought the help of the HCHW-staff who guided us to avail the loan from the group for the medical expenses in the hospital. It was yet difficult for my husband to believe and accept this alternate access to credit facility. Earlier to it, we were used to borrow money only from money lenders paying a huge rate of interest and keeping some security with them. This time there was nothing left to be kept as security with money lenders and the amount required was also huge and that was the major crux of the problem. Ever since this episode I started noticing a tremendous change in the attitude, understanding, thinking and mindset of my husband as well as my mother-in-law. There was also a change in their behaviour towards me. HCHW organizes ‘Capacity Building Programmes’ on areas such as Concept and Management, Book-keeping and Accounts, Banking Rules and Operations, Communication and Leadership skills, Problem solving as well as Collective Decision Making so on and so forth. This made me to think positively towards the approach and on other end enlightened and encouraged us to make optimum utilization of available resources. With a hike in my business, my son had started going to school but my daughter who is elder to him was deprived of education. The reason being very simple that my family members did not accept a girl child going to school. However, they could realize the importance only after intervention of HCHW staff. Later, she was ‘enrolled in school’ with their help. “Today, I proudly feel, SHG fund serves as an alternate source of arrangement for paying school fees and other demands at school,” says Malan. The Capacity Building Programmes on entrepreneurial and management skills have infact helped me to develop my work more in a business form. Looking at growth in business, I was infact suggested by HCHW-staff to submit an ‘Income Generating Project Proposal’ so as to expand it further. In making so, HCHW helped me a lot in preparing the proposal understanding the concept, plan and
execute the business with other women employed with me. Earlier, I was not aware of the different Government Schemes available and would have never dared to visit Government Departments. Basically, it was a myth that the officers would ask money for every small thing and I was quite hesitant to visit their offices. With the appropriate guidance and support of HCHW, we are able to develop ‘linkages with the Government’. In this way, we started meeting officials and pursuing our demands and fulfilling the needs gradually. We are benefited by a lot of schemes available with the Government such as Deepam Scheme (gas connections), roads, houses, pattas, electricity, water, pipe-line, borewells, better sanitation facilities, ration cards, revolving fund and so on.

I was always appreciated by HCHW for my active participation and leadership qualities in the community. Probably this was why they have made me the volunteer and asked me to co-ordinate the activities of ten groups. Now I have been selected as ‘Group Community Organizer’ by the Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad. Earlier, I was more or less treated as a maid servant in my own house by my in-laws and dear husband. My work was just to cook, wash clothes, do other household chores, lookafter the children as well as to fulfill the pleasures of my husband. Moreover there was no participation or my say with regard to day-to-day chores and decision making process at large. However, the scenario has changed and today, I have really come a long way. My husband and mother-in-law supports me and seeks my advise, suggestions as well values them a lot in the decision making process at all levels. This really boosts my morale and I am happy with it. Although
I understand this change could perhaps be a result of becoming the source of access to money. Yet, I am happy as I have also learned in the process to use my own control mechanisim whereever and whenever necessary. Today, I have reached the stage where I can see dreams and sure of being realised soon.... Proudly says Malan with a smile on her face.

The Best things of Life . . .
. . . Back to Home Town
Mannu, a tiny child of 10 years belongs to Nibokabirpur, a very remote village far away from Banaras of Uttar Pradesh State. He is third in a row of six siblings of the family. His father works as a daily wage labour in a cement factory and mother is a home-maker. His father is the sole earning member in the family and the mouths are many, to feed. Mannu was studying in IIIrd standard in a Government school. Although the school was not functioning properly, he still continued to go to school. The reason was … the school used to provide mid-day meal to children. This was the only attraction for many other children like Mannu as they all belong to poverty-stricken families. The school stopped the mid-day meal programme and so Mannu also stopped going to school. At the very young age of 10, Mannu was asked to supplement the family’s income. The better
option his parents thought was to send him to Mumbai (Bombay) to work with his maternal uncle. His uncle was a flower vendor. Things worked fast and Mannu reached Mumbai. After a few days, Mannu had seen the ugly face of his uncle who used to abuse and harass him. “Har choti si baat peh, Mama bahut gaali galoj karte the aur maarte bhi the” (for every small
thing, my uncle used to abuse me in filthy language and used to beat me) said Mannu. Day-by-day the harassment by the uncle increased and Mannu could not bear it any more. He wanted to go to his parents but, the uncle did not send him. One fine day, without the knowledge of his uncle, Mannu left the home and reached the Railway station. He boarded a train, without ticket, thinking that it will take him to Banaras. He was very much tired and fell asleep. The next day morning when he woke up, to his surprise and shock he landed in another unknown place …Secunderabad. His struggle to survive started. Gradually, he picked up the street culture and learned to live on street. His life took another turn when he met the street educator of HCHW on the street. Mannu was not interested to go to home as the life on street looked good to him and hence, he was motivated to join the Child Development Centre of HCHW. Here, Mannu found a new world of happy living and joyous childhood. The constant counselling and motivation by the Counsellor made Mannu to think of his family again. He agreed to go back to his family. On 10th December 2004, Mannu was repatriated with his family. Mannu’s joy knew no boundaries when he saw his mother and other siblings. Tears rolled down on his cheeks. The same was with his mother.

My Reminiscences
My name is Bheem Rao Vittal. I do not know when I had come onto the streets and I am unaware of my parents and their whereabouts. I only remember my father is in army and stays away from home most of the time. As a kid, I remember moving from Nampally Dargah to Ganesh Temple for food and sleeping at Secunderabad Railway Station in nights. I have worked earlier as a train bogie cleaner, picking rags from the dustbins, cleaner in a hotel and took many myriad odd jobs. I was a frequent moviegoer, smoking and carefree child often scolded by other elder boys for not bathing and for wearing dirty clothes. I was always a distant observer, at the same time very curious to know what they (street educators of HCHW) talk and do with other children.

Although entered the HCHW-CDC yet it took time for me to respond to the efforts of the social workers. To avoid them, I used to leave Shelter Home early in the morning and turn up late in the evenings. I recall a number of efforts made by HCHW that results in a change and gradually helped in developing an instinct in me to attend school and seek education. It has been a miracle in my life when I was blessed to seek the formal education system through regular schools. Days, months and years have passed away without my realization moving from one class to another.

During 2003-2004 academic year, I have appeared my VII class Public Examinations and secured 405 marks (67%). My joy knew no bounds when I have been one of the topper in the school. It was indeed this hour I realized the fact that I am a student and need to take up serious studies. Presently, I am studying in VIII standard with the consistent support, encouragement of the staff of HCHW. I would have never ever be in this kind of life without their invaluable love, care and concern towards me all these years. I bow and thank each one of them.

Today and everyday I dream in the night that one day I must join army and serve the nation. I do hope my dreams will come true with all your support.

A Role Model
Six years ago, a 12 years old child left his home in search of a better life. He belongs to Bhilai, Madhya Pradesh. His family was disorganized when his father left the family. He lived with his mother and younger brother. It was difficult for his mother to manage the family since she was a homemaker. She got married to another person. The new-father was alcoholic and used to beat the children. Their mother was helpless as three of them depended on the step-father for their survival. The children did not receive the expected love and affection from the new-father. Hence, they did not accept him.

Once, this 12-year-old boy lost his new pair of slippers. His mother had beaten him badly for it. He felt very bad and decided to leave home. He did not know where to go but, he started his journey to an unknown destiny. He is Simhachalam. He lived on streets doing all odd jobs. He moved from one place to another in trains. It was thrilling for him. He landed in Hyderabad. By this time, he was 14 years old. The police found him on streets and referred him to Children’s Home run by the Department of Juvenile Welfare for his rehabilitation. He was released from the home after one month. He came in contact with the street educator of HCHW and was referred to Child Development Centre of HCHW.

He stayed in the CDC for a couple of months and responded towards repatriation with his family. A staff member of HCHW accompanied him to his native place in Madhya Pradesh. His mother gave him warm welcome and wanted to keep him with them. Simhachalam felt happy and reciprocated in a positive manner. Hence, he was left with his family. His happiness did not last long as the step-father was again a problem. After a year, again, Simhachalam had to leave his home.

He came back to Hyderabad directly. He joined the CDC again. By this time he was around 15 – 16 years. This time Simhachalam was helped to join in a vocational training programme to learn Tailoring. “My father was a tailor and hence, I also want to become a tailor” says he. He was given lot of emotional and psychological support by the team of CDC to continue his training. Gradually, he learned the trade with interest. Later, he was given a job placement in a Tailor shop. In no time he became a perfect tailor.

Simultaneously, he was helped again to develop his contacts with family. Things were changing in his family. His mother started preferring him than her husband. He started visiting home regularly. Simhachalam shared that he wants to have his own tailoring shop/unit. HCHW provided a tailoring machine to start his own independent work. And, slowly Simhachalam got separated from the CDC and lives in a rented home in Hyderabad. Today, he is around 18 years old and earns around Rs.5000 per month. Simhachalam has shaped himself as a role model for other children with his persistence, hard work and firm determination.

Change is inenvitable . . .
. . . Depends on Determination
Lakshmi* is infact a live example to prove that hard work and firm determination will definitely yield results. Mother of four children and deserted by her husband, lakshmi used to survive working as a domestic servant in nearby two-three houses. None of her children were enrolled in schools nor she was able to give required attention to the children as a result of work. Survival was indeed becoming difficult for her day-by-day. We remember it was difficult to convince her to join SHG on account of her busy schedule working for households. Having joined the SHG, it is to be appreciated that lakshmi was meticulous and prompt in terms of attending SHG and following the principles and norms. Added to it was her keen interest to ensure a better life for her kids. All these changed her situation in a span of four years to the extent that all her children are in schools today. Having learnt tailoring, she stopped working as maid servant and started her own tailoring centre. Her earnings are above Rs.3000 per month. She is at home and also able to give time to her children. Ofcourse, her previous contacts have helped her in getting the initial business. All these could be possible with the Income Generating Programmes support given by HCHW. Meanwhile, she could avail a number of schemes of the Government. Today, she has her own house with all basic amenities including gas connection under Deepam Scheme. The most wonder twist in her life that happened four months back was the return of her husband. Today, she is happy with her family and business. Her husband is also seriously learning the trade having plan that both of them will together run the business and make a dignified livelihood.

*Name is changed to respect confidentiality

Back to Mother’s Lap
JUTTOO, a two and half year old tiny toddler was referred to HCHW through the local police station; the child was kept in Second Home under observation. Soon, it was found that the child neither has developed speech, eating habits nor toilet training. With lot of difficulty one could pick-up the word ‘Bombay’ from shattered murmurs of the child.

Understanding that the child may be a missing one, his photograph was published in the local newspaper and later flashed on the television. However, there was no response. The child was then referred to Juvenile Justice Board of Bombay where he was kept for three consecutive months and efforts were made to find the parents of Juttoo. Failed in their efforts, the board had decided to refer the child back to HCHW.

It was already six months by now, the parents of Juttoo approached the police station to lodge a complaint about missing of Juttoo. Coincidentally, at the same time, they found another person who had come to lodge a complaint about his missing daughter. Listening to the narration of Juttoo’s parents the person recognized and confirmed that Juttoo has been referred to the same police station by himself after keeping the child with him for about one month. Going through the records, the police officials referred the parents to HCHW.

When the child was brought before the parents, there was neither action nor reaction from either of them. There was utter silence for a moment. It was only after the mother approached the child and kept her hand over his head, Juttoo hugged his mother tightly and broke into tears.