Author : Reema Nanavaty
Date added : 1999-12-01

Brief Project Background

Rural, poor, self employed women leaders of SEWA invested in telephones with capital out of their own Savings! The women feel that having a telephone of their own can strengthen their micro enterprise efforts.

Results

Self Employed Women’s Association organises rural, poor, self employed women in Gujarat. This is a story of ‘Puriben Vaghabhai Aahir – a leader from the remote village of Vauva, in Santalpur taluka of Patan district. Puriben is an artisan who supports her family by using her traditional skills in patchwork. In this dry, desert area, craftwork is the only source of income and livelihood for thousands of artisans. In absence of craftwork, the artisans and their families are forced to migrate, leaving behind their cattle, to sustain their families survival. This is a common feature that has only been checked recently by using this traditional skill, harnessing craftwork for economic gains. SEWA and its members realised that these families could be stabilised in many ways if such skills were utilized. Puriben Vaghabhai Aahir, is an Executive Committee member and leader, representing around 3000 artisans who have organised and run their own local organisation, a collective enterprise called Banaskantha
DWCRA Mahila SEWA Association (BDMSA).


Puriben, comes from village Vauva, a village at the tail end of the regional water pipeline, on the fringe of the desert. The village has a population of 4000. Puriben has been a SEWA member for the last 10 years. Having organised, today their village has a craft micro enterprise. Through this craft group, more than 300 women now have sustained work and income. The group prepares its production plan and undertakes production. The Banaskantha DWCRA Mahila SEWA Association, facilitates in marketing. As a result, the members now have an assured income upto Rs. 1000/- per month. They also have three savings and credit groups, where members save Rs. 10/- per month.

SEWA facilitates in strengthening their microenterprises by linking them up with government schemes and other institutions and providing the needed inputs such as product development, quality control, and capacity building.


Before joining SEWA, at the age of 18, Puriben had left her village to venture to the nearby town only once. This trip was taken when she was married, at the age of 18. When she got married, she had to get her customary ivory bangles fitted in that town.


Now, she has travelled not only to the town almost every week, but to Delhi, Bombay and even to Australia – to make a presentation, at the International Permaculture Conference. Puriben spoke with confidence at the Plenary session of the conference, in front of 700 delegates, on water harvesting and watershed development activities initiated by her village.


Puriben herself is illiterate, but has educated all three of her sons. If adult education classes are opened, she wants to enroll herself and her husband too.


Dressed in her traditional, rural style, she is still strong and sharp – her eyes always glittering and powerful – showing her strength. Puriben has strong business accumen. She decided to hold back on this years harvest of castor seeds and sell it in the market just before monsoon, to get a better price!


"I also decided to get a telephone of my own from my savings. Earlier I used my savings to buy gold ornaments. This year I decided to get a telephone. Why not? I have direct and faster communication with the BDMSA office, my group members in some of the other villages, and Banascraft shop in Ahmedabad. I can also call up Reemaben on my own. This will help us manage our enterprise more effectively." How?


"Recently, the craft spearhead team met in far off Patanka village, to deposit the finished work after a thorough inspection. If each member of the team, hired a separate vehicle, to reach Patanka, it would cost Rs. 100/- per person. Using the telephone, I called the members of the neighbouring villages. We all decided to assemble at one common point and then hired one
common vehicle! This saved time and money also."


Earlier, when I had to attend meetings, my entire day would be wasted in waiting for the bus, which is delayed or at times cancelled. After waiting for hours, then I would walk to the nearby village and hire a vehicle. I would then be late for the meeting. By the time I reached, having spent so much time and energy and with such hardship, the meeting was over. I used to regret and feel like weeping. I missed an opportunity to participate and learn.

Now, I call the office first. Confirm the meeting and time. Then I call the State Transport Corporation office and confirm the bus timing. If the bus is late or cancelled I make an alternative arrangement and reach on time.

Now I also assure the timely procurement of raw materials, semi processing, and also coordinate orders and production by keeping in direct touch with the suppliers and our own outlet "Banascraft" in Ahmedabad. I also monitor the sales! Daily and monthly."


How can Puriben dial phone numbers, and that too in english numerical numbers if she is illiterate?!

"I am illiterate but have arithmetic skills. I keep full accounts of the group. I have mastered the sequential order of the numbers on the phone and that is how I dial. I remember the number – 2nd digit in 1st row, 3rd digit in 3rd row…."


While we as a development agency strive to relate to this upcoming and unavoidable information revolution, Puriben has made a choice that she must participate in it. Excluded from the economic, social and cultural mainstream into a far off desert village of Banaskantha, she found her own way of joining the mainstream.

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