From centuries-old bondage becoming to a saviour

Kurnool, Hyderabad, Feb 25 (UNI) From centuries-old bondage to being a saviour.

This transformation in a dalit woman's role has been possible because of the collective power of the women organised under Self Help Groups(SHGs) in this district of Andhra Pradesh.

Her face beams with confidence as Ratnamma, a Scheduled Caste woman in Orvakal Mandal of Kurnool district in Andhra Pradesh, narrates how she liberated her husband, a bonded labourer.

She could do it because of the loan she got through the SHG she joined a fews years back.

''I could never think that women could do many things if they rose to help themselves,'' she told a group of visiting journalist at the headquarter of the Mandal Mahila Samakhya(MMS), a federation of the Self Help Groups.

From being the wife of a bonded labourers, she is now also the proud mother of a son who is studying in an IIT. She has sent rest of her four children to school and has also purchased two acres of land.

Naturally Deva Sahai, her husband is, forced to revise his age old perceptions and prejudices against women.

Ratnamma joined the SHG contributing Re one from her savings. She is among 5562 women who have joined 491 such groups brough under the Mahila Samakaya of the Orvakal mandal.

Sabira Begum, who was married at the age of fourteen and became a widow at the age of 18 with two children, too found the shelter and a meaning in her life after joining a SGH.

Discarded both by her in-laws and parents, she was on the verge of mental breakdown when someone introduced her to a SHG. She joined the group with a saving of Rs 24 a month. Since then, she has not looked back. She has got both her children educated, built a house of her own and was earning Rs 6000 per month now acting as a central resource person for her federation.

Sabira will soon be leaving for Bihar to train women there in the micro-finance practices.

After 11 years, this saving of one rupee a day of these women became Rs 1.11 Crore. Later, with interest and external resources, the total resources available with the Federation have increased to Crore.

These Rs 15 crore are now transforming the lives of thousands of rural women in this district.

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