A story of women’s empowerment, leadership and following your dreams!
This is a story of women’s empowerment, leadership and following your dreams! It is the journey of Sunita Bharati, a victim of child marriage, who associated herself with SSP’s Clean Energy Program in Bihar. Sunita became a leader, supported her family and is following her dream of becoming a government certified Auxiliary nurse midwife (ANM) in Tikrachhak village in Gaya District.
“I want to earn my own money by working with SSP and fund my ANM studies based on those earnings.” Married at the age of eight due to her family’s poor economic situation, Sunita refused to go to her in-law’s house until she had finished her schooling. At the age of 18, after completing her 10th standard exams, Sunita moved in with her in-laws.
Her husband is an unskilled laborer who spends a large part of the year migrating to cities looking for work. After spending a year doing menial odd jobs, Sunita attended an awareness program organized by SSP and subsequently joined an SHG in 2020. With the support of SSP and her fellow SHG members, she joined the Clean Energy Program (supported by Misereor) as a Sakhi, where she received training on entrepreneurship development and clean energy. She started selling clean energy products like solar LED bulbs, solar lanterns as well as organic fertilizer, pesticide and other household items under the Clean Energy Entrepreneurship Program. She also started spreading awareness of the health and environmental benefits of clean energy by organising meetings with women and putting up stalls to sell the products. Seeing her leadership qualities and business skills, she was soon promoted to the level of a cluster in-charge, also known as a ‘Super Sakhi’. With 11 women working under her in 30 villages, she is now financially secure, with an average income of Rs. 6000 monthly, and able to support her family.
She recently passed the government ANM entrance exam, and now plans to finish her education in the nearby Government Medical College. She plans to use her income from working as a ‘Super Sakhi’ to finance the 18-month long ANM course. We are inspired by Sunita’s strong will, and wish her all the best for her future endeavors!
Swayam Shikshan Prayog
11th November, 2021