Coming together as collectives and running micro enterprises help rural women not only earn more and provide better for their family but also become more confident decision makers.
A single empowered woman can change her destiny, but a collective of women can transform a community. All they need is just a helping hand, as I have observed.
Women in rural Uttar Pradesh – like in many other parts of the country – do not have a voice in social decision-making processes. A corporate social responsibility (CSR) project of one of India’s leading banks is changing that.
HDFC’s People’s Action for National Integration (PANI) programme has started the Holistic Rural Development Program (HRDP) to empower rural communities, especially women.
The programme, which forms women’s collectives and sets up micro enterprises for individuals and for groups of women, has helped 3,395 poorest families in 15 villages of Amaniganj block in the Ayodhya district.
Running successful businesses gives these women the confidence to be a part of decision making in their family and communities.
The HRDP established 149 women’s self-help groups (SHGs) with the active participation of 2,941 women across 15 villages.
In the initial days of the programme, the villagers did not accept the support from the team, seeing them as outsiders. But over a period of time, the women overcame their hesitation.
The PANI cluster coordinator and village resource persons help these SHGs in organising regular monthly meetings. The meetings become a forum for member women to identify, discuss and discuss about their own and their village’s development.
Becoming micro-entrepreneurs was not just about money for these women.
After discussions, ideas for women-led micro enterprises were identified. The focus was on interventions that would lead to women’s empowerment, community development and financial inclusion.
The HRDP team provided support through training, financial linkages and enterprise inputs.
Based on the discussions during the SHG meetings, different micro enterprises were introduced. Financial and material support were provided to the entrepreneurs to set up and run the businesses.
For small landholders and landless women, a 3-tier structure was adopted, so that available space could be put to maximum use. Each tier is used for different form of income generation – from farming fish to poultry and goats.
In five such structures, 15 women earn money by rearing goats, hens and fish.
Another popular income generation activity adopted by the women’s collectives was backyard poultry. With the cages, chicks and chicken feed they received, 45 women micro entrepreneurs are developing their poultry units into a good business.
Three women can join together and run a group poultry unit. Currently 90 women micro entrepreneurs run group poultry units, helping them contribute to their family income.
Though a few women already had vending cart business, they faced mobility issues, especially connectivity to local markets. Seventy-five women micro entrepreneurs received support to set up and reach local markets, which has helped them improve their existing enterprises.
Though vegetable farming is also a common income generation activity, yield and income remained low due to poor quality seed and absence of market linkages. Seventy-five women farmers were supported with high yield vegetable seeds to improve productivity.
The women usually had sold their produce to an intermediary without appropriate weighing. To ensure fair returns on their produce, weighing machines and crates were also provided to these farmers.
We found that becoming micro-entrepreneurs was not just about money for these women.
It helps them add to the family’s incomes. This in turn helps them provide better education for their children, access health services and generally improve their quality of life.
Being a part of a collective and being micro entrepreneurs increase the women’s confidence and they actively participate in decision-making at home and also in their communities.
They want to learn more ways to enhance their businesses and income.
They say that they are happier and healthier than before.
The lead image shows a woman rearing goats, one of the micro enterprises supported by the PANI HRDP project (Photo by Jaiti Singh)
Jaiti Singh holds an MBA in HR & marketing. She is the MIS coordinator for the PANI HRDP intervention.
