I
was born in a poor family of five sisters
and two younger brothers. My mother was a
maid servant and father a rickishawpuller,
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, word 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
and write urdu.
At
the age of 15, I got married and by 17, I
was a mother of two kids. 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 louse. 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 the 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.
In
the process, I got 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 realized 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 his 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 if further. In making so, HCHW helped
me a lot in preparing the proposal understanding
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 offices would ask money
for every small thing and I was quire 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-9ordinate 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 as value 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 mechanism
wherever and whenever necessary. Today, I
have reached the stage where I can dream and
be sure of them being realized soon…
Proudly says Malan with a smile on her face. |
EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN
