Projects Shramdaan/Self-Help Group
by Institute of International Social Development
Project Shramdaan is our program for innovative income-generating activities for families living below-the-poverty-line to ensure sustainable livelihood for them and enhance their quality of life with better access to opportunities for proper living.
We have donated cycle-vans in the rural areas where we have other projects running, to the rural youths to use them as means of earning for their families.
We have also distributed agricultural tools to farmers living below-the-poverty-line to help them sustain themselves through agriculture. Under Project Self-Help Groups, we have introduced capacity-building training programs in crafts, accounts, language and basic sense of marketable designs with technological input primarily for women.
We brought the health and life insurance companies to offer our target sector insurance at competitive rates and help them avail opportunities facilitated by such schemes.
Description (methodology, techniques and strategies used)
Methodology for identification of people in need of such support was determined through
- Baseline Survey of the geographical area where arts and crafts exist as part of culture in poor rural/tribal areas chosen by our Institute. For donation of the cycle-vans and agricultural tools, we chose poor families in the region not falling in the artisan category.
- Identification of artisan families having traditional knowledge of the craft/art form, making them form Self-Help groups so that they can develop group activities in the craft form and produce enough collectively to feed the market.
- Provide information on the latest trends in different markets through design and technological workshops. The Institute also conducted training programs to improve the skills of the artisans in their crafts.
- Expose the artisans, who are otherwise marginalized and live in seclusion, to interact with the mainstream population and interact with them by attending exhibitions and conferences organized by government and non-governmental agencies.
- Provide tools and information for income generation with which the beneficiaries can earn by working collectively.
- The artisans, primarily women, were formed into Self-Help groups and trained in accounting and availing micro-credit.
- They were trained in making exclusive products from the raw material stage to finished goods stage, including designing, printing, embroidery, cutting and stitching, etc.
- Local, regional and international market tested by the Institute and products sold and/or exhibited for more awareness of their existence and acceptance into modern-day life.
- Regular proficiency tests were conducted by the Institute to assess the quality of workmanship of these artisans.
- Strengthening the Self-Help groups for receiving micro-credit from banks and other financial institutions for business activity.
- Helped and trained special artisans to attend five exhibitions nationally in India (Delhi, Bhubaneswar, Goa, Vizagapatam, and Jabalpur) last winter to display their handicrafts.
- Artisans were awarded embroidery sets for good performance.
- For the recipients of cycle-vans and agricultural tools, we use a system of lottery to choose from among the list of families needing support. We have already distributed over 100 cycle-vans and over 70 agricultural tool sets in little more than a year.
Innovativeness of this approach/tool/project
Cycle-vans and agricultural tools distributed to the poor families were provided with extremely nominal financial contributions from donors. This is the first-of-its-kind donation in the rural sector for empowering families to have a lifetime source of livelihood. The empowerment program through the Self-Help groups is unique as no one has used ancient arts and crafts and morphed them into items synchronized with modern-day lifestyle available for the local, regional and international communities.
Evidence of results and impact
- 50 cycle-vans distributed to the below-poverty-line families in March, 2006. All these families have achieved above-poverty-line status presently and have started sending their children to school. Another 30 cycle-vans were distributed to homeless families in Nandigram, West Bengal last year. Currently, all of them have their own homes and are able to provide food, clothing and education for their families.
- The agricultural tools donated to 70 families in Nandigram last year have helped them rise above the poverty line currently. All donations for the cycle-vans and agricultural tools were raised by our Geneva and New York branches.
- The results of the Self-Help Groups are even more encouraging. The individuals in the groups are earning many times more than their previous monthly incomes before starting this program.