Archana Patil, a rural woman leader from Pomadevi Jawalga village in Ausa Taluka of Latur District, is lobbying with the government to make schemes and finance accessible to other women in her village, and gaining the respect of her community in the process.
Archana Patil comes from an orthodox community, where women’s mobility is restricted and working outside the house is frowned upon. However, her family’s poor economic situation and the need to provide for their growing children pushed Archana tai to attend a tailoring course and begin a small business within her home. In 2016, Archana tai was introduced to Swayam Shikshan Prayog – SSP through their Entrepreneurship Development Program. She soon began to expand and diversify her business, using the business and financial management skills she had learned from the training. Today, Archana Patil runs a tailoring, bangle, textile and stationery shop, earning a monthly income of Rs.15,000.
As Archana tai started interacting with other women, stepping out of the house, and running her businesses successfully, her self-confidence, decision making and leadership skills developed and improved over time. She began to use her own example to motivate other women from her village to become financially independent by developing their entrepreneurship skills. She also began to interact with government officials at the Gram Panchayat level as well as the Block level. During workshops and dialogues organised by Swayam Shikshan Prayog – SSP, she asked questions about the schemes that rural women and farmers were entitled to, and advocated for greater inclusion of marginal women farmers in these schemes.
Since 2016 Archana tai has mentored and supported over 70 women in her village in starting their own businesses. Fifty women have accessed schemes related to agricultural inputs, irrigation infrastructure, ration, medicine kits etc. from the Department of Agriculture, Department of Health and NABARD. Archana tai says that, “It is very important for women to step out of the house and become financially independent. Only then are they able to take part in decision making, and get respect and recognition from society.”
Swayam Shikshan Prayog
October 05, 2023