In Kesla block of Hoshangabad district in Madhya Pradesh ,
PREHARI an NGO was working in Nagpurkala, Pandri and Chandon are three
neighboring villages. PREHARI formed a Cluster of the Self-Help Group (SHG) of
women with a name of Tulsi
Cluster, at Nagpurkalan on 23-12-2001, with 6 SHGs and a deposit of Rs.600=00. These
three villages have Ordinance Factory Market near Itarsi ( Hoshangabad ) a place
as the common market and weekly haat market are. which is the centre
for many commercial transactions.
There are five Self -
Help Group(S.H.G.) in Nagpurkala, six in Pandri and four in Chandon. Five of
these groups have been functional from the year 2000 when PREHARI NGO started
working here in Swa Shakti Projectยช.
The rest have been formed after the end of 2003 when PREHARI started to withdraw
from the Swa _Shakti Project.
The Cluster meeting of all the Self - Help Group(S.H.G.) in
the area was called by Sri Gulab who is the area organizer (AO) for these
villages at Nagpurkala, where almost all the members of the Self - Help
Group(S.H.G.) member of this Cluster attended. The members suggested that this
village was far off from the centrally located village of Pandri
so after initial six meetings the venue was shifted to Pandri. This was
accepted as some felt that this will become an ideal place for information
sharing and others felt that this should be a forum from where they would
understand the activities and functioning of other such member groups much
better way.
Around groups came
together for the next cluster meeting, initially each meeting has discussed the
importance of the formation of a cluster and the relevance was openly debated
by the members. The point were raised that the Self - Help Group(S.H.G.) might
have to be closed as the mother NGO was going to move out and all the Self -
Help Group(S.H.G.) might end up as Bank defaulters, leaders were skeptic that
they might have to repay the Bank loans from their own pockets, the AO wee
shaky the they might loose the earnings coming as the service providers for the
Self - Help Group(S.H.G.) and the husbands were agitated that the government was
not serious in their upliftment as it was stopping the project. But the groups
kept continuing their meeting and working with the NGO and AOs and kept dealing
with the problems on their own. They were not ready to share their problems
even in the Cluster Meetings as they feared that they might be exposing their
weaknesses before the other groups. The meetings were silent and slow. It
seemed that the cluster was meeting because the AO has to conduct and carry out
such meetings. Slowly the problem of dis interest were discussed in the member
Self - Help Group(S.H.G.) s. The number of members coming to the Cluster
meetings declined and those who did came they went after putting their
signature on the attendances register for doing the market work. Then it was
decided that not every member of the member Self - Help Group(S.H.G.) shall
come to attend the cluster meetings but only two members who are serious in
discussing the problems faced by the Self - Help Group(S.H.G.) should be
nominated by each group to attend the meetings of the Cluster. Dissenting
voices were noticed as the members said that we were discriminating, were not
serious in inviting all the members, worker AO should conduct the meeting why
waste time for the full day and the attendance be made mandatory. But the
mother NGO insisted that the members of the Clusters have to send the member
representatives for the meeting of the Cluster each month regularly.
The lack of interest was discussed repeatedly by the worker
of NGO. The reasons for this lack of interest were explored in the Self - Help
Group(S.H.G.)’s meetings and individually discussing with the leaders. It was
found that the main reason was that the group representatives who came for the
meeting of the Clusters did not have a feeling of ownership and belonging to
the Cluster. The concept of Cluster was not clear to them. Thus the venue was
again shifted to each village by turn so that the AO and the NGO could discuss
the points of responsibilities in the village where all the members of the
local groups could easily attend the meetings of the Cluster. The time of the
meeting was changed from the early morning to the afternoon one p.m. where
every one could attend before going for the weekly market. The SHG leaders were
asked to attend all the initial meetings of the Clusters. The SHG leader would
then give place to anyone from the Self - Help Group(S.H.G.) according to the
two members by choice decided well in advance in the meetings of the SHG. This
exercise the members and their representative attended all the cluster meetings
on time and seriously discussed the issues faced by the members of their Self -
Help Group(S.H.G.). The pressure of the Self - Help Group(S.H.G.) was seen on
their faces during the discussions in the Cluster meetings.
The next major issue was increasing the financial power of
the Cluster. The ideas of separate savings for the expenses met by the Cluster
was protested by each member who said that the need to strengthen the
Cluster could weaken the SHGs as they
are asked separate savings each month. They asked about the kind of expenses
that were being needed by the Cluster. A series of brainstorming sessions were
undertaken and four AOa attended the meetings and suggested that the groups
make presentation of the work done by them till then. This was followed by
group discussions and for the first time the members of Self - Help
Group(S.H.G.) realized that they had done so much in terms of savings, internal
lending, repayments, bank loans and repayments and number of meetings of the
Self - Help Group(S.H.G.) and if all of them came together to financially
support the Cluster than they will not have to look for the outside support.
Realizing thus that the members of the SHGs had come to know of the advantages
of Cluster the need for regular meetings was highlighted. The Cluster came into
existence to help sustain and guide the members SHG.
The monsoon that followed decreased the attendance of the
members in the clusters as they had to come from villages a s far as ten k.m.
from the place of meetings but the saving for the Cluster kept reaching the
Cluster at Pandri village. In one of the later meetings it was decided that for
smooth functioning of the Custer each
member SHG should take up some specific activity and responsibilities. the
leaders should then ensure the smooth conduct of the Cluster. Thus the division
o f work led to the election of Cluster representatives. Elections were held
with approval from the member Self - Help Group(S.H.G.) s. Different groups
sent new members for the election process so that their issues could be solved
by the better vocal members in the Cluster meetings. The process was completed
in the presence of Sri Parvez Ameer, Hon. Director of PREHARI and the process
of the opening of the joint Bank account for the Cluster was also started.
The role of Sri Gulab was appreciated by all the Cluster
members and the AOs in the Team of PREHARI. He was instrumental in imbibing the
concept of Cluster among the rural Self - Help Group(S.H.G.) s who had never
experienced and heard of the Cluster for the SHGs for the rural poor. The local
Banks were also surprised at the progress made by the Cluster here and they
opened the savings account after the mother NGO PREHARI gave guarantee of good
work of the new Cluster.
Assured support from other SHG of the member villages and
the neighbouring areas and the mother NGO boosted the confidence to get
involved in the developmental works of the village. Later one of the member of
the Self - Help Group(S.H.G.) was elected as the gram Sarpanch of the village
Pandri and that too with the active support from the members of the Clusters.
Political Hindrances of the areas :-
The villagers in the Pandri were guided by one former vice
sarpanch. He was interested in winning the election of the local Sarpanch of Pandri. The villagers were
not interested in him as he was very rude in his behaviour and never supported
the villagers in the time of need and help. Some of the relatives were present
in the Cluster and they started a libelous campaign against the Area Organiser
Sri Gulab. The man who was behind all this remained aloof , as if he knew
nothing about the mischief being spread by him. The members of the Clusters
came to know about the plan to remove the AO from the area and getting the
advantage from the Self - Help Group(S.H.G.) and their Cluster. The mother NGO came to the
help of the AO and discussed the issue of sustainability and asked the AO to
leave the area if the services of the AO were not required by the members of
the Cluster. This was discussed with the member Self - Help Group(S.H.G.) and
the local Bank Manager also. They all knew that somebody was behind the mis
communication that all these Self - Help Group(S.H.G.) are going to be closed
and the AO is leaving the area. But the orientation given to the SHG leaders,
transparency in maintaining the records of the Self - Help Group(S.H.G.) and
the Members, minutes of the Cluster and the involvement of the local Bank in
resolving the issue was so effective that the issue was settled once and for all.
The AO was asked to continue the work and then the saving of the Cluster was
increased so that the expenses could be met. The payment to the AO was made
each month during the last meeting of the SHG for that particular and the
details were re told and recorded in the monthly meeting of the Cluster. The
issue of payment for the meetings of the SHGs was the prime point of jealousy
of some other local youths later in the like of this Cluster. These youths
questioned the amount of effort that is required to write the monthly cash book
and the minutes while the SHGs were paying the AO from one hundred to Two
hundred rupees a month similarly the Cluster was paying one hundred and fifty
rupees for the single meeting of the
Cluster.
This problem was addressed by asking the member Self - Help
Group(S.H.G.) to give a local youth from among the village Self - Help
Group(S.H.G.) who could write the records and get paid for these services.
Three youths were proposed for this purpose and taken up for the work of the record
keeping. On the third month they left the work citing various reasons
prominently among that were – the work is very difficult at night when most of
the meetings are held after the dinner
of the rural women, low voltage or no electricity available at night to write
the records, their parents were hassled
by the queries the women members made about the conduct in these meetings, the
local girls were not ready to write the records as they were not allowed to move
out of their houses during the night and alone and the youth could not do the
simple addition and calculation function in writing the cash book which were
rewritten by the trained AO. This is the problem which we have not been able
to tackle so far even when we have made
the records very simple and straight. The entry is done at three places for
accuracy and avoidance of money pilferages in the groups the first is the
individual Pass Book of each member, that is now provided by the Cluster,
second is the entry in the meeting related Cash Book cum Bank Book ,filled in
duplicate a copy of which is still submitted to the mother NGO for
monitoring and the third entry is done
in the loan portfolio of the member. The cash ash to be balanced in each such
meeting so that the income matches the expenses side. The record keeping,
discussions on the loans and repayments, shared trust building and the
participation of the members is increased by the formation of the Cluster and
Federation.
The innovative programmes are designed by this Cluster which
is named as Saroj Beema Yojna.
synopsis
SHIVSHAKTI
Cluster, Pandri, Kesla, Hoshangabad
Formed as Tulsi Cluster, at Nagpurkalan on
23-12-2001, with 6 SHGs and a deposit of Rs.600=00. Name was Changed to -- Shivshakti Cluster, Pandri. On 25-02-2002 With 07
self-help groups and funds of Rs.3500=00 . Elected 04 posts.
Within one month 3
other SHGs join this Cluster.
Issues are - clean toilets, lease of sand Mines , recovery
of loans forwarded to the members of SHG and opened an a/c in the Bank
The financial
status in the end of the First year (as on
25/4/2003)- Total Funds:Rs.15,605=00 ; Other expenses 300=00; Loan
outstanding nil; Cash : Rs.1,995=00;
deposit in Bank: 15,605=00 ; The
social standing in this year was :Number of SHGs: 10; representatives -20 ;
Posts 0 4 ;
Now an NGO by proper Registration.24th.
May, 2005
SIX years on 18-12-2006 , Shivshakti
Cluster, Pandri-
The financial
Status stood at :
Total
Funds:Rs.1,40,480=00; Loan outstanding
Rs.88,719=00; deposit in Bank:Rs.15038=00. Expenditures:- Rs12575=00
Paid to the field worker Total Rs.79900=00
from25/2/04.
The social standing in the end of December 2006
was :
Number of SHGs:12 ; representatives 24;Posts 03 ; Paid to
A.O. for 12 months Rs. 21600=00
Saroj Beema Yojna-
Total Contribution Rs.1,18,920=00
Paid Rs.54,000=00 to Saroj Beema claims.
Nine years
on 18-12-2009, Shivshakti Cluster, Pandri-
The financial
Status stood at :
Total Funds:Rs.3,76,149=00;
Loan outstanding
Rs.2,22,636=00; deposit in Bank:Rs.52,610=00. Expenditures:- Rs46,913=00
Paid to the field worker Total Rs.1,26,000=00
from25/2/04.
The social standing in the end of December 2009
was :
Number of SHGs:14 ; representatives 28;Posts 04 ;
Take shape of an NGO
by proper Registration.24th.
May, 2005
Parvez Ameer
January,2010.
|
Total savings
|
No.
of SHGs
|
No. of members
|
Loan outstanding
|
Expenses on Sustainance
|
CCL
received
|
CCL given
|
|
4.19
lakhs
|
14
|
171
|
87 lakhs
|
1.46lakh
|
5.9
lakhs
|
6.25
lakhs
|
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