SOCIETY\
Transforming lives
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Women’s self-help groups in Dakshina Kannada are helping people take charge of their own lives. RAGAMALIKA KARTHIKEYAN ASHIMA SHENOY
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Photo: Ashima Shenoy
Initiating change: A meeting of the Sreechakra group.
THE year was 2000. The location, a hut in Badagabettu Panchayat, Udupi district, Karnataka. The scene: Anil Kumar, 38, a mason, staggers in one evening and every evening thereafter. He thrashes his helpless wife as his three children cower.
Today, seven years later, Anil Kumar is unemployed. He is in no shape to take on strenuous manual labour. But he no longer drinks. He makes himself useful around the house. His hut is now a modest home that boasts of a cot and a few basic necessities.
The transformation in Anil Kumar’s life happened eight months ago, thanks to a women’s self-help group (SHG).
Shreechakra, started by the Dharmadhikari of Dharmastala, Veerendra Heggade, along with the other 2,600-odd SHGs, has transformed quite a few lives in the Dakshina Kannada region.
Turning point
It was a rehabilitation camp, organised by the 46 Dharmastala groups in the region, that Anil Kumar attended which changed the course of his life. “I attended a 10-day rehabilitation camp in Perudoor. It has changed my life and I have stopped drinking altogether. Now, I advise my friends to do the same,” says Anil Kumar.
The Karyakarthe (supervisor) of these groups, Kushala, says, “There are three types of SHGs in this area, on the basis of who funds them. There is the Sthree Shakti, funded by the government, the Navodaya Swa-sahaya, funded by M.N. Rajendra Kumar of DCC bank, and the groups funded by Veerendra Heggade.”
The total number of SHGs in this region has increased tremendously. According to a 2004-05 report, published by the District Statistical Department, there were 2,200 SHGs in Udupi district, with a total of 30,998 members. As of October 2006, the numbers have increased to 2,619 SHGs, with a total 39,208 members, according to a study conducted by the Department of Women and Child Development, Udupi District.
Heightened awareness
The changes these groups have ushered in are remarkable. “These groups have gone a long way in empowering its members. Rural women, who are part of these nine to 12 member groups, have become more aware of their social, cultural, political and economic rights; for example, right to property, awareness of a woman’s right in case of divorce, awareness about contesting for Panchayat elections. They are now able to make decisions on their own,” says Krishna Kothai, Director of the Centre for Rural Studies, Manipal.
Janaki Janardhan, 41, who runs a small-scale business of packaging and selling pickles, feels that being a part of a self-help group has helped her grow stronger as a person. “I’m the president of Shreechakra group, run by Veerendra Heggade. There are 11 other members in this group and we meet once a week and discuss some current issue which affects us,” she says. The members of this group are from various walks of life, like teaching, business, home-making.
Opening up possibilities
Self-help groups also help people rise above the poverty line by granting them loans for various reasons. “I took a loan recently to re-acquire mortgaged jewellery,” says Sandhya, 54, a housewife, and a member of Shreechakra. Amba Shetty, 58, a retired school teacher, who is also a member, took a loan of Rs. 16, 000 recently for repairing her house.
“I want to be able to provide good education for my three children. This is the main reason why I joined Shreechakra,” says Sarojini, 33, who runs a small shop selling eats in Manipal.
The Dharmastala SHGs have arranged 144 rehabilitation camps and awareness camps in the past two years, which deal with issues like HIV, malaria, cancer, and tuberculosis. The camps help in educating the women about these issues. “I didn’t know anything about TB till I attended the camp last year. Now I know how it is caused, what are the symptoms, how to prevent it, and what kind of treatment is given for TB,” says Chandrika Jayaprakash, the Secretary of Shreechakra.
The Dharmastala groups have also conducted free tailoring classes and literacy campaigns for members. And as Krishna Kothai says, “If a woman is educated, the whole family is educated.”
Anil Kumar’s life changed because of the timely intervention of the SHG members who also ensure that he does not go back to his wayward ways. “We make surprise visits to their homes, once a month, to check on their condition,” says Chandrika Jayaprakash.
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