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 Karma
Treasurer, Bhagirathi Swayam Sahayata Samooh, President, Shakti Mahila Gram Sangathan; Semara Village
Our Gram Sangathan has set up a grain bank so
that no woman or her children goes hungry in the
village. Shiv Kumari, a member, has five small children,
her husband has died. We all get together and give her
grain ever month so that her children don’t go hungry.
We also have a cloth bank – quilts and blankets. These
are used by women in the need in the winter, during
weddings and celebrations. From a samooh, we made a Gram
Sangathan and then a Block Sangathan. Before that we had
so many problems. We could not educate our children, we
didn’t have anything to eat. Now we can do everything
ourselves. |
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 Jannat-unnisa
Ali Swayam Sahayata Samooh, member, Village
Parsadepur
I have got a lot of help from the samooh. My husband
had borrowed Rs 3,000 at 10 percent interest from the
thakur to buy a horse for the ikka gadi. We couldn't
return it - the thakur got after us. We went into hiding
for months. Then we decided that we will sell the horse
and pay back the money. But we could only get Rs 2,000
and that was not enough. The thakur began to trouble us
again. Then I joined the samooh, the sisters advised me
that I should take a loan and return the amount due to
the thakur. I did that, my husband used to ply an ikka
on hire, we returned the money through that. Then the
sisters told me that I should borrow Rs 10,000 and buy a
horse and ikka of our own. If I was earning Rs 50 on a
hired ikka, I would be able to earn Rs 100 on my own
one. I was scared, I felt that we couldn't return the
money then my house would be sold. But the sisters told
me that I could return the loan in instalments when I
could. So I took the loan - today I have returned the
loan and we have a good source of income. |
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 Laxmi
Sahu
Laxmi Swayam Seva Samooh, Koshadhyaksh; Bharti
Mahila Gram Sangatha, Koshadhyaksh; Shakti Mahila Block
Sangathan, member, Village Bhadurpur
The poor women in our village had nothing to eat and
had to beg. Many people would not give them food, and
others who gave it treated them like slaves. They would
force the women to work in the fields or in the house.
So we decided that we would collect grain ourselves so
that our poor sisters would not have to suffer. We have
now collected 2 to 2.5 quintal of grain. In every
meeting, each woman brings about one-fourth or half kilo
of grain - rice, dhan, wheat - and this is collected. If
some member cannot contribute, it does not matter.
Two women have taken 10 kg each of rice, and when
they return it they will return 11 kg each. Before we
collected grain, they would have to beg. People would
talk that so and so woman has taken grain from us and is
not returning it. Now they can take the grain any time
and return it when they can. This is their right, their
own. |
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 Kalavati
Member, Saraswati Swayam Sahayata Samooh, Village
Kalyanpur
We borrowed Rs 5,000 at 5 percent interest from
the sahukar because of my husband's illness. When we
couldn't pay back, the shaukar forced my husband into
bonded labour. I got Rs 10,000 from the samooh to pay
the interest and capital, and get my husband released. |
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 Janak
Lalli
Member, Ram Janki Swayam Sahayta Samooh, Village
Gulal Pandey ka Purva
I and my two sisters lost our mother at a young
age. Though our father did not remarry, he lost heart
and just could not continue with farming and looking
after the fields. Since ours was a Brahmin family, he
sometimes officiated as a priest at the villagers’ homes
and earned small amounts. But over time all our fields
were mortgaged and often there was nothing to eat at
home. The situation became desperate.
Just then, I met a Field Officer from RGMVP who
explained the concept of SHGs and encouraged me to start
a group. Being Brahim girls, we were not allowed to go
out of the house, neither were we allowed to go out into
the village to work. But I spoke to the father and told
him that we needed to do something, otherwise our
situation would get even worse. He did not agree but
neither did he refuse. He realised that I was speaking
the truth. So I formed a SHG of 14 women. Soon the SHG
was saving enough to meet our needs. With a loan from the
samooh, a planted crops on a part of our mortgaged field
and looked after the crop myself. I sold the 12-14
quintal of wheat, returned the loan and interest amount
to the samooh and gave the rest of the money to my
father. My father’s eyes filled with tears but his faith
in the samooh grew strong just as mine did. Over time,
by taking loans from the SHG, I managed to get all the
family’s mortgaged fields released. My father was so
happy. He even helped us till the land. I became so
confident that I would deal with the sahookar myself.
Today I am the President of the village CLA and women
come to me to ask how to set up samoohs and run them. I
am proud to help them because I know that joining the
samooh will change their lives just as it did mine. |
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