By Abdul Mannan Chachar
Ms. Erum Khatoon, 24, lives in village Garhi Baqa Magsi of Union Council Dhaamrah, District Larkana. Five years ago, she got married to her cousin, Sarfraz Magsi. Her husband is a matriculate, but unemployed. He works as a laborer in fields. From the agricultural labor, he manages the financial needs of the whole family. According to Ms. Erum, her family perpetually suffers from financial constraints, due to limited and unstable livelihood means. The financial crunch affects all aspects of their lives, including access to health and education.
Ms. Erum says that the SRSO field team reached the village in the month of May, 2016. They organized a massive community dialogue, where the team members conveyed the social mobilization messages, urging the locals to unite and form their own organisation. The locals were offered a to enter into a partnership under the European Union funded SUCCESS Programme.
After a few days, the village women decided to form their own institution. In June 2016, the first community organization (CO), named Soonh, was formed by the women of Garhi Baqa Magsi. Erum Khatoon also joined the CO. Despite unfavorable domestic conditions, Ms. Erum regularly attends the routine meetings and saves a small affordable amount with the CO.
In September 2016, Erum suddenly fell ill. Her hands and feet swelled and she experienced severe pain. She was not able to attend the CO meetings for some weeks. Her absence was noticed by the CO office bearers. The President and Manager of the CO, along with some other members, visited Erum’s house to inquire about her health. They saw that her condition was deteriorating, and asked Erum to visit a specialist doctor. She told them that her financial condition did not allow her to visit a doctor for treatment. The CO members decided to help her. A meeting was convened to discuss the issue at hand. With consensus, the CO members decided to lend Rs.8,000 to Erum for her treatment.
Erum’s husband, Sarfraz Magsi, took her to a hospital at Larkana. After treatment by a renowned physician, Erum’s condition started improving . Within few weeks she had completely recovered from ailment.
“I was completely hopeless because there was no way we could get the amount needed for my treatment”, recounts Erum. “We were thinking about selling whatever jewelry I had received as dowry from my parents to arrange the money”.
Luckily, the savings made by the CO came handy, and Erum was able to get the medical attention she badly needed. Not only was her life saved by the collective action of the village women, she is also more hopeful and confident about the future now.
“My belief in the usefulness of the community organisation has grown stronger with the passage of time”, says Erum. “I would encourage all the women to actively participate in the CO and save money, because the money can help anyone of us in the future”, she adds.