The Hindu : Other States / Orissa News : SHG women script a success story in flood-prone area

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jun 14, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Other States

Other States - Orissa

SHG women script a success story in flood-prone area

Satyasundar Barik

Puri: Floods often come and leave behind a trail of devastation. But some villagers in Kanas Block of Orissa’s Puri district have scripted altogether a different story .

For 24-year-old Jamini Parida of Guadia village, floods no more ring the alarm . She is now in a hurry preparing her to help out people in distress as well as do the brisk business during coming floods of the season. Jamini is a member of Self Help Group (SHG) comprising 20 women of Guadia village that manufactures low-cost sanitary napkins . The napkins are in great demand during the time of floods.

The womenfolk stumbled upon the novel idea after having gone through years of gynaecological disorders due to unavailability of hygienic napkins during floods. In 2007 when they started with a capital of Rs.3,000 for manufacturing napkins, they were apprehensive of their success. But now they have a cash reserve of Rs. 10,000.

But what could be termed as a spectacular success is that they are now sitting on a bulk order to stitch 10,000 pieces of such sanitary napkins which will be exported to flood-hit zones in Bihar and Assam states. Besides, these women are in the process of transforming this seasonal profession into a fulltime one. “I am happy that many needy women are able to earn through the venture,” Jamini says. Take the case of 30 other villagers including 15 women who were trained on repairing and maintaining of tube wells a couple of years ago. Tube wells, a vital source of drinking water during floods, often go defunct. They learnt the art and mastered it. Now, it gives them an additional source of income.

However, the momentous occasion came in their lives when the State government required their skills and services. Orissa State Disaster Mitigation Authority (OSDMA) hired 10 of these villagers and pressed them into service in Bhadrak and Balasore district, who were severely hit by back-to-back floods in 2007. Similarly, another woman SHG forayed into manufacturing of portable toilets.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Other States