Red sarees – a symbol of empowerment in remote Rawa village
Rawa is a remote village situated in the difficult terrains of Girwa Tehsil. Most men in the village are daily wage labourers. With barely any livestock and agricultural land there is an acute dearth of the means of livelihood int he village. The men would get the day jobs intermittently with no steady of income. In case of emergencies, loans at high interest rates were provided by local moneylenders.
Three months ago 3 CRPs (Community Resource Persons) from Dholpur district approached women in the village to join the Khushi SHG and inspired them to start saving and investing for the future. Initially the men were skeptical and discouraged their wives from becoming members. The women however, resisted criticism, joined the SHG and managed to meet regularly.
Their determination to save bore fruit as today they have managed to successfully save and earn interest. Being associated with SHG has been a transformation for the women. Besides saving, they are also socialising and discussing issues at a common platform. Most of the money saved was used to give loans to the members which they use for a variety of purposes such as children’s education, health emergencies, wedding expenditure etc. Now they don’t need to depend on money lenders anymore.
The women say that they want to run the SHG till each and every one of them defeats poverty. They feel empowered by the group, and capable of fighting the norms of society that hold them back. To mark this transformation and as a token of solidarity the women purchased Red Saris – a symbol of individuality and sense of pride. “this group helped us regain our confidence, build our self-esteem, and instilled hope that no adverse situation can ever hold us back anymore. We will continue to move forward, one step at a time”. they say proudly. The group is a beacon of hope and progress in the remote village of Rawa fuelled by the courage and determination of the members of Khushi.
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