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Empowerment of Women
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In order to improve the educational and health prospects of village children SPPD realized, early on, that it would be necessary to reach the women in a very concrete way.
Problems faced by the women include:
| Early marriage |
marriage as young as 14 years ( Thottiapatty village) |
| Domestic violence |
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| Lack of rights |
women often have no voice in family or society |
| Lack of economic independence |
average wage for women is about $1.00/day |
| Desertion by husband |
alcoholism, depression, ill health and death of their husbands often leave women alone, and with the responsibility of taking care of their children on their own. |
| Illiteracy |
lack of education prevents women from knowing their own rights and those of their children |
| Migration of Agri-Coolies to neighboring districts has resulted in the spread of HIV/AIDS to many villages in Musiri taluk. |
To combat these ills the SPPD has taken the following measures:
- Organization of women into Self Help Groups (SHGs)
Over 6,500 women are now registered as members of SHGs. Each Group has between 12 and 20 members, each of whom contributes Rs25 – Rs100 (€0.43 - €1.72 or $0.64-$2.56) per month to the Group’s savings account. They meet twice monthly and are visited by a coordinator once a month. Issues discussed include, hygiene, health, STI prevention and treatment, nutrition, domestic violence and economic independence.
- Provision of Legal Aid when necessary.
- Promotion of Savings, Micro credit, Insurance Plans and Micro Enterprises.
To help women gain financial independence SPPD has become a source of funds for micro loans to them, by providing loans to them at competitive interest rates and thereby avoiding exploitation by money lenders in the community.
- Organising Women's World Day activities
- Provision of training for women to develop Vocational and Entrepreneurial Skills. Skills as diverse as, loan management and micro enterprise. These skills further allow them to become economically independent.
- Initiation of Inter-SHG Federation Activities.
To make our SHGs more effective and to enhance social and economic independence, women from different villages are coming together to share their knowledge and experience.
- Encouragement of women to participate in local government elections and present themselves as candidates. To date 17 women have been elected to local government positions.
Statistics
| Number of SHGs |
753 |
| Number of members |
9948 |
Number of borrowers recommended
to banks |
approx
1,800 |
| Numbers of loans executed by SPPD |
6,020 |
| On time repayment rate |
99% |
| Loan default rate |
0% |
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