Abdul Manan Chachar
Darya Khatoon lives with her seven family members in village Umeed Ali, of Union Council Jamali, District Qamber-Shahdadkot. She has been running a small grocery shop inside her home to manage the financial needs of the entire family. Her husband is an unskilled laborer, who occasionally works in the local market, which is 20 km away from their village. Besides this, her husband used to support her while bringing grocery items from the local market. Despite of all the hard work, the household’s financial needs were only partially being fulfilled, because of prevailing chronic poverty.
Darya Khatoon says that earlier last year a team from the Sindh Rural Support Organisation (SRSO) visited their village and arranged a massive event, gathering women and men from almost all households residing in the village. During the meeting, the SRSO team members shared information about the benefits of collective work and joint efforts for overcoming everyday and longstanding challenges. She says that the village women and men were also informed about the organisation’s work in other areas, and how the lives of the poor had been changed.
She remembers that they also mentioned something about a European Union funded programme called SUCCESS, aiming to reduce poverty, by addressing its causes at the household level.
“They also offered us a partnership and informed us about the roles and responsibilities of both parties, i.e. the village inhabitants and SRSO”, Darya remembers.
“We, the women, took our time and requested them to allow us some time to think well before entering into the partnership with SRSO.”
“After detailed discussions, we, the women, decided to accept the partnership offer made by the SRSO team. We agreed to do away with the traditions that kept us backward. Seeing our enthusiastic response, the SRSO team came again and repeated the same message, to create more awareness and clarity. Then, they facilitated us in forming a Community Organisation. We chose our leaders and resolved to stay united and work together to address the issues that our plagued our lives.”
Ms. Darya Khatoon inside her shop
“For the first time ever in my life, i had become a member of an organised community institution. I learned about the benefits of working together, saving money and launching self-help initiatives”, Darya Khatoon continues sharing her story, with brightness in her eyes, and a smile on her face.
“The SRSO team urged us to regularly conduct meetings and also emphasize each CO member to start saving as per their capacity at the household level. After formation of CO, we have been regularly conducting meetings twice a month, discussing internal issues and saving at least 50 Rupees by each member.”
“When my husband suddenly fell ill, I had little resources to pay for the treatment. Whatever little money we had was consumed within a few days. My shop also closed because I could not purchase groceries. Our financial conditions of my family were deteriorating and had no any alternative income source to meet my household’s needs.”
“During those days the other CO members were developing their Micro Investment Plans (MIPs), as they called them. These were small plans to assess their resources and abilities in order to initiate some kind of a feasible livelihood earning activity,” says Khatoon.
“Like other CO members, I also thought of different ideas and decided to invest in my small grocery shop and open it for business again. The idea was good, but there was no money. I decided to share my family’s ordeals with the CO members. They listened to my situation. I told them that my economic condition had deteriorated. The members asked me how they can be of any help. I told them about the reopening of my grocery shop, with some financial help coming from the CO. I told them with Rs. 7000 my grocery shop can become functional again.
The CO members discussed my plan in detail. Our collective saving was Rs. 5,000 at that time.
The CO’s Manager suggested that the entire saving can be loaned to me, to start the shop on priority basis. The Manager’s suggestion was praised and accepted by the members. They decided to give me the 5,000 rupees. ”
Dary Khatoon’s dream of reopening her shop became true. That too at a critical juncture when her family was in dire need of finances.
She immediately went to the market and purchased the necessary items. Her shop was up and running again. Her sales increased gradually.
Now, she is able to earn up to Rs. 150-200 in profit from the daily sales. She is already working on returning the loan slowly and gradually.
“Earlier I was not in a position to go to the market independently to buy the required items. I was dependent on my husband”, said Darya. After the CO formation and the more visible role of the women in the village, her confidence has increased. She feels more empowered.
“My husband’s sudden illness had drained our resources. We thought that recovery was not possible. This changed because the village women decided to come together, save and share with each other”, says Darya Khatoon.
Her entrepreneurial spirit has rekindled, thanks to the timely and generous support by the CO. She has hope and the willingness to continue earning for her family.