Hope Floats in Udaipur
Delightful, kind and sharp Ranjana Trivedi is a postgraduate with additional qualification
as teacher. She has been a foot soldier in change worth noticing in Salumber, Udaipur. Her winning smile and exceptional determination to change things has created a social capital worth taking note in Salumber. As things were pretty dismal in Baroda village, until a new opportunity knocked on the doors with Switch Asia project.
There are no schools or job opportunities for
a person like her in Salumber. She was extremely
happy to find out about EU supported Switch Asia Going Green project implemented by Vishvas Sansthan in this remote arid village. Vishvas Sansthan was focusing livelihoods for women. Creating opportunities where there were none. As most
of the women are on their own here and as husbands have moved out of town in
search of regular work it is dominantly women tilling the soil as marginal farmers or
landless farmers. That too due to harsh conditions one hardly gets work round
the year. The best case scenario provided them 100 days of paid work.
Ranjana joined the project
as a volunteer. She went from house to house sharing information and the opportunity of a sustainable livelihood offered by correct skilling and collectivizing. Slowly the women came out of their shell and started joining the meetings. For the first time they experienced a space where they could share their problems and collectively think through to work together for building green enterprises.
Their journey started with formation of Self Help Groups or SHGs to do small savings on monthly basis. This small saving opens an opportunity of hope for the first time in the lives of 1600 women here. It provides them not only access to a collective bank account for the first time but it also gives them a chance to break through the age old shackles of indebtedness. They hold regular monthly meetings and help each other with small loans from the group to buy livestock, sewing machines and meet other small entrepreneurial needs. The groups are also getting trained in making stitched garments which sell in the local markets.
The women went from strength to strength in coming together, learning new skills and building a vision for tomorrow. Up-cycled textile waste products
from Udaipur cluster were showcase at Brussels in the recently concluded
European Development Days. It was dedicated to the Small and Medium sized Enterprises
associated with the Switch-Asia programme to promote their sustainable products
and services as tangible project outcome.
They have gained access to finance, credit & savings, voice share at homes and communities, travelled out of their homes for the first time setting a stellar example for young girls and youth at large with their resilience and hard work.
Today the field implementation organization gives her a stipend of Rs. 4000 per month. Ranjana's smiling self is always excited by the project’s goals to empower women and provide sustainable green livelihood options. Like the wise say, with hope and dedication dreams bear wings.
Their journey started with formation of Self Help Groups or SHGs to do small savings on monthly basis. This small saving opens an opportunity of hope for the first time in the lives of 1600 women here. It provides them not only access to a collective bank account for the first time but it also gives them a chance to break through the age old shackles of indebtedness. They hold regular monthly meetings and help each other with small loans from the group to buy livestock, sewing machines and meet other small entrepreneurial needs. The groups are also getting trained in making stitched garments which sell in the local markets.
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| Team Going Green at Baroda, Salumber |
The products were very well
appreciated and we received very encouraging feedback. 1600 women are changing
their lives with this new skill and sustainable mode of livelihood, as well as
reducing the burden on the landfills.
They have gained access to finance, credit & savings, voice share at homes and communities, travelled out of their homes for the first time setting a stellar example for young girls and youth at large with their resilience and hard work.
Today the field implementation organization gives her a stipend of Rs. 4000 per month. Ranjana's smiling self is always excited by the project’s goals to empower women and provide sustainable green livelihood options. Like the wise say, with hope and dedication dreams bear wings.
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