VOCATIONAL TRAINING FOR 1,00,000 WOMEN

To equip economically vulnerable women with the skills and means to set up cottage industries, more than 6,000 self groups for women across India and 1,000 groups in the nearby Andaman Islands have been established.

MICROCREDIT LOANS GET THEM STARTED

So far, Mata Amritanandamayi Math has helped 3,500 of these groups receive micro-credit loans — benefiting more than 60,000 families.

LIFE & ACCIDENT INSURANCE TO PROTECT THEIR FAMILY’S FUTURE

Every member of the self help groups has been enrolled in a plan with the Life Insurance Corporation of India. As part of the agreement, the insurance company also provides scholarships to 15% of the policyholder’s children. Each year, these scholarships will rotate, so every family can benefit.

AMMACHI LABS WOMEN EMPOWERMENT PROGRAM

The WE Project was funded jointly by the United Nations Democracy Fund (UNDEF) and Amrita University. During an 18-month period (2012-2014),the WE Project offered computerized Vocational Education and Training(cVET) and Life Enrichment Education (LEE), to women with low levels of literacy living in remote and impoverished communities, reached 3,136 women in the Indian states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu plus over 900 in other states totaling over 4000 women. Read More

In 2004, a giant wave lashed against the shores of the Indian Ocean, unleashing damage of a phenomenal magnitude. Countless lives were lost, many were permanently injured, families were separated, homes were demolished and livelihoods perished. The coast reeked of destruction. The tsunami brought life to a standstill in the fishing villages of Kollam and Alappuzha.

The sorrows, hardships and emancipation of Sunithi, Anitha and Mini, three simple women left to face the twists and turns of a difficult life, resonate. Sunithi had no home until she met Amma. Anitha was a young widow, and Mini lost a supportive husband and was thrown into the midst of huge financial crisis.
The story does not end there. These women are not alone in that their sentiments, tribulations and trials echo in the lives of thousands of women across rural India, for this journey is not singular.

Elsewhere, in Maharashtra, in the five months since the state government announced the Rs. 34,000-crore farm-loan-waiver scheme, nearly 1,020 farmers committed suicide unable to bear the burden of debt, as reported by the media.

During Amma’s travels all over India, thousands of women come to Amma. Among them are the widows of farmers who have committed suicide. Caught in the vicious cycle of escalating loans taken for greater and greater amounts of fertilisers and pesticides needed each year, these men left their women and children with no way to survive.

Deeply affected by the plight of these women, men, children — complete families caught in the throes of natural disasters, poverty, illiteracy and disease — Amma threw herself into their midst to protect and sustain the families, giving them emotional support, financial independence and a respectable place in society.

It was against the backdrop of these hardships, the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami and the spate of farmer suicides, that Amma began the Amrita SREE Self-Help Group programme in early 2005.

Today, the AmritaSREE SHG program is active across the length and breadth of India and has brought about spectacular transformations in the lives of innumerable women and, through them, their families as well. Entire rural communities now benefit from the additional income of the women participating in AmritaSREE and the financial stability that the program makes possible.

Moreover, it is a well-researched fact that women are more likely than men to spend their income on household and family needs. Women’s additional income benefits the whole family: Children are better nourished, go to school, and receive better healthcare

The coming together of a number of SHGs in the immediate neighbourhood leads to what is called a cluster with about 25 to 100 SHGs that have decided to pool their economic resources together and form one single unit.

The objective of forming these clusters is to be independent of bank loans. If a loan is taken by an SHG or an individual member, the loan will be taken only from the cluster’s resources, and not from a bank. In this way, the interest will go to the cluster and not the bank.

During monthly cluster meetings, applications for loans are discussed. Priority will be given to those most in need. There are many categories of need:

The Mata Amritanandamayi Math devises a vast array of vocational training programs that are given on a rotational basis to each SHG. More than 54 different kinds of training programs have been given so far. During the early stages, the ashram received a warranty, a guarantee, from the banks.

“We gave a letter to the banks saying the SHGs were part of the Ashram, and based on that strength, the banks gave loans to the groups. We have a system of grading the SHGs, depending upon the regularity of meetings and attendance of women, as well as the transparency of the meeting minutes and the accounts. A training in rigorous record keeping and administration, as well as various vocational training, prepared them for different job ventures such as tailoring shops, soap-making and garment shops.”
– Kalesh, Coordinator, AmritaSREE, Alappuzha.

With the formation and strengthening of the clusters, dependences on banks have become almost nil, with the clusters themselves lending money to individual members at nominal interest and ensuring that there are no defaulters.

With the collaboration of international agencies like UNDEF (United Nations Democracy Fund), ILO (International Labor Organization) and in association with MSME (Ministry of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises), various training have been given.

“Amrita SREE gave me a home, lent me money for the marriage of my daughter and now, I am taking another loan for my daughter’s delivery.” — Sunithi

“Owning a home is the dream of every Kerala woman, for this means that nobody can tell her to move out. She is a homemaker. To be a homemaker, she needs a home.”
— Beenamma, AmritaSREE Nirkunnam cluster coordinator

“When Sunithi applied for the loan of two lakh (Rs 200,000), we thoroughly investigated her home situation and found that her needs were genuine”, Beena recalls. Within a short time, Sunithi and her husband had the four lakh they needed to build their home — two lakh from the panchayat and two lakh from Amrita SREE.

“She would have had to borrow from loan sharks at a high interest otherwise,” Beena explains. “You’re permanently indebted to them.You end up paying 10 to 12 times the amount loaned.”

Sunithi found a job peeling shrimp, and in four years had finished paying off the two lakh loan. Many years later, Sunithi took out yet another loan, this time for her daughter’s wedding. Because of this loan, she was able to give her daughter 23 sovereigns of gold. For an Indian woman, gold is considered the greatest security, for it can always be pawned. Gold is also given for a new baby. It is considered an essential collateral, and moneylenders flourish around these occasions.

“There is so much pride in the knowledge that they have saved and can take care of themselves. Nobody fails to repay their loan.”
—Beenamma, cluster coordinator.

Anitha was a widow with a five year-old son when she joined the Dhana Lakshmi SHG. She led a very lonely and sad life and had no self-confidence. She was totally dependent on her husband’s family. With a loan from the Nirkunnam AmritaSREE cluster, she built a house and started living in her own home.

“Only after joining Amrit SREE was I able to live with confidence and discover my individual identity.”
—Anitha

As much as the money helped her become independent, the compassion and friendship she received from the group gave her inner strength and confidence. “You realise that you’re never alone” , she narrates. “You develop so many connections. If you have a problem, you can always talk to someone. When we are in grief, we have so many to turn to. You’re much freer, sometimes, when you talk to a friend.”

Today Anitha’s son is 25. He works in a shop and is about to get married, so Anitha is taking out a loan for marriage expenses. However, the biggest thing she recounts is the connection she feels with others :

“You meet people with many problems, and suddenly, you don’t feel alone. You become bigger than yourself. Suddenly, you become a giver.”

This sentiment is echoed by many other women. Before they joined an SHG, they were alone to meet their own needs, whereas now they are able to not only fulfil their own family’s needs, but they can also reach out to others. And the more they reach out, the more confident they feel-confident to help themselves and others.

In 2012, the coastal SHGs of Alappuzha district, that is nearly 4,600 SHGs, registered as a society. Initially, Beenamma, the coordinator of Nirkunnam cluster, had reached out to women by calling them, whereas today people call her.  The shy housewives of yesterday, while still fulfilling their household duties, now have the confidence to approach bankers, manage accounting records, and speak in public.

“The biggest thing is that they are now so well known outside that they have friends everywhere and are known and respected. They are people of significance. Looked up to. Ultimately, this is Amma’s blessing. Because of this, they do not have to stand with their hands out. They have become self-sufficient. They are proud.”
— Beenamma

“Our greatest success lies in our financial accountability and transparency. This is why people trust us.”
— Karuna, Maamud Cluster Coordinator

In 2008, Karuna started the Amriteshwari AmritaSREE SHG in Maamud. They started saving Rs. 20 every week during the meetings. The savings were aggregated into a single deposit in an SHG account. One year and a half later, the group with its 12 members was given a bank loan of 32,000 rupees. But it was only after their SHG had joined a cluster that they were able to apply for individual member loans through the collective cluster fund. In this way they became independent of bank loans.

Once a month, Karuna, Nisha, Maya and Nitya travel to each SHG in the cluster to verify that the accounts are transparent and duly updated. So far, they have not come across any major issues. If someone does not pay her balance on time, this person is not penalised in any way. Instead, they are approached with an attitude of love and empathy about their personal problem.

“If there are women who do not comply with their monthly balance, we counsel them. For those with a genuine reason, we give them some leeway.”
—Karuna

Indeed, the training given by Rangannan and Kalesh have made them such finance experts that an SHG run by a nearby church brings their accounts to them to check. Every month they are given a refresher training, which strengthens and upgrades their knowledge.

The biggest asset, according to Karuna, however, is the love that the group generates and shares. As a result of this love and the cluster’s financial success, there are so many people asking to join that they direct them to form their own groups.

“The strength behind our success is Amma’s love and the persistent effort of Kalesh and Rangannan, who go from cluster to cluster monitoring and sympathizing with each individual.”

Fousia, who happened to live in the house next to Karuna’s, was hanging out the clothing on the roof when she noticed that there seemed to be some sort of celebration taking place next door. A bunch of women were talking and laughing over tea. They looked like they were having a lot of fun. Over time, Fousia began to notice that these “celebratory teas” were taking place quite often. She couldn’t help feeling curious — and a little envious of the camaraderie the women shared.  “As for holidays, we celebrate them all”
– Fousia

When Fousia discovered that the camaraderie stemmed from an SHG, she presented the idea of joining to her husband. “It’s right next door”, she said. “It will be easy for me to attend.”  Her husband supported her, for it sounded like a nice social group for women. In fact, more than the financial need, Fousia was craving connection and friendship.

“Before I joined Amriteshwari SHG, I didn’t know any of my neighbours”, Fousia relates 10 years later. “Now I have so many friends in the community”. Not knowing one’s neighbours is not, in fact, unusual these days. Unlike in previous generations, when communities were more closely knit, most people in this town did not know any of their neighbours.

Now that everyone on both sides of the street has become a member, however, the neighbourhood is bonded by fellowship. This fellowship, the group discovered after some time, was composed of four Hindus, four Muslims and four Christians.

“Only after a long time did we discover it was like this,” Karuna relates. “Very naturally, we began to celebrate all of the festivals. On Christmas, we exchange gifts.On the Muslim holiday of Eid, Fousia makes a big meal for everyone. And for the Hindu Onam celebration, the husbands help with all the cooking and serving”.

Indeed, holidays have become a family and neighbourhood affair. But not all is fun and games. Husbands may cook and serve, but sometimes they need help, too. When Fousia’s husband’s rickshaw suddenly needed 10,000 rupees worth of work done, he began to realise that the SHG was much more than a social activity.

“Husbands may even think this is all gossip until they get help themselves” – Fousia

Every group has a memory of its greatest challenge. “There is a girl named Sunita in the Prarthana AmritaSREE SHG,” Karuna recalls. Her husband is a loading worker, and they have two children. After much difficulty, they finally built a home for themselves. They had taken a loan from the bank to finance the house.

The interest rate, of course, was very high, and the bank doesn’t allow even a one-month lapse without raising the rate. Because of a lack of work, they weren’t able to pay for some months, so the interest rate got quite high. The money they owed became an unbearable burden. Finally, they were told their house would be confiscated unless they paid one lakh to the bank immediately. So, they came to ask for a loan.

We had never given such a large amount of money and told them the most we could give was 50,000. The next day, Sunita came crying to Maya because 50,000 rupees would not help at all. Unless they paid the full lakh, the bank would definitely confiscate their home.

“It has to be all or nothing.” – Sunita

We held a serious discussion about this. “This is what Amma’s programme is all about,” Maya reminded us. “We were so scared, but we decided to take the risk and loan them the full 2 lakhs.” As a result, Sunita and her husband were able to keep the house. Sunita got a job as a cook in a family-run hotel to repay the loan. We felt so happy we were able to do this.

When Mini and Kalesh went around forming self-help groups, Mini’s husband, PV Joykutty, went with them. Because he was politically active, he was known and respected, so he attracted people. Mini first started one SHG, Darshana, which became one of 28 SHGs in the Thalvady Cluster, formed in 2013. Mini became the coordinator. But later in 2013, a great tragedy occurred in Mini’s life when her husband suffered a fatal heart attack.

Not only a devoted husband and father, her husband had been a man who extended himself to others, even taking out loans for them in his own name. And although they were repaying him while he was alive, once he died, many stopped. In a flash, Mini had lost a very loving and protective husband and was simultaneously plunged into deep financial crisis.

In shock, Mini tried to deal with the financial debt by going to the political parties and government offices that her husband had loaned money to and to which he had otherwise contributed. On top of loans she now had to pay back, she also needed money to buy items for the small shop she and her husband had been running. But the same people who had benefitted from her husband’s generosity now closed the door to his bereft wife and teenaged children.

Overcome with grief and unable to cope with the financial crisis, Mini closed up the small shop she and her husband had been running and stopped going to the cluster meetings.
The AmritaSREE main office sent delegates to help her overcome her sorrow. Somehow managing to climb out of the well of grief she had fallen into, Mini came to one of Amma’s birthday celebrations. There, she noticed a stall with an inspiring array of handmade products set up by one of the SHG groups. By the time she got home, she already had a plan.

With the help of some SHG members along with one of her husband’s friends, Mini purchased two sacks of wheat and two sacks of rice for her start-up enterprise. After grinding the wheat and rice into flour and packaging it under the label “AmritaSREE”, Mini took her products around her neighbourhood in Thalvady. Mini, along with her own SHG members, went house to house to sell the products. Initially, the response was not very enthusiastic. “We have very high-quality flour in the markets”, people said. “Why should we try yours?” “Try it once at a reduced price,” Mini offered.

Since Mini prepared her products at her own home, people started to notice the care she took in each step. They watched her washing the grains and then drying them out in the sun. The care and devotion, she exerted during each step of the process, could not be missed. This itself became the advertisement. The AmritaSREE cluster sanctioned a loan of three lakh for Mini with which she has expanded her enterprise and given jobs to two of her Amrita SREE SHG friends.
“Self-effort is so important.” Amma

When Mini began educating her customers about the lack of preservatives in her flour, they became very interested. In fact, the big brand names all add some preservatives in order to keep the flour fresh for a longer period of time. But villagers do not need flour that keeps for a long period of time. At this point they realised that they wanted a fresher, healthier choice. Mini’s flour became so well liked that her customers began requesting additional items. “Can you sell us chilli and coriander powder?” they asked. “It was infinite grace that gave me the strength to come out of my sadness.” Mini

With the help of the cluster and some additional business training from the district AmritaSREE coordinator, Kalesh, Mini is also planning on branching out to the rice business. She plans on buying it wholesale and marketing it to the neighbourhood, to shops, and to the cluster itself. While Mini’s husband was alive, he was always beside her. Not only was he a very loving, caring, and protective husband, but he also took care of the children. In their shop, her husband had taken care of all of the business aspects while she sat and greeted the customers. “I was given the role of a glorified lady,” she recalls.  Recently, Mini opened a small thattutukada — a little outdoor café that consists of some chairs and one or two tables. From 6:00 – 8:30 p.m., she makes and serves dosas along with fish curry and tapioca. In her spare time, she and the two women she has hired continue producing fresh rice and wheat flour, as well as coriander and chilli powder. Along with this, she has started raising hens and goats to save money for her children’s education.  Although Mini is still repaying the loans her husband took out for others, she is no longer overwhelmed by it. In the past, she recounts, she had been afraid of so many things. Ambulances scared her. And a death in the neighbourhood was so terrifying that she wouldn’t go near the neighbour’s house for days.

Today, however, even her family is surprised by the change that has come over her. The fearless strength that has taken hold of her life is unfathomable. “See, I have taken care of the children and the loans,” she wants to tell her husband when they meet in the afterlife. “I will always miss you, but I have found the strength to live without you”.

I still remember the day with a shudder. At night, in vivid dreams, I see the faces of my loved ones smiling at me. I long to see them when I awake, standing in front of me smiling ; yet I know this can never be. They are forever lost to me.

We heard the word Tsunami for the first time on that fateful day, when the giant wave stole 29 lives from the pretty, peaceful sand strip between the Arabian Sea and the Backwaters that was my village, the Alappad Panchayat. The Tsunami stole my sweet daughter. It stole from my friends their husbands, children, brothers and sisters. We lost everything in the fury of that giant wave. Amma, my Amma, She came to comfort me. She came like a blessing to all of us. For the next six months, it was Amma and the Mata Amritanandamayi Math who took care of us, feeding us, clothing us, and providing a safe place to rest our battered souls. She gave us back our livelihood – motorized boats and nets. She provided education and brought smiles to our scared children.

Ten of us, grown women, joined Amrita SREE, the self help group started by the Ashram, to provide an alternative livelihood and to comfort our bereaved souls. Our group was called “Amritakripa”. With the guarantee of the ashram, we were granted a bank loan to start a small shrimp peeling shed after saving only a small sum of money in the bank. The buyers would provide the shrimp, paying a fixed amount for each kilo we peeled. For a very reasonable price, Amrita SREE helped us build a shed and buy the huge pots and trolleys needed for peeling.

In two years we completely repaid the loan. Now, as we slowly build up our savings, our children study in good schools. We are planning to make our shed bigger so more women can join us as partners in peeling shrimp. The black day still looms large over us. We are grateful to Amma for her love and guidance that helped us survive our deep losses and become confident and prosperous. As we learn to smile even in the midst of our sorrow, we thank Amma and Amrita SREE for everything they have given us.

K. Lisa
Amritakripa SHG Amrita SREE, Alappad