SOCIETY

Tribal women join hands in Jharkhand

     Gurma (Raipur): Walking the path treaded by Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus and Grammen Bank, the tribal women from Gurma Village in Jharkhand's Gumla District have formed a women group to face life's challenges together. These women, most of them victims of domestic violence or drunkard husbands, have pooled their resources together to form Shivani Mahila Mandal (the women group) to transform their lifestyle through collective wisdom. The group has given these tribal women a platform where they stand for each other in the thick and thin of life. Initially, these women by adding their meagre savings had started a bamboo basket weaving vocation. The members, who are generally addressed as "Didi", do farming, weave baskets, market their products and ensure that they manage to deposit at least rupees 10 each week in a common circulatory fund. Whenever the collected amount is high, it is given to the most needy member of the group at that point of time. There is no interest charge on the lent/borrowed money.

     "We are doing farming, we are marketing our goods. Due to this Mahila Mandal our daily needs are being met. Every week, we deposit rupees 10 to the organisation as our group's saving. Now, we can support our children's education," said Phulan Devi, Secretary, Mahila Mandal, Gurma. Though 20 out of the total 22 Districts of Jharkhand are covered under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) including Gumla district, but the government's initiatives failed to reach these women. Nevertheless, in tune with the proverb of strength lies in unity, the Didis of Mahila Mandal found a solution to their miseries. "Their man was wastrel and inactive. Hence, they organised themselves and now they are in a much better position. These women make wooden baskets and sell them in local markets. After meeting their expense they can save rupees 10 to 20. "Every member of the Mandal deposits rupees 10 to the corpus fund. Adding the savings of at least 15-20 women members, they can easily have a sum of rupees 200 in a week. Using this fund they are planning to expand their business," said Jatru Manfi, Accountant, Shivani Mahila Mandal. In 2006, the Nobel Committee awarded Grameen Bank and founder Muhammad Yunus the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize, "for their efforts to create economic and social development from below.
-Jan 30, 2007    

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