HOPE Case Studies - Andhra Pradesh Academy of Rural ...

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C TFOREWORDMore than a third of the population ofAndhra Pradesh, about 30 million people, livein small villages and hamlets and depend forpart of their livelihood on rainfed agriculture.This publication tells the stories of some ofthose people who use different ways to makea living and have benefited from support fromthe Andhra Pradesh Rural Livelihoods Project.Farming, keeping livestock, repairing bicycles,cutting hair; all sorts of combinations oflivelihoods are practiced by villagers in ourState.Over the last eight years the Andhra PradeshRural Livelihoods Project, an initiative of theGovernment of Andhra Pradesh, Department forInternational Development (UK Government)and the Government of India, has played amajor role in trying to help people diversifyand improve their livelihoods. This Projecthas joined the on-going state-wide watershedprogramme to promote a change in focus sothat the livelihoods of the poorest people inrainfed areas are the focus of our developmenteffort. We in the Commissionerate of RuralDevelopment have seen a dramatic shift in thewatershed programme in the last few years, awayfrom schemes supporting the livelihoods of maleland-owners to schemes and programmes whichpromote the participation of people who weremarginalised by the old approaches. These arepeople who are intimately involved in landbasedlivelihoods but look to other sourcesof income in order to survive. I am proud tosay that many are no longer `just surviving’.Through the efforts of those working in ruraldevelopment schemes in Andhra Pradesh, manywomen and men have thriving and diverselivelihoods!In this book you will find case studies frommany different people who have benefited fromthe interventions of the APRLP. The APRLP hasalways worked in the Government structures,promoting change from within, so the changes2 FOREWORDHope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 21/7/2008 10:43:25 AM

you read about in this publication are beingsustained even though the DFID funding isending in December 2007. APRLP is not astand-alone, enclave project, where the impactfades when the donor funding ends. Successfulinitiatives promoted under the project havebeen developed and augmented by the staff andprogrammes of the Commissionerate of RuralDevelopment and absorbed into day-to-dayworking practice.I hope that this book will provide aninteresting window for you on the lives andlivelihoods of women and men living in ruralAndhra Pradesh. We have tried to give as manyexamples as we can of the different activitiespeople are engaged in and the changes that haveoccurred in their lives in recent years. I hopeyou enjoy reading their stories as much as theyenjoyed telling them.Santhi KumariCommissioner Rural DevelopmentFOREWORD3Hope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 31/7/2008 10:43:25 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T1. THE TRADERS WAIT EAGERLY FORCHANDRA REDDY’S VEGETABLESVarala Chandra Reddy, who is 60 years old,lives with his wife and two sons in Kotyalavillage in Mulugu mandal of Medak district. Heis an upper caste farmer and owns two acres ofland. The farm had a borewell that had only 2-3inches of water. Lack of water and antiquatedmethods of agriculture produced poor yields andkept the family impoverished. He had to sendhis children to a hostel run by the social welfaredepartment because he could not afford to sendthem to a good school.Days passed without much change. Justas Chandra Reddy was about to give up hope,the watershed development programme wasintroduced in the village. He was selected to joina user group and his spouse joined a self-helpgroup. Little did they realise that their liveswere about to change forever.The members of the user group were taken tothe Krishi Vigyan Kendra (knowledge centre forfarming) in Jaheerabad and Annasagar village fortraining in agricultural development. Here theylearnt about water management, soil and waterconservation and were shown different ways toimprove their yields by using drip irrigation.Chandra Reddy understood that he couldcultivate his land with the help of dripirrigation. But the yield from his borewellwas too low to provide enough water to makethe growing of any crop commercially viable.He discussed the matter with his user groupand found ways to access the drip system forhis land. When he returned from the trainingprogramme he met the officials of the ProjectImplementation Agency and asked for their helpin constructing a check dam across the streamthat ran alongside his land, which would allowhim to install a drip irrigation system.The watershed committee discussed thematter and agreed to construct the check dam.Chandra Reddy met the Assistant Director,Agriculture for procuring the drip system.Since he agreed to bear 40% of the cost theGovernment subsidised the rest. He soughtadvice from the officials of the Department ofAgriculture on the crops most suitable for dripirrigation. He was advised to take up vegetablecultivation, as he could also take advantage ofthe ready markets in Hyderabad city which wasclose by.The total cost of the drip system wasRs.60,000. To raise the Rs.24,000, which washis contribution, he took a loan of Rs.10,000from the productivity enhancement componentof the project and another Rs.15,000 from theself-help group savings. He kept aside Rs.1,000to meet other contingencies. Thus he was able toinstall the drip system on his land. The demandfor vegetables in the city increased everyday.Varala Chandra Reddy4 THE TRADERS WAIT EAGERLY FOR CHANDRA REDDY’S VEGETABLESHope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 41/7/2008 10:43:25 AM

Therefore he started growing brinjal, tomato,cucumber, bitter gourd, bottle gourd and bendi(okra) on his land. Reddy had learnt that whilethe production cycle of one crop ended, he couldprepare another plot to cultivate vegetables.Thus he was able to cultivate differentvegetables continuously.He currently grows tomato and brinjal onhis land. During the first 30 days he harvests1,200 to 1,500 kgs of tomato and brinjal everyday which fetches him Rs.5,000 to Rs.6,000 perday. Thereafter the yield decreases. The price oftomato is Rs.5-6 per kg and brinjal Rs.4-5 per kgin the retail market. Chandra Reddy’s land canproduce an average of 40 tons of vegetables witha net market value of Rs.2 lakhs in one croppingseason. Thus if he invests about Rs.1.3 lakhs hemakes a net profit of Rs.70,000.The water holding capacity of his borewellhas gone up due to percolation from the checkdam. It now yields 4 to 5 inches of water. Theextra water has enabled him to cultivate carpetgrass. The market price of carpet grass is Rs.5-6per square foot. He is able to sell carpet grassworth Rs.3 lakhs per year.“My vegetables are of good quality becausethey are drip irrigated”, says Chandra Reddyproudly. The vegetables are bigger and there areno spots on them. Because of their good quality,traders wait eagerly for his vegetables to arriveat the Bowenpally market.He has already repaid all his loans andeducated his children. Inspired by this success,his younger son Venkat Reddy who is workingas a police constable wants to quit his job andassist his father in agriculture. “What can makeageing parents like us any happier,” says acheerful Chandra Reddy, “By adopting the latesttechniques and modern methods of agriculture,wonders can be achieved and poverty drivenaway”.Tomatoes grown on Reddy’s farmDrip irrigation improves productivityChandra Reddy and his sonThe check dam provides ample waterTHE TRADERS WAIT EAGERLY FOR CHANDRA REDDY’S VEGETABLES5Hope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 51/7/2008 10:43:26 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T2. THE BIRTH OF THE LADIES’ EMPORIUM29 year old Sujatha has been married toSatyam for ten years. They have a daughter anda son. She is illiterate and used to earn Rs.10per day by rolling bidis. Satyam has finishedschool and worked as a local reporter in a dailynewspaper where he was paid for his columnonly if his report was accepted. Their combinedincome was only around Rs.700 a month. Thiswas not enough for their family of four. Sujatacouldn’t send her children to the English mediumconvent, so they attended the local schoolrun by the Government. They owned an acreof land but due to the severe drought in thearea it never yielded a crop. They couldn’t evencelebrate festivals because they were so poor.TREES, an NGO, started working with thecommunity in their village, and informed thevillagers that their village had been selected forthe implementation of a watershed developmentprogramme. The NGO helped the villagecommunity to analyse the conditions of thevillage and its resources by drawing picturesand maps on the ground. The community usedthese pictures to identify and assess the statusof tanks, lands, hillocks, cattle, forests andwater sources. TREES explained to the people theimportance of using the natural resources in asustainable manner in order to achieve all-roundsocio economic development of the village. Theyorganised meetings with women and explainedto them the importance of their participationand contribution towards the programme.TREES started a night school and a literacyprogramme for women in the village. Sujathatook an active interest in the school and evenlearnt to sign her name. Apart from teachingwomen the alphabet, the school served as aforum for discussion on various issues affectingwomen. The role of women in the family andsociety, possibilities of higher income for thefamily and other village issues were discussedin detail. Women’s self-help groups wereformed and Sujatha joined the Bharathi group.She became an active member of the groupand was liked by everyone for her service anddedication. She urged her husband to consultthe members of the watershed committee forjob opportunities. The committee needed asecretary, and during the Grama Sabha, Satyamwas offered the job with a monthly honorariumof Rs.800. As a part of this job, Satyam gotthe opportunity to visit other places and soparticipated in discussions on various strategiesof income generation. He was so influenced bythese discussions that he took up an incomegeneratingactivity himself.Sujatha and Satyam behind the counter6 THE BIRTH OF THE LADIES’ EMPORIUMHope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 61/7/2008 10:43:26 AM

The couple decided to start a small business.After much thought, they decided to start aLadies Emporium. The village had a populationof more than 9,000 and there was no shop thatsold products exclusively for women. Womenused to visit the neighbouring village to maketheir purchases. There was a great need for ashop that catered to women. This promptedSujata and Satyam to think of this as a businessopportunity.Sujatha proposed the idea at a meeting ofthe self-help group, and got a loan of Rs.6,000from the Entrepreneurship Development Fund.She took a loan of Rs.4,000 from friends andRs.5,000 from her parents. Together, thisamounted to Rs.15,000 for investment in thebusiness. They rented a shop on the main roadof Mulugu for Rs.600 per month. They spentRs.5,000 on furniture and gave Rs.1,200 as anadvance on the rent. They bought goods worthRs.8,800. Thus the Durgabavani Ladies Emporiumwas born. It is one year since the shop startedfunctioning. They fumbled in the beginning,as they didn’t know how to run a business ormaintain accounts. But as there was only oneshop in the entire village, the business pickedup quickly. They made Rs.3,000 as profit onthe initial investment. The business has sinceprogressed rapidly to provide a profit of aboutRs.3,000 every month. During the weddingseason, their sales touch volumes of Rs.1,000to Rs.1,500 per day, which means a profit ofRs.300-400 per day. Sujatha is repaying the loanat Rs.400 per month. The couple contributes to achit fund of Rs.50,000, which they intend to useto expand their business. Sujatha and Satyamdream of giving their children a good educationso that they can have a better future. They donot want their children to struggle like them.Their children now go to Saint Mary’s EnglishMedium School in Pragnapur, a bigger villagenearby. They spend Rs.900 on their children’seducation alone.The watershed programme has changed theirlives for the better, forever.Satisfied customers at the Ladies EmporiumA happy SujathaTHE BIRTH OF THE LADIES’ EMPORIUM7Hope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 71/7/2008 10:43:26 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T3. RAJU LEADS BY EXAMPLERaju, who is 26 years old is a modern farmerand an inspiring leader spreading the conceptof natural farming in the village of Lingogipallein Cumbum mandal of Prakasam district. 350out of 400 families in Lingogipalle depend onagriculture. The farmers had switched fromcultivating paddy to growing commercial cropslike cotton and chilli. They had to apply heavydoses of fertilisers and pesticides, and as aresult these farmers fell into a debt trap. Theysuffered very heavy losses and took to seasonalmigration.After completing the 10th standard, Rajuchose agriculture as a means of earning aliving. He attended all the meetings related toagriculture hoping to learn how to make a profit.All the meetings he attended advocated heavydoses of fertilisers and pesticides to enhancecrop productivity. He followed whatever he hadbeen taught and used a lot of fertiliser andpesticides but did not achieve the productivitythey had promised. Just like the others he tooincurred heavy losses.The implementation of the APRLP watersheddevelopment programme in the village changedthe situation. The agriculture staff of the multidisciplinaryteam organised a gram sabha duringwhich they proposed recruiting an agricultureparaworker. The villagers suggested the nameof the enthusiastic Raju. He was selected andtrained on NPM and IPM methods for 45 days atKavuru in Guntur district.After the training Raju returned to thevillage. He convened a gram sabha and triedto tell the villagers about NPM and IPM andthe other things he had learned during thetraining, but nobody showed any interest.He was discouraged, but didn’t lose hope; hecontinued to attend self-help group and villageorganisation meetings and educated members onIPM methods. After some days he visited everyhousehold and spoke to the villagers about thesepractices but to no avail.Raju then decided it was better todemonstrate and practice rather than preach.So to begin with he started IPM in his field,making sure that some farmers were watchinghim. He demonstrated IPM practices suchas seed treatment, setting yellow traps,vermicomposting, using neem, ginger, kerosene,NPV extracts, summer ploughings, and soiltesting.After seeing Raju’s methods, five farmersadopted the principles in the first year. In thesecond year fifteen farmers and in the thirdyear fifty farmers joined in. Finally every farmerin the village started following his methods.Raju demonstrates new techniques to local farmers8 RAJU LEADS BY EXAMPLEHope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 81/7/2008 10:43:26 AM

The DWMA supplied yellow traps in the firsttwo years but now farmers are buying them ontheir own. After learning the importance ofvermicomposting twenty farmers have startedproducing vermicompost. After meeting theirown consumption needs they are selling theremaining vermicompost at Rs.3 per kg.Until now, because of the use of pesticides,the investment per acre used to be Rs.6,000-8,000 and revenue was only Rs.6,000-7,000.Sometimes even the principal investment wasnot being covered. Currently the investment peracre does not cross Rs.2,000 but the revenue isRs.8,000-10,000 per acre. The income per acreis about Rs.6,000, and farmers have been ableto repay most of their debts. With the surplusmoney most of the farmers have bought cattleand are earning an additional income fromrearing cattle. They have stopped migrating andare living happily.It took three years for Raju to bring in thischange in the village. He tirelessly continues toteach farmers about new aspects or techniques.His effort has been recognised and he wasawarded the Best Agri Paraworker award by theMinister for Agriculture.Now Raju is busy preparing plans to converthis village into an organic village. His intentionis to see that in the next two years his entirevillage produces organic crops by using onlyvermicompost, and profits from it. He wants todevelop the market by disseminating informationabout organic crops produced in his village onthe ‘Dist Agri Web Site’.Raju wants to prove that he can changeanything for the better if he puts his mind to it.Raju talks to a farmerFarmers ask Raju for advice on their cropsRAJU LEADS BY EXAMPLE9Hope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 91/7/2008 10:43:26 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T4. THE VILLAGE ORGANISATION FIGHTS WATERCONTAMINATIONUnity is strength. The village organisationof Yadavalli village in Narkatpally mandal hasproved that any village activity can succeed ifthere is unity among the people.The fluoride content in the water ofNalagonda district is the highest in the countryand the inhabitants of Yadavalli village havebeen suffering from the effects of fluoride forgenerations. Excess fluoride intake causes yellowspots on teeth, bone damage, birth defects andthe early onset of physical handicaps. Peopleof other villages would not let their girls marrymen from Yadavalli village. Parents worried abouttheir children’s future.Yadavalli village was selected for thewatershed development programme in 1995. Inthe initial stages of the programme, women werenot interested in its activities. Only the menparticipated actively. The project implementingagencies BIRDS and PILUPU, set about changingthis situation. They convened meetings withwomen and created an awareness among themabout many different issues. Finally, due toconstant persuasion the women were motivatedto form self-help groups.In 1996-97 only 2 self-help groups wereformed. Today there are 22 self-help groups,each with 10-22 members, each running its ownsavings and credit activities successfully. In2003, all these groups came together to formthe village organisation. The formation of thesecommunity based organisations has led to themeeting of members once a month. The groupsdiscuss development, social and personal issuesregularly. Sometimes representatives of otheragencies are invited to these meetings.At one such meeting the people werediscussing a child that was born handicapped.The discussion lead to the conclusion that thecause of the handicap was the well water, whichwas contaminated with fluoride. The women didnot know how to deal with this problem andresolved at this meeting that they would striveto know more about contamination by fluorideand implement remedial measures.They met doctors at Kamineni Hospital inNarkatpally, along with watershed officers.After many discussions they realised that theconcentration of fluoride in the groundwatercould not be reduced immediately. But they weretold that filtration could reduce the consumptionof contaminated water to some extent. Thevillage organisation arranged to supply waterfilters to all its members at a cost of Rs.150 permember, but these water filters did not workas accumulated fluoride only choked them. Theinitiative was a failure.Roof water harvesting provides clean potable water10 THE VILLAGE ORGANISATION FIGHTS WATER CONTAMINATIONHope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 101/7/2008 10:43:26 AM

This situation was discussed at the meetings,and to find a permanent solution to this problemthey invited the District Collector to the villageorganisation meeting. During the meeting thevillagers requested the Collector to help themsolve the problem of fluoride contaminationin the water. The Collector told them that ifeverybody contributed Rs.500, he would have aroof water harvesting plant constructed in everyhouse. He told them that drinking this waterwould be the best method of avoiding the harmcaused by fluoride contamination. But the poorin the village told him that they could not spareRs.500 and asked the Collector for financialassistance.Moved by their plight, the Collector orderedofficers to construct a roof water harvestingplant for storing rainwater in every household,free of cost. Each tank was cleaned with the firstrainwater and bleaching powder was sprayed toprotect it from germs and bacteria. Each plantsupplies drinking water for between six monthsto one year depending upon the size of family.This drinking water has protected the villagersfrom illnesses caused by excessive consumptionof fluoride.Thus an age-old problem has been solved bythe intervention of the village organisation andit is in fact a victory for the women.Harvesting rainwater helps villagersfight fluoride contaminationFluoride contamination has led to bonedeformities among the villagersTHE VILLAGE ORGANISATION FIGHTS WATER CONTAMINATION11Hope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 111/7/2008 10:43:26 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T5. SWEET LIME LEADS TO A SWEET LIFE“My drylands have been transformed to green,thanks to commercial horticulture plantations.They have changed my lifestyle,” says B RameshReddy.Ramesh Reddy and his wife live in Bollepallivillage in Kattangur mandal in Nalgonda district.They own 21 acres of land of which 5 is wetlandand 16 is dry. They grew paddy in the wetlandswhere irrigation was possible and castor, greengram and groundnut on the dryland. The landwas not fertile and the yield was dependent onthe availability of water. Because of the scantyrainfall over the years Ramesh Reddy and hisfamily were in the grip of poverty. His real worrywas for the future of his children.When the APRLP watershed developmentprogramme was launched in their village, BIRDan NGO was the project implementing agency.They organised periodical meetings to make thecommunity aware about watershed managementand alternative methods for development. Thevillage elders elected Ramesh Reddy as thechairman of the watershed committee.A year later, having observed the prevailingsituation in the village, the Agriculturerepresentative of the watershed developmentteam suggested that lemon and sweet limebe grown here. Both horticulture trees do notrequire much water but at the same time wouldfetch a higher income. Estimates were preparedand discussed immediately, and the watershedcommittee gave its approval for implementation.Ramesh Reddy brought 800 sweet limesaplings from Railway Koduru in Kadapa districtand planted 100 saplings per acre. The cost ofdigging pits for planting saplings was met bythe Horticulture Department. They also supplied2 bags of Super and 1 bag of Potash under theprogramme. He procured a drip system from theHorticulture Department with a cost sharing of60:40. He made optimal use of the little waterthat was available and protected the plants frompests. He raised cucumber, groundnut, and greengram as intercrops in the garden from which heearned Rs.10,000.After three years the sweet lime had grownenough to give the first yield, which fetched hima profit of Rs.30,000. His profit from the secondyield was Rs.80,000; from the third yield Rs.3lakhs and the fourth yield Rs.6 lakhs. This yearhe expects a profit of Rs.12 lakhs. As the treesgrow the yields increase. Productivity has beenhigh because of proper maintenance of the dripirrigation system and timely measures takenagainst pests.Ramesh Reddy tends to his sweet lime plants12 SWEET LIME LEADS TO A SWEET LIFEHope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 121/7/2008 10:43:26 AM

The cost of maintaining 8 acres of sweet limeplantation per annum is Rs.1.5 lakhs.i Cattle dung as manure(30 tractor loads) :ii Chemical fertilisers(14:35:14/40bags) :iii Pesticides :iv Power and borewell :v Cost of labour :Rs.20,000Rs.15,000Rs.10,000Rs.25,000Rs.80,000TotalRs.1,50,000Before growing sweet lime, these 8 acres wereplanted with castor, green gram and groundnut,which would have fetched only Rs.30,000.Now the livelihood of the family is assured.He is spending Rs.2 lakhs per annum oneducating his children. His older son is studyingfor an M.Sc. in Biotechnology in Hyderabad andthe other two sons are studying Engineering atGuntur. Ramesh Reddy and his spouse Sandhyaare grateful to the watershed developmentinitiatives that brought a qualitative change intheir lives and made them happy.Sandhya in their sweet lime plantationSweet lime grown on Ramesh Reddy’s landSWEET LIME LEADS TO A SWEET LIFE13Hope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 131/7/2008 10:43:26 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T6. GANGASANIPALLE – A MODEL VILLAGEThere are 141 families in Gangasanipallevillage which is in Bhongir mandal of Nalgondadistrict. Though it is a small village, all theproject works have been planned and executedby the villagers.The APRLP watershed activities started in2003. All the women in the village formedthemselves into eight self-help groups,which, on 29 November 2003 formed thevillage organisation. Every group deposited amembership fee of Rs.4,500 with the villageorganisation. On the 25th of every montha village organisation meeting is held. It ismandatory for at least two members from eachself-help group and all the committee membersto attend this meeting. Loan applicationsare screened and approved at the villageorganisation meeting.To support the functioning of the villageorganization, four sub-committees have beenformed. Each sub-committee has four members.One is a member of the village organisation andthree are self-help group leaders.• Works Identification CommitteeThe committee decides on the applicationsmade by farmers to undertake watersheddevelopment works, NRM and other relatedactivities. The members go to the proposed siteand evaluate the need for the work to be done.If NRM works are proposed they go along withthe engineer and assess the situation. The subcommitteemeets on the 16th of every monthto discuss these proposed works and submits itsreport to the village organisation meeting on the25th of the month. The work starts as soon asthe village organisation gives its approval.• Repayments CommitteeThis committee decides on the loans tobe disbursed and is responsible for ensuringrepayment of the loans. It keeps track of therepayment schedules and meets on the 12th ofevery month to discuss the status of repayments.On the 25th when the village organisation meetsit presents its observations and discusses theaction to be taken.14 GANGASANIPALLE – A MODEL VILLAGEHope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 141/7/2008 10:43:26 AM

• Productivity Enhancement CommitteeThe committee oversees farmers’ issuesrelating to seeds, fertilisers and pesticides. Itsprimary work is on enhancement of productivityof crops. It meets on the 6th of every month todiscuss on these issues and reports to the villageorganisation meeting on the 25th of the month.• Livelihoods Promotion CommitteeThis committee plans and monitors theactivities of people who have taken loans topromote their livelihoods. The committee makessure the recipients have invested the loanmoney on the proposed livelihoods activity. Italso monitors how much they have spent onthe activity. This ensures that the loan moneyis spent properly. For instance, if a beneficiarywants to buy a buffalo with the loan, thecommittee ensures that she has really utilisedthe loan to buy a buffalo. If the beneficiary didnot buy a buffalo or has used the money forsomething other than the stated purpose, shewould have to return the loan to the group/village organisation within a week. Thus theLivelihoods Promotion Committee maintains astrict check on disbursed loans and reports tothe village organisation at the monthly meeting.Loans ranging from Rs.5,000 to Rs.20,000are extended to farmers under the ProductivityEnhancement component and loans ranging fromRs.2,000 to Rs.30,000 are extended to the poorunder the Livelihoods Promotion component ofthe revolving fund.A separate bank account, which has tobe a joint account, is maintained for everydevelopment work/activity. Thus transparency,participation and efficiency are ensured andmaintained in the implementation of everyactivity in Gangasanipalle village and it istherefore regarded as a model village in theproject.The committees in Gangasanipalle villageGANGASANIPALLE – A MODEL VILLAGE15Hope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 151/7/2008 10:43:26 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T7. A STRONG VILLAGE ORGANISATION ENSURESDEVELOPMENTAPRLP brought about a change in thewomen of Chintalapally village. The projectimplementing agency spread awareness aboutthe project in many ways such as throughKalajathas, meetings, and visits to other areas.The women in the village soon formed self-helpgroups and the village organisation and tookover the management of the conflict-proneChintalapally watershed committee. The womenkept the men far away from this in order toavoid political or party based issues which wouldonly obstruct the programme.First the village organisation initiated ashramadan programme in the village. The KrishnaRiver flows across the Chintalapally and Macherlaroute. Most villagers have to cross the river to goanywhere. This posed problems for many people,because they easily lost their way. Hence all thewomen joined hands and laid a path across theriver and marked the stones along the path indifferent colours so that people could use themas landmarks and find their way easily.They were determined to make the watershedprogramme a success. To do this they enlistedthe help of the project implementing agency andthe Sarpanch and village elders and drew up afive year plan. Every three months they reviewedthe situation and decided on the works thatneeded to be taken up. Then they drew up anaction plan. They formed user groups and all theNRM works were carried out by the user groups.The village organisation closely monitored allthe works to ensure that they were being carriedout correctly. They checked and measured allthe completed works and ensured that properpayments were made. They decided that thetwo tanks in the village needed to be desilted.This too the women did themselves. They alsobuilt 480 farm ponds, one check dam and tenpercolation tanks. They set up nurseries threetimes and 59 acres of horticulture.In order to utilise the livelihood fundproperly they identified the Poorest of thePoor (POP) and provided them with financialassistance. They also made sure that the fundswere used for the purpose for which they weregiven.Meeting of the village organisation16 A STRONG VILLAGE ORGANISATION ENSURES DEVELOPMENTHope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 161/7/2008 10:43:26 AM

Loans were given for various incomegenerating activities such as:1 Chilli powder mill2 Grinder3 Flour mill4 Hotel5 Chicken centre6 Bangle shop7 Small provisions shop8 Goat rearing9 Buffalo10 Cloth business11 Shee loans12 Vermicompost13 Bee keeping1211115892111351Thus 142 families were provided withlivelihoods which improved their financialstatus. In addition they also started initiativeslike setting up a seed bank, and purchasinga breeding bull. The performance of thevillage organisation of Chintalapally village inPeddavoora mandal of Nalgonda district, hasresulted in the development of the entire village.The project has facilitated manyincome generating activities:Selling clothesRearing buffaloSelling banglesRunning a small provisions shopRunning a grinding unitA STRONG VILLAGE ORGANISATION ENSURES DEVELOPMENT17Hope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 171/7/2008 10:43:26 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T8. UMA DEVI’S LIFE IS NOW A SMOOTH RIDEErramla Uma Devi and her husbandKeshavaiah live in Daduluru village ofKanaganapalli mandal. Though both of themhave studied up to the 10th standard theyworked as daily wage labourers because theycould not get other work.They own 2.5 acres of land on which theyused to grow groundnut, but just before theharvest wild pigs used to destroy the crop. Theysent petitions to the government about this andtheir losses but no one would listen to theirwoes. They even tried electric fencing, but thepigs kept returning to destroy the crop. Theyincurred heavy debts and clearing the debtsbecame a major challenge for them. Just day-todayliving and keeping the family clothed andfed and educating their two children becameextremely difficult.Then the APRLP watershed programmestarted in their village, giving women theopportunity to join a group and providing loansto the financially weaker women. Uma Deviunderstood the concept and decided to join theVenkateshwara self-help group. Her husbandwas quite supportive because he realised thatthis was a golden opportunity to clear his debtsand ensure a better future for his children. In2003 Uma Devi joined the Venkateshwara selfhelpgroup and in the same year the villageorganisation was also formed. She saved Rs.50per month and played an active part in hergroup. The watershed officials were surprisedto see her enthusiasm in the group, andwithin a year she became the president of theVenkateshwara self-help group.During that time the DWMA initiated aplantation programme in the village. Theyneeded someone to water the saplings. Uma Deviconvinced her husband that since he did nothave a real job he could do this and it could behis chance to improve their financial situation.Keshavaiah was given the task of watering theplants. The couple was overjoyed at being fullyoccupied after being idle for so long. Every dayKeshavaiah transported water in a bullock carttanker.He made ten trips in the morning andanother ten trips in the evening. He was paidRs.30 per trip, thus earning Rs.600 per day. Theyhad never dreamed of seeing so much money.Keshavaiah did this till the rainy season started.Keshavaiah and Uma Devi with their new auto18 UMA DEVI’S LIFE IS NOW A SMOOTH RIDEHope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 181/7/2008 10:43:27 AM

Then the DWMA stopped that work, and thecouple was back where they started.Then they had a brilliant idea. The busfacility from Daduluru to Dharmavaram is justabout adequate. They thought that if they hadan auto they would have sufficient work. Butgetting an auto was not a simple matter. Itwould cost Rs.1,50,000 and they needed to havesome money to make a down payment against aloan.Around that time, in January 2006, thevillage organisation started giving loans. Sincethey knew her history the village organisationimmediately granted Uma Devi a loan ofRs.20,000. Uma Devi and Keshavaiah tookanother loan of Rs.40,000 from outside sourcesand deposited Rs.60,000 into the bank andbought an auto. Andhra Bank in Kanaganapallyfacilitated the purchase. Keshavaiah used hisauto to run a shuttle service between Daduluruand Dharmavaram. He spent Rs.200-300 onpetrol and because the auto was new he did notspend much on repairs.Uma Devi repaid Rs.800 per month to thevillage organisation at the rate of Rs.400 perRs.10,000 at 1% interest. He paid Rs.4,620 everymonth towards the loan of Rs.40,000. What wasleft after the repayment, he used for his family.He even saved enough to educate their children.In November 2006 loans were given to women’sgroups under the Indira Kranthi Patham Scheme.Uma Devi took a loan of Rs.10,000 from thescheme and it became easy to repay the bank.Within one year they had repaid the loan ofRs.40,000 that they had taken from outside.At the same time they were able to educatetheir children in good private schools. Meanwhilethey are clearing their debts and loans.Keshavaiah earns about Rs.300 daily or Rs.9,000per month, on an average. On festival days heearns Rs.500-600. Because the auto is his ownhe takes good care of it, reducing breakdowncosts.Uma Devi says that all this was possiblebecause she is a member of a women’s selfhelpgroup and because of the initiatives takenby APRLP and DWMA. She is content with theprogress of her family. Women cannot succeedin anything if they are confined to their homesbut they can achieve a lot if they come out andutilise the various opportunities available tothem. There is a need for another auto in thevillage and if the village organisation extendsits help she would definitely like to buy and runanother one, says Uma Devi.Keshavaiah in the driver’s seatKeshavaiah ferrying passengers in his autoUMA DEVI’S LIFE IS NOW A SMOOTH RIDE19Hope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 191/7/2008 10:43:27 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T9. AMUDALAKUNDA VILLAGE DISCOVERS THEBENEFITS OF MILKAmudalakunda is a small and remote villagein C K Pally mandal of Anantapur district withabout 75 households and a population of400. Expecting coffee or tea when one visitedthe homes of villagers in Amudalakunda wasunthinkable, not because they were so utterlypoor, but because there was just no milk in thevillage. There were no buffaloes in the village toprovide milk. This was very surprising because allover Andhra Pradesh members of self-help groupstake loans to buy buffaloes.Vaddu Jayamma and her husband RamChander, have three sons – Murali Mohan (20years old), Vijaya Sekhar (16 years old) andRamesh Kumar (13 years old). Their dryland didnot earn them much and though husband andwife worked hard as daily wage labourers thefamily was poor and the children’s educationsuffered. Since they would not allow theirchildren to work to supplement the family’sincome, life was very hard for them.Jayamma had been leader of the Laxmiself-help group since 1993. She saved Rs.20 permonth but the group fund was not large enoughto provide loans for income generation.In 2002, members of the watersheddevelopment team and the project implementingagency of the Andhra Pradesh Rural LivelihoodsProject visited their village. They identified agood potential for income generation throughrearing buffaloes. They conducted a series ofmeetings with women’s groups and formed thevillage organisation with an aim to disburseloans for buying buffaloes. It was a new activityand not many understood how it would benefitthem or how they should rear these animals.There was a need to first improve the qualityof their groups in order to facilitate smoothtransactions and micro-credit activities. Akalajatha programme was conducted in thevillage which explained several aspects of themanagement and benefits of a self-help groupsuch as saving and the process of getting loans,monthly meetings, decision making and bookkeeping.In addition, the women’s groups weretaken to MC Thanda near Kadiri and Addakal inMahaboobnagar district on exposure visits. InMC Thanda the self-help groups had managedto bring in prohibition of alchohol. The visitorswere not only surprised but understood thepower of collective action.Jayamma feeds her cow20 AMUDALAKUNDA VILLAGE DISCOVERS THE BENEFITS OF MILKHope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 201/7/2008 10:43:27 AM

On 22 July 2004, the DWMA sanctionedRs.200,000 to the village organisation as a fundfor the enhancement of livelihoods. There are sixwomen’s groups in the village. First the familieswhich were very poor, poor and the middle classwere identified and loans were distributed tothem. All loans were meant for generation ofincome though the purchase of milch animalslike Jersey cows and buffaloes. To facilitatethe process the self-help groups constituteda five member committee consisting of oneveterinary doctor, one member of the watersheddevelopment team, one animator and two villageorganisation leaders.Initially Jayamma took a loan of Rs.8,000 andwith an additional contribution of Rs.2,000 shepurchased a Jersey cow at Gorallu village. Thecow had a 15 day-old calf and gave 7-8 litres ofmilk in the morning and the same quantity inthe evening. Jayamma used 1 litre for her familyand sold the remaining 15 litres to the dairyat Rs.9 per litre. With this she earned Rs.135per day (Rs.4,000 per month) on an average.She spent Rs.500 on feed and Rs.600 towardsrepaying her loan, and was left with aboutRs.3,000 as income. With this assured incomethe family sent their children to school. Withintwo years they had a profit of about Rs.72,000.The family’s financial problems were resolved,they were happy and had surplus money forcelebrations.In 2005, DWMA (APRLP) provided Rs.150,000to the village organisation from which Jayammatook another loan of Rs.20,000. She purchasedanother Jersey cow and two desi (indigenous)cows at a village called Eguvagadda. The desicows provided milk and were also used foragricultural activities. The Jersey cows justyielded milk. Each desi cow gave 4 litres of milkat one time and thus both cows yielded a totalof 16 litres of milk a day. By selling this milkat Rs.9 per litre Jayamma made Rs.144 per day(Rs.4,320 per month). From the Jersey cows sheearned Rs.8,000. Therefore her total earningsfrom her milch cows was Rs.12,300 per month.After spending about Rs.2,300 for feed, grassetc. she had an profit of Rs.10,000 per month.Her husband cultivated groundnut seed underthe Productivity Enhancement component of theproject. Apart from the yield, the crop providedgood fodder for the animals.The children shifted to good schools. Twoof Jayamma’s sons are studying for a B.Comdegree and her youngest son is studying in theeighth standard. Jayamma says that she met theexpenditure on her sons’ education solely fromthe sale of milk. The number of cows and calvesis increasing, as is Jayamma’s prosperity. Shethanks the Project for saving their lives.Jayamma caring for her cowAMUDALAKUNDA VILLAGE DISCOVERS THE BENEFITS OF MILK21Hope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 211/7/2008 10:43:27 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T10. WEAVING DREAMSDharmavaram, a small town in Anantapurdistrict is famous for its sarees, which providea source of livelihood to scores of weavers.Born into the weaving community and havingacquired the traditional skills of weaving, manyweavers work on wages for others, earning ameagre Rs.50 per day. For many, owning a loomis a dream because only then can they hope fora decent livelihood. The market for Dharmavaramsarees is assured; the weavers need the capacityto invest, and have initiative and entrepreneurialskills in order to have an independent income.S J Sattamma and Srinivasulu who livein Chinnapalli village in C K Pally mandal ofAnantapur district have two children. Their nineyear-oldson studied in the third standard andfour-year-old daughter went to the anganwadi.Sattamma’s mother-in-law, Kondamma, andfather-in-law, Linganna, live with them.Srinivasulu was an expert in design and weavingsarees. He longed for a loom to start on his own.However, he could not afford it and knew no wayto access finances to purchase a loom. So theyboth worked as weavers, earning a daily wage.Sattamma earned Rs.20 and Srinivasulu earnedRs.50, which was not enough, and the familysuffered from poverty. It was getting so difficultthey wanted to change their occupation so thatthey could earn more money.Though self-help groups had been started inthe village, Sattamma did not join up for a longtime, as she did not know how it would help her.However, in 2006 her in-laws encouraged herto join the Saraswati women’s group. Initiallyshe saved Rs.20 per month and in the nextyear, she is saved Rs.30 per month. Before theAPRLP watershed programme was initiated, theself-help groups lacked guidance and did notfunction efficiently. Monthly meetings wereirregular, and there was poor participation by themembers, payment of installments was delayed,and the book-keeping was poor.The credit of strengthening the self-helpgroups goes to Laxmi Narayana, member of thewatershed development team of the project. Hehelped them to streamline all their activities,encouraged participation and discussion amongmembers to help them set their own goals,and make their micro-credit activities moresystematic. All the self-help groups in thevillage were brought together to form the villageorganisation.Sattamma at the loom22 WEAVING DREAMSHope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 221/7/2008 10:43:27 AM

In 2002 APRLP officials organised awarenessprogrammes for the women on:• Formation of a self-help group by tenwomen• Ten groups federated into a villageorganisation• Monthly savings (Rs.20-30)• Norms for the proper utilisation of loans• Process of writing books• Process of conducting monthly meetings• Importance of the village organisationIn March 2004 the project sanctionedRs.200,000 to the village organisation for thebenefit of all the women’s groups of the village.Support was given to the three categoriesof women identified as very poor, poor andbelonging to the middle class. 25 women inthese categories were identified and a loan ofRs.8,000 was given to each.Sattamma was one of them. She used thisloan to buy a varpu (a critical part of the loom)so that her husband could weave sarees. Butto buy the entire loom she needed Rs.30,000.After a few days Sattamma’s mother-in-law waseligible for a loan of Rs.10,000 from the villageorganisation. She spent Rs.9,000 on buyingthree jukas, (important parts of the loom), andRs.1,000 on raw material. They borrowed the restof the capital from outside and erected their ownloom. It was a dream come true.They stopped going to work for others. Nowthey get orders and weave the sarees themselves.Each saree takes five days to weave and theymake a profit of Rs.800-1,000 on each. Theymake far more money today than they could everhope to make as wage labourers.One loom has changed their lives. A smallloan can make all the difference between povertyand plenty for a poor family.Sarees woven by SattammaThe loom has change Sattamma’s lifeWEAVING DREAMS23Hope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 231/7/2008 10:43:27 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T11. FLOWER POWERThirty eight year-old Narsamma belongs tothe Schedule Caste and lives with her husbandRudrappa, three sons and one daughter inNarasambadhi village in Agali mandal ofAnantapur district. She had one acre of drylandon which she cultivated red gram and groundnut.The crops were dependent on rain which wasoften quite scarce.Since there were many flowering plants in thevillage, Narsamma strung flowers into garlandsfor a living. She was paid Rs.7 for each kilogramof flowers she made into garlands, and she wasable to string two kilograms of flowers in a day.Whenever Rudrappa did not get work, he helpedher. Their combined income was about Rs.35per day. When the rains were good, they gotRs.8,000 from the crops. As this amount was notsufficient for food and the children’s educationthey stopped sending the children to school.The watershed programme was initiated inthe village and Narsamma joined the Ambedkarself-help group of women. Here she saved Rs.30per month regularly. Narsamma and Rudrappahad long wanted to start floriculture on theirland, so when their neighbour sunk a borewellon his land they requested him to give themwater for their field. The farmer agreed toprovide water for 5 hours a day at the rate ofRs.20 per hour. Though this was not a smallamount the couple was determined to cultivateflowers. They needed Rs.15,000 to set up afloriculture business, so Narsamma took a loanfrom the village organisation’s livelihood fund.They planted jasmine (tube rose),Kanakambaram and Kagada on their one acre ofland and watered the plants once every week.After three months the Kanakambaram startedflowering and a month after, so did the Kagada.Plucking Kanakambaram flowers24 FLOWER POWERHope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 241/7/2008 10:43:27 AM

Profit from KanakambaramIncome• Yield of 10 kg flowersonce in 3 days at Rs.120per kgExpenses• Plucking (at Rs.20 per kg)• Expenditure on stringingthe flowers together (atRs.20 per kg)• Total expensesProfitPlucked 10 times in a month,hence total profit per monthProfit from KagadaIncome• Yield of 10 kg flowersonce in 3 days atRs.70 per kgExpenses• Plucking• Expenditure on stringingthe flowers together (atRs.7 per kg)• Total expensesProfitTotal profit per month is aboutRs. 1,200Rs. 200Rs. 200Rs. 400Rs. 800Rs. 8,000Rs. 700Rs. 100Rs. 70Rs. 170Rs. 530Rs. 5,000Both varieties together fetch a profit ofRs.13,000 and after meeting other expenseslike power they had a stable monthly income ofRs.10,000.While they were waiting for the jasmine,to flower, which would be only after one year,Narsamma took a jasmine garden on lease. Sheinvested Rs.30,000 out of her monthly income.The change in Narsamma’s life was beyondimagination. She not only earned ten times herearlier income but also became a proud flowerproducer.Floriculture brought many changes to theirlives. She repaid an old debt of Rs.20,000 whichshe had taken to pay for surgery. Her childrennow go to a good school for which she spendsRs.20,000 per year. The couple now wears goodclothes and eat vegetables, meat, milk andfruits. And they can do all this without being indebt.Kagada bloomsFloriculture has changed Narsamma’s lifeNarsamma stringing a garland of KanakambaramFLOWER POWER25Hope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 251/7/2008 10:43:27 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T12. THE RAVIPADU VILLAGE ORGANISATIONThe women of Ravipadu made a name forthemselves through their efficient villageorganisation.95% of the women in Ravipadu villageof Cumbum mandal in Prakasam district areilliterate. They worked in the fields along withtheir husbands, took care of their children athome and did household chores. There weretwelve self-help groups in Ravipadu and onlyhalf of them functioned well.The watershed programme changedthe scenario. 33 groups were formed andthese groups in turn constituted the villageorganisation to manage the watershedprogramme and livelihood activities. Thepoorest women among the self-help groups wereidentified and provided with loans for incomegeneration activities such as:• Photography studio 11• Tailoring 6• Saree trading 6• Flour mill 2• Small provisions shop 12• Hair cutting saloon 1• Grinder 2In addition to the above, 21 women weregiven loans of Rs.12,000 each (total outlay ofRs.294,000) under the productivity enhancementfund. Besides, 150 members were given loansfor goat or sheep rearing. Through the loans,the village organisation has ensured livelihoodactivities for almost all the families. So far 250of the village organisation members have beengiven loans. They all had to follow certain rules:• If the repayment was not made on timethe member would not get another loan.• The capacity to repay was to be assessedfor higher loan amounts.• Two group members were to stand suretyfor a member seeking a loan.As a result of the good regulation forgranting loans, the village organisation’slivelihood corpus, including interest, increasedto Rs.28,50,000 in three years.Loans for buying buffaloes were in demand.Before the watershed programme started therewas one milk centre in the village with acollection of 300 litres per day. With a focuson milk production, there are now three milkcentres with a milk collection of about 1,500litres per day. The village organisation appointeda worker to take care of the milk collection.There are now three milk collection centres inRavipadu village26 THE RAVIPADU VILLAGE ORGANISATIONHope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 261/7/2008 10:43:27 AM

The Ravipadu Village Organisation attendedall the meetings of the mandal MutuallyAided Co-operative Society (MACS). Thosewho witnessed the developmental activitiesundertaken by the village organisation were veryappreciative, and it was identified as a goodvillage organisation. The members built goodrelationships with officials of the government atvillage and mandal level and successfully availedthemselves of all possible facilities.M V Guravamma of the Ravipadu VillageOrganisation was elected Vice President ofthe MACS. M V Guravamma showed courage inmeeting the DRDA, DWMA Project Directorsand the Collector. She put forward member’srequests and opinions before them without anyhesitation. As appreciation for her work theMRO entrusted her with the responsibility ofmonitoring the Grihini Scheme. She was alsogiven the responsibility of creating marketlinkages for products of the village organisationmembers and to oversee the old-age pensiondisbursal.The Ravipadu Village Organisation hasperformed very well and put their village on thedevelopment track.MV Guravamma was elected vice president of the MACSCattle owners have an assured market for milkTHE RAVIPADU VILLAGE ORGANISATION27Hope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 271/7/2008 10:43:27 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T13. UNITY BRINGS PROSPERITYSix women of Vepanagandla village in Kurnooldistrict have shown that working together canachieve good results.Each of them, barring one, had one or twobuffaloes. Their husbands worked as labourers.The money spent on feeding the buffaloes wasmore than their income from selling the milkthey produced. The women did not know what todo.They learnt from the nearby Nandikotkurvillage that the milk yield would increase if theyfed the buffaloes with Coimbatore 1 variety ofgrass. But they did not know how to get thisgrass. They decided to ask Khasim, a member ofthe watershed development team. He providedthem with information related not only to theprocurement of the grass but also on its use.He also directed them to the Assistant ProjectDirector who was impressed by their enthusiasmand immediately sanctioned funds under theProductivity Enhancement funds of the project.He told them that forming a group would be totheir advantage.The six women belonged to three differentself-help groups. Khasim got the villageorganisation to sanction them Rs.30,000. Theydid not have land to produce the grass. Theyfound a landowner willing to lease them one acreof land at Rs.20,000 per annum.They spent Rs.5,000 to procure the saplings,and planted them in the field. They watered thefield once a fortnight and applied urea 20:20just once. The Co-1 grass was planted in thirtyrows. Within a month the grass grew to a heightof five to six feet. They cut six rows at onetime. By the time the last rows were cut thefirst six rows had grown again. This grass growscontinuously for 2-3 years without any problem.The women were overjoyed. The grass wasreally miraculous. The yield from the buffaloesdoubled. Their income from selling milkincreased from Rs.500-Rs.1,000 per month toRs.5,000-Rs.7,000.Milk yield (per buffalo per time)Earlier yield1-1.5 litres2-2.5 litres3 litresFat content5%After feeding her Co-1 Grass3-4 litres5-7 litres7-8 litres10%The above comparison clearly shows a 2-3litres increase in the yield, i.e. a minimum ofRs.20 as additional income from each buffalo.All six members used this additional incometo buy more buffaloes and further improve theirincome.Carrying fodder home to feed her buffaloes28 UNITY BRINGS PROSPERITYHope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 281/7/2008 10:43:27 AM

Name ofmemberP MariammaP MerammaP RamanammaC RatnammaK MariammaLachchammaNo. of buffaloesearlier210321No. ofbuffaloes now65 + 2 calves3853One bundle (Mopu) of this grass is availablefor Rs.20-Rs.25 in the open market and oneanimal can easily eat more than one bundle in aday. This means that the cost of grass for eachanimal is on an average Rs.25-Rs.30 per day andRs.750 per month. Working collectively the sixfamilies were able to avoid this cost which ledto their making a good profit.The dairy farm that procured milk from themalso gave them loans. Mariamma took a loanof Rs.1.5 lakhs for her daughter’s wedding. Thefamilies of these women now eat good food andsend their children to school.Coimbatore 1 grass – excellent fodder for cattleWorking together for prosperityUNITY BRINGS PROSPERITY29Hope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 291/7/2008 10:43:27 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T14. WATER WALKS IN MOLKATALLAThe scenic village of Molkatalla is surroundedby huge hills. The rainfall is scanty, and whenit did rain the water washed away throughthe Nagulavanka canal into the Penna River.Groundwater was scarce and only about 20 acresof land had any irrigation facility. The peoplewere poor. They waited anxiously for the rain,because only then could they make ends meet.They cultivated the land only for rainfed cropslike jowar, maize, red gram and millets. Most ofthe people migrated seasonally to nearby townsin search of work.This poor village which is in Pedda Vadagurumandal of Anantapur district was identifiedby the APRLP for watershed development. Thegeography and topography of the village wasideal for watershed activities, so an actionplan was drawn up and in 2001-2002 waterconservation works commenced in the village.There were three major activities:• Minor water streams• Agriculture• Forest developmentVillagers started working to implement thefollowing activities with an accepted budget bythe watershed committee:Type of Work• Check dams• Avulannagaritank• Contra bunding• Feeder channel• Stoneconstructions• Soilconservationworks (RFDC)• Fodder plot• Farm ponds• Drylandhorticultureplantation• Percolationtanks• RFQuantity5111815 acres115 acresCost (in Rs.)4.82 lakhs58,00067,00066,00081,00046,80016,00014,4002.18 lakhs1.02 lakhs2.01 lakhs30 WATER WALKS IN MOLKATALLAHope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 301/7/2008 10:43:28 AM

Water coming from atop the Girrappa hillused to accumulate in the last field. Five checkdams were constructed by the project and thePanchayati Raj department constructed anadditional five check dams. This resulted in theharvesting of rainwater. With water percolatinginto the soil the soil-moisture content andwater table of the village improved. The patternof agriculture changed and contributed to asignificant rise in income of several families.A village, which did not have a singleborewell, has forty of them today, eachwith a good output of water. 150 acres havebecome irrigated. In addition, some peoplehave installed drip irrigation from borewellsand developed citrus gardens. In about fiveyears, the minimum yield of fruit per acre wasfive tons. The user group leader and farmerNageshwar Reddy said that the yield per acrefetched Rs.20,000-30,000.The villagers say they owe their happiness tothe APRLP watershed programme.Water conservation in MolkatallaWATER WALKS IN MOLKATALLA31Hope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 311/7/2008 10:43:28 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T15. PROBATION PHASE INPENCHIKALAPADU VILLAGEWatershed programmes were initiatedto develop 1,250 acres in Penchikalapaduvillage, of Besthavaripet mandal in Prakasamdistrict. Before starting the activities fully, ademonstration was set up on 50 acres. Duringthis probation phase village meetings (gramasabhas) and kalajatha programmes were held togenerate awareness on watershed development.Then, through participatory methods informationwas collected using a social map, resourcemap and other tools to help plan developmentactivities. 1,250 acres of land were identifiedthrough the resource map and a physicalsurvey of land. Self-help groups and villageorganisations were formed and strengthened.NRM activities50 hectares of land were identified on theslope and, based on the topography, the kindof structures to be built was also decided. Usergroups were formed. They were responsible forbuilding the structures. This was done in thepresence of all the village elders at a villagemeeting. They prepared and presented an actionplan, including estimates and budgets. Usergroup members were taken on exposure visitsto Addakal mandal in Mahaboobnagar districtand to some places in Karnataka to see andunderstand how the structures are built.The farmers were required to pay 10% astheir contribution. The initial constructionsdemonstrated all the different structures toall the farmers. The farmers were required tocomplete the works themselves or throughidentified poor from within their village.Bunds, farm ponds, stone checks andpercolation tanks were constructed, keeping allthe rules and regulations in mind. The engineerfrom the project’s watershed development teamprovided support to the village organisationwhich measured the work and disbursed thefunds to the user groups who paid the farmerstheir wages. Women and men were paid equalwages.The impact of these works was:• There was an increase in groundwaterleading to an increase in the watertable and higher storage capacities inborewells. Soil erosion was arrested.With water available there was aconsiderable increase in yield.The villagers were also able to developfodder.• With the payment of equal andremunerative wages migrationwas restrained. There was alsoan enhancement in the numberof available working days.There were problems as well:• Farmers who were already getting goodyields did not cooperate.• They did not agree to pay higher wagesfor poor labourers.• It was necessary to meet each and everyfarmer in the 50 hectare demonstrationsite to convince them about the utilityof the watershed activities.The villagers discuss development plans32 PROBATION PHASE IN PENCHIKALAPADU VILLAGEHope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 321/7/2008 10:43:28 AM

Community Based OrganisationsAwareness among women increased withthe formation of self-help groups and villageorganisations. It took nearly three months toform the village organisations, as there was aninitial resistance from many people.Self-help groups, village organisations, usergroups and labour groups were formed. Trainingprogrammes and exposure visits were organisedfor all of them, which helped build theircapacities and enabled them to implement theactivities better.Members of self-help groups and villageorganisations were also trained in book-keepingand effective utilisation of funds. Book-keeperswere appointed to update the groups’ accountsand village organisations’ transactions.The impact of these initiatives was:• Unity among members increased.• Dependence on money lenders reducedas loans were available from the groups.• Gender relations improved as therewas better understanding of the role ofwomen in society. Women’s initiative inrunning self-help groups and villageorganisations was appreciated,as was the effort of women to increasethe family income.There were problems here as well:• It took three months to form the villageorganisation.• Initially not more than ten membersattended the meetings.• It was difficult for some members tosave regularly.• In some cases there were problems withthe repayment of loans.Though it took time to implement the50 hectare demonstration watershed inthe probation phase, the second phase ofimplementation of watershed activities on 450hectares was completed easily.CBOs have improved the lives of womenPROBATION PHASE IN PENCHIKALAPADU VILLAGE33Hope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 331/7/2008 10:43:28 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T16. THE VILLAGE ORGANISATIONTRANSFORMS ULINDAKONDAMahatma Gandhi’s dream of ‘Gram Swaraj’has come true in Ulindakonda village in Kalloremandal of Kurnool district. Visitors are amazedat the practices of the members of the villageorganisation.Since the village covers a large area it hasfour watersheds assigned to it. It was includedin the APRLP programme so that the landlesspoor could benefit from the developmentinterventions. Earlier the village had 10 self-helpgroups, but with the introduction of the APRLPprogramme, the number rose to 39. The leadersof these self-help groups formed the villageorganisation. Every member of the self-helpgroups was charged a membership fee of Rs.10.As a result, a total of Rs.2,650 was collected andkept in the village organisation’s account at thelocal bank.The village organisation laid down a set ofrules for itself:• The village organisation must meet twicea month.• All the leaders of the self-help groupsmust attend the meetings.• Every new group must pay a membershipfee to the village organisation.• The governing body must change onceevery two years.• The village organisation’s accounts mustbe audited every year.• The general body meeting must beconvened every four to six months in theyear.• All members must participate actively insocial development programmes.• The books of accounts must bepresented to all the members everymonth.• Members who have taken loans from thevillage organisation must use it for thepurpose it was intended.• Loan installments must be repaid ontime.The management and governance of thisvillage organisation has been exemplary.They received Rs.8,19,000 as a revolving fundwhich was kept in the village organisation’sbank account. After receiving it, the villageorganisation conducted a PRA (ParticipatoryRural Appraisal) in the village, through whichthey identified 138 families as POP (poorest ofthe poor) and 278 families as poor. Based on theassessment of the availability of raw materials,skills, resources and market demand, 35 typesof possible livelihoods activities suitable for thevillage were identified.The village organisation decided that thepoorest would be given highest priority asrecipients of support. The members of thevillage organisation meticulously screened grouploan proposals to ascertain the viability of theproposed activities. Loans were to be sanctionedafter one month from the date of application.The borrower had to repay the loan in easyinstallments in 10-15 months. An interest ofRs.1 (12% per annum) was charged on the loan.Out of this 0.50 paise went to the self-helpgroup and 0.50 paise to the village organisation.So far, 214 members have received loans forvarious livelihood enhancement activities.The VO maintains records of all meetings andtransactions34 THE VILLAGE ORGANISATION TRANSFORMS ULINDAKONDAHope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 341/7/2008 10:43:28 AM

The village organisation members haveformed three sub committees:• Procurement Committee – to checkwhether members have made theproposed purchases.• Repayment Committee – to checkwhether the borrower is repaying themoney regularly.• Social Mobilisation Committee – toconstantly provide informationto villagers on various governmentschemes, and ensure that they reachthem. Important among them are:(i) Family planning,(ii) Enrollment in formal schoolsof children involved in child labour(iii) Pulse Polio Programme,(iv) Awareness on AIDS, and(v) Child marriage.Members of the village organisation alsoprepared an action plan to achieve:• Homes for the homeless.• Awareness of higher education for thechildren of the poor.• Stop seasonal migration.• 100% literacy.• Higher productivity.Thus, the village organisation is marchingahead with a clear action plan, transformingordinary women into successful entrepreneurs.Its endeavour is to banish poverty from thevillage. There cannot be any better beginningthan this for our communities.The VO meets twice a monthTHE VILLAGE ORGANISATION TRANSFORMS ULINDAKONDA35Hope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 351/7/2008 10:43:28 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T17. WOMEN CAN ALSO MANAGE WATERSHEDDEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMESThere are very few in the developmentsector in Andhra Pradesh who do not know theOrvakallu Mandal Mahila Samakhya (MMS).The thrift and credit programme of the StateGovernment (with support from UNDP) hadmobilised the women some years ago; they hadformed groups and become a formidable women’sforce. Knowing of their achievements in variousactivities of development, the Project Director,DRDA had assigned them the responsibility ofwatershed implementation. Thus MMS-Orvakallubecame a project implementation agency. TheMMS once again proved to be an inspiration toothers by living up to the expectations and trustof the Project Director.“In 2002, we didn’t know how to implementthe watershed development programme,” saysRatnamma, “the MMS was confined to savings,education and health. Then we were takento Ralegoan Siddhi, NIRD, APARD, MANAGE-Hyderabad and KVK-Banaganapalle to learnfrom older watersheds and understand how theproject was implemented, particularly throughinteraction with the officers there. However,when we tried to implement the programmein our village, we faced resistance and noncooperationfrom the villagers.”The village president and other farmersridiculed the MMS and said, “What can thesewomen do in our fields? How will they digand delineate boundaries? Can they conductmeetings?”But despite the resistance to their initiatives,the leaders of the MMS didn’t lose heart.A number of awareness programmes wereconducted and finally the farmers changed theirattitude and cooperated with them.The watershed association was formedand a watershed committee was elected atthe grama sabha. A PRA (Participatory RuralAppraisal) was conducted with the participationof all the villagers. The social map depictedthe infrastructure of the village; a resourcemap identified resources and boundaries ofthe village; a transect walk provided closerunderstanding of the natural resources andenabled discussion on the specific measuresneeded. The Poorest of the Poor were identifiedand the members ensured that all the villagersparticipated in the watershed developmentprogramme and understood it. Detaileddiscussions on measures to eradicate povertywere held.50 hectares of land at the ridge point ofthe watershed were identified for treatment. Auser group of farmers was formed to undertakethis job. The area was studied in detail bythe watershed development teams and, inconsultation with the farmers, an estimate forthe development of this land was prepared.The estimate was sent to district officials forapproval. After the funds were sanctioned, theuser group carried out the work. The projectimplementation agency, watershed committeeand members of the village organisation checkedand verified the work and found it satisfactory.The cost of the work was reimbursed by cheque.Thus transparency and a check on quality wereensured all through the process.A check dam built to conserve water36 WOMEN CAN ALSO MANAGE WATERSHED DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMESHope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 361/7/2008 10:43:28 AM

After the first 50 hectares, another 100hectares of land were treated in a similarmanner. A further 150 hectares of land weredeveloped using the ridge-to-valley treatmentmethod. Check dams, farm ponds, bunds, blockplantations, avenue plantations, gully controlsand horticulture etc. were created in thewatershed area. Thus the entire watershed areawas developed through a participatory approach,involving all the farmers.The Rs.4 lakhs revolving fund was madeavailable to them in the watershed programme.This was provided to the poor as loans to startproductive activities, with the MMS ensuring thatthe loans reached the needy.Over the last ten years, the MMS and thewatershed programmes have transformedthe livelihood scenario in the village. This islargely demonstrated by the arrest of seasonalmigration. The employment opportunities forthe poor during the off-season have become areality.“Collective decision making, perseveranceand transparency have enabled us to effectivelyimplement the watershed developmentprogramme in our village,” say the members ofMMS Orvakallu, with pride.Members of the MMS manage watershed activitiesWater is conserved in OrvakalluWOMEN CAN ALSO MANAGE WATERSHED DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES37Hope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 371/7/2008 10:43:28 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T18. ASPARI – A DYNAMIC VILLAGE ORGANISATIONThe women of Aspari village organisationdeserve a lot of respect. Traditionally, the womenhave been ignored and considered unimportant,but this has changed. It is women who occupycentre stage in the development of Asparivillage.1,311 families live in Aspari village in Asparimandal of Kurnool district. Most of them werepoor and both husband and wife in most familiesdepended on physical labour for their wages.When they did not get work they migrated toother places for work. In order to get loansthe farmers used to make deals with tradersduring the crop season. As a result they did notget good prices for their produce. Such dealsbenefited only the trader. Though there were 29self-help groups in the village, they could notsupport the members with credit because theydid not function well.The APRLP watershed programme wassupported by the NGO, Chaitanya YouthAssociation. The NGO organised manyprogrammes to communicate the benefits ofthe watershed programme and the need to formself-help groups and a village organisation.The response was slow. To form the villageorganisation with the existing 29 groupstook more than two months. There was somesupport from among the elderly members, butthe husbands of the younger members did notsupport their wives.The active village organisation members,together with the NGO formed 11 more groupsand made them eligible for a membershipin the village organisation. The livelihoodfund allocated for developing livelihoods inthe watershed was Rs.7,19,000 and it madea profound impact on the livelihoods ofpoor families. When the lending started, theattendance at the self-help groups and villageorganisation improved dramatically. This helpedin generating awareness among the women onvarious critical issues such as health, educationand livelihoods.The village organisation discussed themerits and demerits of each application for aloan and then sanctioned it only after therewas a collective consensus. After providing theloan, the members of the village organisationsupported the member to succeed in herpreferred activity. Their efforts were noticed andthe entire village supported their initiatives.Some of the livelihood activities supported were:Livelihood activities• Buffalo rearing• Vegetable vending• Fruit selling• Bangle selling• Kirana store• Soft drink shop• Cloth selling• Leaf plate manufacturing• Upma rawa machine• Small provisions shop• Chappal (foot wear) shop• Grinder• Oil selling• Flower business• Goat rearing• Vermicompost• Hair cutting saloon• Chilli powder making machine• Tailoring• Ladies corner (selling articles forwomen)• Supermarket• Book stall• Brick making• Goat tradingNumber of families58612113In the last three years the villageorganisation has given loans to 357 members,contributing towards a better livelihood for theirfamilies. As the members advanced financially,they repaid the loans promptly. As a result, thevillage organisation’s corpus of Rs.12,19,000increased to Rs.26,50,000.The village organisation also linked another60 new members to the bank and got themloans. As the loans were getting repaid withoutany hindrance, farmers were told by the bankto avail themselves of loans from the villageorganisation, again reflecting the villageorganisation’s credibility with the bank.The village organisation took an activepart in addressing social issues. They involved5112021121325114111120038 ASPARI – A DYNAMIC VILLAGE ORGANISATIONHope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 381/7/2008 10:43:28 AM

themselves in conducting a drive againstpolio, procuring pensions for the aged, AIDScampaign, shramadaan, felicitating teachers,organising training for unemployed youththrough Dr Reddy’s Foundation, etc. They hadprepared an action plan to generate employmentopportunities within the village to preventmigration. They purchased a de-seedingmachine which employs three persons. Futureplans include starting a restaurant which canprovide a livelihood to ten people and procuringagricultural produce during the season to be soldlater for a better price.The aim of the village organisation is todrive away poverty from Aspari. Men andwomen are determined to increase the incomeof the villagers through imaginative activities,cooperation and support to each other. They aimto provide full employment opportunities to allin the coming three years. Laudable goals andpraiseworthy achievements indeed!Running a small provisions shopSelling booksSelling chappalsA hair cutting saloon in AspariASPARI – A DYNAMIC VILLAGE ORGANISATION39Hope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 391/7/2008 10:43:28 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T19. THE GUNDLAKONDA MAKEOVERGundlakonda is a remote village inDevanakonda mandal of Kurnool district. Thevillage looked like a desert with parched, fallowlands. Women did not venture out of theirhouses, and many had never even seen anothervillage. Marriages were arranged among thevillage folk themselves. Only the men visitedthe shandy (the weekly village market) to buygroceries and other household needs. A majorityof the villagers were illiterate. Most of thevillage was dirty, due to which people often fellsick. At nightfall the men got drunk on cheapliquor, fought with each other and went home toabuse their women.The women woke up early, completed theirdaily chores and set out for work along withtheir children. The main occupation was weavingmats from palm leaf. Each woman wove aroundtwo to three mats each day. The men did nothingto earn a living but still held the reins of thehousehold. They would never bother to helpthe women. The women of the village were asubdued lot and suffered silently.It was the watershed programme whichchanged the face of the village. In 2000,the staff of the Rural Action In DevelopmentSociety (RAIDS), an NGO which was the projectimplementing agency for the APRLP came tothe village to create awareness on watershedinitiatives. But their entry into the village wasresisted by the villagers.The NGO worker was not deterred. Heexplained the concept of the project to thevillagers and managed to convince them. Hetold the women about self-help groups andin 2002, the women formed six groups. Eachgroup opened a bank account to deposit theirsavings of Rs.30 per person every month. Aftersix months, two members from each groupjoined together to form the Mubarak VillageOrganisation. The village organisation openedan account in the Devanakonda branch of theAndhra Pragathi Grameena Bank, and depositedRs.50 per group every month. As a result, fourmore groups were formed and they joined thevillage organisation, paying Rs.500 each asmembership fees.All the groups meet every month and checktheir accounts and transactions. The members ofthe village organisation meet on the 9th of everymonth, between 6 pm and 8 pm, to review theirtransactions. Every member has to be presentfor the meeting. Those who are unable to attendhave to inform the president of the villageorganisation well in advance.Meeting of the village organisation40 THE GUNDLAKONDA MAKEOVERHope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 401/7/2008 10:43:28 AM

A typical agenda for discussion of a villageorganisation meeting is:• Bank deposits of all the groups• Savings of the groups• Decision on loan disbursal• Watershed aspects• Issues affecting women of the village• Social issues• Village problemsSeveral records are maintained such as:• Minutes book• General ledger• Cash book• Savings and Loan disbursal book• Loan application• Receipt book• Group savings pass bookThus far, the total savings of the villageorganisation, from all groups, exceeds Rs.15,000.This amount is given out as loans to membersof the groups for various uses, at a low rate ofinterest.The recurring expenses of the villageorganisation are:• Annual office rentRs.1,200• Monthly salary to thegroup book-keeperRs.300• Monthly salary to thevillage organisationbook-keeperRs.300The present assets of the village organisationare worth Rs.2,000. Each group has taken loansof Rs.10,000 the first time, Rs.25,000 the secondtime and Rs.100,000 the third time, from thebank. This has been rotated among the membersfor agricultural investments. The APRLP toohas provided financial assistance to each groupranging from Rs.90,000 to Rs.160,000 to initiateincome generating activities like sheep/cattlerearing, dairy, vermicompost, setting up smallprovisions shops, hotels/eateries, flour mills,etc.The village organisation has initiated severalactivities such as:• Encouraging tradition bound women toparticipate in meetings and undergotraining.• Fixing equal daily wages of Rs.40 forboth men and women.• Planting trees in every household withthe motto that green trees arethe stepping stones to progress.• Admitting all children to school. Theorganisation admitted 30 children intothe Bridge School (which preparesstudents for regular school) and70 children to primary school.• 104 of the 109 families in the villagewere Muslim and therefore reluctant topractice family planning. Througheducation and awareness, theyhave been made to voluntarily practicefamily planning.• Destroying 40 liquor stills in the villageand practicing prohibition.• Coercing all the men who used to getdrunk and abuse their women into the‘Jamat’ – a spiritual sect of Islam. Oncein this sect, they had to abstain fromalcohol and tobacco.Large amounts were spent on Mallinikuntawatershed activities:• Watersheddevelopment• NRM related works• Administration• Communitymobilisation andtraining• Productivityenhancement• Livelihood creationRs. 31.66 lakhsRs. 13.38 lakhsRs. 2.76 lakhsRs. 2.76 lakhsRs. 8.29 lakhsRs. 4.00 lakhsLoans have improved productivityTHE GUNDLAKONDA MAKEOVER41Hope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 411/7/2008 10:43:28 AM

The village organisation paid Rs.26-31per cubic meter to the labourers for stoneconstructions, farm ponds, check dams, watercanals, dug out farm ponds, fruit gardens etc.spread over 461 hectares.Achievements of the village organisation:• Due to the impact of the watershed, therain water which filled Kuramgiri tanklocated 10 kilometers away, nowpercolates to the village and hasreplenished the water table.• Where the village once subsisted on onesolitary well, it now boasts of 20 wellsand 30 borewells.• Farmers in the village now grow cashcrops like onion, chilli and vegetables,making good profit.• Those who were once daily wagefarmhands, have now taken landon lease and cultivate it on their own.• Organised a district level sports event.• Installed a telephone facility in thevillage.• The members of the village organisationlaid drinking water pipe lines, properroads and cleaned up the village throughshramadaan (voluntary labour).These achievements were made possible dueto the hard work and commitment of women.Kitchen gardens have been encouraged in the village42 THE GUNDLAKONDA MAKEOVERHope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 421/7/2008 10:43:28 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T20. BOYA PANDARI’S SUCCESS STORYBoya Pandari lives in Gottigaripalli village ofKohir mandal in Medak district. This 31 year oldstudied up to intermediate school, then financialdifficulties forced him to cut short his studies.He was trained as an electrician and startedworking on his own in the village. A few yearslater, he married Prabhavati, who is now 28. Hisassets consisted of two acres of wetland and oneacre of dryland. Though he had a well, he couldcultivate just one acre from the well.The family was poor. Within a few years, hewas blessed with three children – two daughtersand a son. His family expenses rose. The childrenstudied in the government school. He was notable to feed his family. Two regular meals a daybecame a dream.Then, the APRLP was introduced to thevillage by Chinna Cheruvu Water and AgricultureSociety (CWAS), an NGO, which was the projectimplementing agency. The Society organisedawareness camps and formed women’s self-helpgroups in all the villages in the area. Pandariand his wife participated in these programmes.They came to know of new ways to earn aliving. Prabhavati joined the Bhavani selfhelpgroup and started saving Rs.50 a month.They continued to work as labourers in theconstruction of watershed structures.In 2004, at the suggestion of the Society,Prabhavati took a loan of Rs.1,500 from hergroup. She bought an 8 month old female goatfor Rs.1,300 and started rearing it. This goatsoon produced three kids, and in the secondseason had two more. Unfortunately, within onemonth, the mother goat fell ill and Pandari hadto sell it at the purchase price. In 2007, threeof the kids went on to breed. The size of theflock now stands at eight goats, worth Rs.15,000in all. Pandari is happy that their originalinvestment of just Rs.1,500 now yields them asizeable income.Due to the construction of a stone bund inhis field, the water level has increased and threeacres of land can now be cultivated. He growssugarcane and potato. He has taken a loan ofRs.10,000 to repair and put support rings inhis well. Apart from sugarcane, he has investedRs.13,000 on potato. He is happy as he expectsto net a profit of Rs.15,000.By attending group meetings andparticipating in various other programmes,Prabhavati has learnt to maintain cleanliness athome. She now knows that health and hygienego together and teaches her children too. Thehealth of the family has improved remarkablysince then. From a stage of acute poverty, thefamily can now afford children’s education, goodfood, clothes and a decent life.Boya Pandari and his goatsA stone bund ensures availability of waterBOYA PANDARI’S SUCCESS STORY43Hope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 431/7/2008 10:43:29 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T21. CONSERVING WATER SAVES GOPANNAPALLIGopannapalli village of Devarkadra mandal inMahaboobnagar district has demonstrated thatthe development of a village can happen only ifthere are adequate water resources. 429 familiesstay in Gopannapalli, and the total populationis 3,066. Most of the area in this village is raindependant, so castor and cotton are the majorcrops. Farmers who have borewells on their landscultivate paddy. The last three years, since therainfall was poor the crops failed. People hadto walk for over a kilometre to fetch drinkingwater. There was insufficient water for the cattleand those who could not afford to pay to sendtheir cattle far away to graze were forced to sellthem at very low prices. This forced the villagersto migrate to distant places in search of alivelihood.The watershed programme of the APRLPchanged the entire complexion of Gopannapallivillage. Twelve self-help groups were formedand federated into a village organisation. Firstthe project officials introduced the concept ofwatershed among all the villagers and explainedto them the benefits that the watershedprogramme can bring to the village. They spreadthe message that to increase the groundwaterlevel or fill the ponds and tanks they should notlet the rainwater go waste.After being trained the villagers preparedaction plans and formed user groups. With theapproval of the project, they constructed waterconservation structures such as percolationtanks, check dams, check walls, and bunds,introduced horticulture (Sweet lime) and bundplanting. Within two years the groundwaterincreased significantly. Tanks and ponds filledup with water. When the water levels increased,those who had migrated to other placesgradually returned and began cultivation.As water levels in the village increased cropshad a better yield. As a result larger areas cameunder cultivation. This increased the scope forwork within the village. More people got theopportunity to work for longer periods in theyear. Sufficient water increased the availabilityof feed and fodder for the cattle, bringing downthe distress selling of cattle. Milk productionincreased, providing higher incomes. Initiallyas the area was dry, people cultivated onlycastor and cotton. Now since water resourcesare available the people have shifted to growingvegetables and some even cultivate paddy.Consequently there is now food security for thevillagers.Some villagers are cultivating paddyWater conservation has led to increased water levels44 CONSERVING WATER SAVES GOPANNAPALLIHope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 441/7/2008 10:43:29 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T22. NO MORE MIGRATION FOR GORI BI’S FAMILYMD Gori Bi is 55 years old. She lives withher husband Khasim, son and daughter-in-lawin Gopanapalli village in Devarakadra mandal ofMahaboobnagar district. They own 1.5 acres ofdryland, on which they cultivated red gram andcastor which earned them around Rs.5,000 peryear. When there was no work for them in theirfield Khasim and his son used to work in an oilmill in Hyderabad. Together they earned nearlyRs.5,000 per month, but no matter how carefulthey were with their money they could not savemore than Rs.1,000 every month. After sometime when Khasim fell ill he stopped going toHyderabad. Their son became a labourer.When the Andhra Pradesh Rural Livelihoodsproject was introduced to their village Gori Beejoined the Vijayalaxmi self-help group, as didmany others. Taking note of her situation, thevillage organisation offered her a loan from thelivelihood fund to begin some business. Gori Beedecided to start a hotel, for which she got a loanof Rs.5,000 from the village organisation.Now the whole family takes part in runningthe hotel. Presently their monthly income isRs.6,000 and they do not need to migrate or goout to make a living.Gori bi and Khasim in their hotelTea for the customersNO MORE MIGRATION FOR GORI BI’S FAMILY45Hope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 451/7/2008 10:43:29 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T23. IMPROVED LIVESTOCK IN LINGOGIPALLEMr Vipparla Lakshmana Rao is a residentof Lingogipalle village in Cumbum mandalof Prakasam district. His parents were wagelabourers but managed to educate him up to the10th standard. They were not willing to sendhim away from home to look for a job becausehe is their only son. Nobody offered him workas he didn’t have any background in agriculture.When the APRLP watershed developmentprogramme was introduced in Lingogipallevillage, Lakshmana Rao who was inspired by Rajuthe agri paraworker, asked the multi-disciplinaryteam officers if he could train to become atrainer in the village. This would provide himwith an income and help him become selfreliant.The officers agreed and decided to trainhim to become a veterinary paraworker. Thevillagers also agreed.Lakshmana Rao was trained in animalhusbandry at Ongole. This 45 day programmetaught him all the aspects of first aid, seasonaldiseases, how to identify the breedingtime of buffaloes, how to recognise highlybred buffaloes, cross-breeding and fodderdevelopment etc. All that he learned he inturn taught the villagers at a gram sabha. Heprepared a seasonal calendar with help fromthe villagers. He told them what precautionsto take against seasonal diseases. He treatedminor ailments with advice from doctors and soearned Rs.10–20 per case. This ensured him hislivelihood.Earlier there was no breeding bull in thevillage, so the villagers had to take theirbuffaloes which were on heat to the nearestvillage that had one. The delay in taking thebuffaloes to the bull caused failed crossings.Each buffalo therefore had to be taken two orthree times to the nearby villages, and each timeRs.100 was paid to the owner. Thus the breedingof buffaloes was hampered.The DWMA gave Lakshmana Rao a Murrahgrade breeding bull against a deposit ofRs.2,000. Lakshmana Rao was able to convincethe villagers about the advantages of crossbreedingfor improved stock and increased milkproduction. Thereafter, animals on heat werecrossed on time, resulting in a better rate ofconception at the first crossing. He chargesRs.50 per crossing per buffalo, which is 50% lessthan before when villagers took their buffaloesto nearby villages. The cross-breeds thusproduced have enhanced the milk productionin the locality. Thus the villagers too havebenefited along with Lakshmana Rao, who is nowassured of a livelihood.400 calves were born in Lingogipalle villagein the past 3 years and of these, 320 arefemale buffaloes. These calves are healthierand sturdier. People from neighbouring villageshave heard about the breeding bull and theytoo bring their buffaloes to Lingogipalle forbreeding. “Another 100 calves have been born inneighboring villages,” says Lakshmana Rao, “Inthe next two or three years, there will be moremilk produced in the village and this will lead toeconomic development among the villagers.”Lakshmana Rao with his calves46 IMPROVED LIVESTOCK IN LINGOGIPALLEHope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 461/7/2008 10:43:29 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T24. A SMALL ENTERPRISE GOES A LONG WAYSK Magunni lives in Yatakallu village inChetturu mandal of Anantapur district. Herhusband used to work as an electrician but hadstopped working due to ill health. They ownthree acres of land, but being totally dependenton rainwater, they have no yield from this land.They have six daughters who work as labourers,peeling tamarind seeds, but even with theircombined income they cannot make ends meet.In spite of these difficult circumstances she gottwo daughters married.The family was in dire straits when the APRLPwatershed development programme was launchedin the village. This brought about gradualchanges in the economic condition of Magunni’sfamily. Magunni joined a self-help group alongwith other women. When the village organisationwas formed a livelihood fund was sanctionedto the village organisation. Magunni was ableto take a loan of Rs.10,000 to establish a flourmill. She bought the flour mill for Rs.12,000.The village already had a flour mill, but sheknew that there was scope for another becausethere were 600 families in the village. All themembers of the self-help group have becomeMagunni’s loyal customers. Thus her business hasprospered and she earns well. She charges Rs.2to grind one kilogram of wheat and thus sheearns Rs.70-100 a day and Rs.300 on the festivaldays. The flour mill earns between Rs.3,000-4,000 per month. After spending Rs.1,500 onpaying electricity bills and meeting all the otherexpenses she saves Rs.2,000 per month.All the family members still continue to workas daily wage labourers. With the additionalincome of Rs.2,000 per month, she has beenable to marry off her other two daughters aswell. Magunni’s story is a good example of howthe enterprise promotion scheme has improvedthe quality of life of the villagers.SK Magunni grinding wheatThe flour millA SMALL ENTERPRISE GOES A LONG WAY47Hope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 471/7/2008 10:43:29 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T25. BAKER SAHEB’S MANGO ORCHARDBaker Saheb owns 2 acres of land inMoosapet, in Midturu mandal of Kurnooldistrict. This area suffers from drought and yearafter year Baker Saheb and his family used towatch helplessly as their crops dried up due toinadequate rainfall.On the advice of the Assistant Director ofAgriculture, Baker Saheb decided to grow mangoon his land. He made a formal application tothe watershed committee for support under thedryland horticulture promotion programme.He dug 80 pits measuring 3x3x3 feet,maintaining a distance of 33 feet between eachpit. He filled the pits with chemical fertiliser andfarmyard manure. He brought mango saplingsfrom Panyam in Kurnool district at Rs.26 persapling, and planted the saplings in the pits.During the summer, with great difficulty hehad to carry water in drums on a bullock cart,just to water the saplings which struggled tosurvive. He protected the mango plants frompests and took care of them as if they were hisown children. During the rainy season he raisedBengal gram as an inter-crop and harvested 5quintals.He expects the first harvest of mangoesto yield 5 tons which should fetch a price ofRs.12,000 to Rs.16,000 per ton, providing himwith more than Rs.2 lakhs as income.He wants to dig a borewell so that he canraise high yielding inter-crops and henceearn a higher profit. Baker Sahab’s land is anexample of how cultivation of dryland crops hasbeen improved by the watershed developmentprogramme. Earlier he was able to grow onlyred gram, Bengal gram and sunflower, making aprofit of about Rs.6,000, but only if he could geta good harvest.The mango orchard has fulfilled BakerSaheb’s quest for ways to increase his income.He is eagerly awaiting the first major profitin his life. This is thanks to the watersheddevelopment programme, which gave him timelyadvice and technical support to raise the mangoplantations.Baker Saheb’s mango orchardPromise of a fruitful harvest48 BAKER SAHEB’S MANGO ORCHARDHope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 481/7/2008 10:43:29 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T26. RASOOLBI’S FRUITFUL BUSINESS48-year-old Rasoolbi is a resident ofArthaveedu village in Prakasam district. Whenher husband died six years ago she leasedout their 1.30 acres of land and began sellingvegetables to earn a living. She has threedaughters and two sons. She had taken loansto help with the wedding of her daughters. Herolder son dropped out of school in the 10thstandard as they had no money. Her younger sonis still in school.Rasoolbi had joined the Jayanthi self-helpgroup when APRLP watershed developmentprogramme started in the village. With her dailyearnings of Rs.40-50 she was regularly able tosave some money in the group. But she fell shortwhen her daughters came home during festivalsor for their confinement. She used to borrowmoney to fulfill their needs.When some money was released to thevillage organisation, loans became availableat low interest rates. Rasoolbi wanted to takeadvantage of this to start a fruit vendingbusiness. She borrowed Rs.10,000 from thevillage organisation with permission from herself-help group. She bought a pushcart forRs.2,000. The remaining Rs.8,000 she spentbuying fruits from Cumbum. She started sellingfruit from her pushcart at Arthaveedu bus stand.There were pitfalls in the beginning becauseshe had to honour previous debts. Gradually shehas gained control over her business. Her dailysale was around Rs.500–600, of which her profitwas Rs.150. Her older son helped her to run thebusiness.Now she earns about Rs.4,500-5000per month. She repays her loan in monthlyinstallments of Rs.1,000 plus interest of Rs.100.She now has Rs.3,500 to run her household. Shehas already repaid Rs.8,000 of the loan. Once theentire loan is cleared everything she earns willbe her income. As her income is enhanced she isgiving her younger son a college education. Herdaughters and sons–in-law are happy as theirmother-in-law fulfills even their small wishes.Had the watershed development activity notstarted, things would have been dreadful. Shecouldn’t even dream of being in this situation,says Rasoolbi.Rasoolbi selling fruit from a pushcartHappy customersRASOOLBI’S FRUITFUL BUSINESS49Hope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 491/7/2008 10:43:29 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T27. THE FARMERS’ BEST FRIENDCHANGES CHANDRA REDDY’S LIFEScanty rainfall has become a recurrentfeature leading to severe difficulties for thosewho are dependent on dryland agriculture. Cropsgrow or fail, depending upon the weather. Formany farmers investments are high and cropfailure can lead to a financial disaster. Somefarmers are even driven to suicide. Drylandagriculture is truly a gamble.39 year-old Chandra Reddy is a small farmerwith three daughters. His livelihood dependson agriculture. The Project selected him to betrained as a paraworker. He was sent to KrishiVigyan Kendra at Banaganapalli village for a45-day training programme, split into twophases. Scientists taught the trainees aboutmany issues related to agriculture developmentsuch as the ill effects of using chemicalfertilisers; the contamination and diseases theycause and how the land is gradually renderedinfertile. They were also taught how to prepareand use vermicompost, and how it enhances soilfertility and productivity. This made a strongimpact on Chandra Reddy and he decided to onlyuse vermicompost for his crops.As a first attempt, he started production ofvermicompost in two beds. He got an interestfreeloan of Rs.20,000 from the ProductivityEnhancement Fund. He constructed a shed,using concrete, and two troughs which were14 feet long, 3 feet wide and 3 feet high. Helaid maize chaff on the bottom of the troughs.On this he put a layer of dried cattle dung andChandra Reddy at his vermicompost pitdried paddy straw, followed by a layer of cattledung. He filled the pit with these layers rightup to the top. Then he introduced 5 kgs ofearthworms along with filler material broughtfrom Banaganapalle into each bed.In the first four months 20 quintals ofmanure was produced. Later, using the culturedeveloped in the initial beds, another 5 bedswere prepared. In two years he has harvestedvermicompost five times, producing 100quintals of manure. He utilised 20 quintals ofmanure, and sold the remaining 80 quintals toneighbouring farmers at Rs.300 per quintal. Healso sold earthworms worth Rs.22,000 at Rs.50per kg to these farmers. He generated Rs.46,000from this enterprise, and also met the need formanure for his own land.He got an increased yield of up to 2 to3 quintals per acre. The quality of the cropsimproved, particularly the chillies. The seed sizeof the Bengal gram and sunflower increased. Pestattacks were also prevented. Earlier, he used toapply about 4-5 quintals of chemical fertilisersper acre, at a cost of about Rs.2,500. He nowsaves the entire amount.Chandra Reddy repaid the loan of Rs.10,000he had taken from the Productivity EnhancementFund and has celebrated his older daughter’swedding with the income earned out of the saleof vermicompost.A handful of healthy fertilizer – vermicompost50 THE FARMERS’ BEST FRIEND CHANGES CHANDRA REDDY’S LIFEHope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 501/7/2008 10:43:29 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T28. SAVED BY THE VILLAGE ORGANISATIONSavitramma is a resident of Avulanna villagein Belugappa mandal of Anantapur district.Her husband is a temple priest. Previously thetemple owned 200 acres of land. The priestwas given a share of the crop and they livedhappily. Gradually the temple land dwindleddue to various reasons. Now the temple ownsonly 4 acres of land and that too is givenout on lease. Therefore the temple trust paysa paltry Rs.600 per month as salary to thepriest. Managing the family became difficult.Savitramma could not work as a labourer,so they thought of pulling their sons out ofschool.When the APRLP watershed developmentprogramme was launched in the village, somenon-governmental organisations working thereorganised the poor into self-help groups.Thereafter, all the groups in the village formeda village organisation. The village organisationwas given a livelihood fund and Savitrammatook a loan of Rs.10,000 from the villageorganisation to start a small provisions shop.There were already four provisions shops inthe village but Savitramma persuaded all themembers of the village organisation to buyfrom her shop. In the first year she was ablesell goods worth Rs.300–400 per day, makinga profit of only Rs.20-30. After repaying thefirst loan, she took another loan of Rs.10,000and upgraded the business. She started sellinggoods worth Rs.600–800 every day, makinga profit of Rs.100 per day. With an income ofRs.3,000 per month she was better able to carefor her family.SavitrammaSavitramma’s small provisions shopSavitramma with customersSAVED BY THE VILLAGE ORGANISATION51Hope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 511/7/2008 10:43:29 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T29. SRI PADDY – NOT JUST A FANCIFUL IDEAThe System of Rice Intensification (SRI)method of cultivating paddy is new andinnovative. With this method there is no needto retain water in the paddy field or keep it toodamp. The field needs to be weeded four times.A quintal of 20:20:0 fertiliser should be appliedin the middle of the growth period. This ensureslush green growth. This method is ideal inareas where the rainfall is scanty and the needfor water conservation is great. Results showthat the SRI method of cultivating paddy is asproductive, if not more productive, than theconventional method.Babumiya belongs to the Katyala watershed.He and his family of seven own 1.5 acres ofwetland and 2.5 acres of dryland. Babumiya hasstudied only up to the 5th standard but he hasplayed a lead role in the watershed developmentactivities. He was part of a ten-memberteam which attended a training programmein Hyderabad on SRI paddy cultivation. Thewatershed development committee helped himto visit other places where SRI paddy was beingcultivated. The training programmes inspiredBabumiya. He was determined to cultivate SRIpaddy. The neighbouring farmers ridiculed himfor his fanciful ideas, but he was undeterred. Hefurther upgraded his learning by reading booksand consulting the local Agriculture Officer.Babumiya started by preparing beds whichwere 9 feet long and 3 feet wide and raisedseedlings in them. He ploughed his 1.5 acres ofwetland twice and applied 2 tons of farmyardmanure and 2 tons of compost to enhance itsfertility. He used 3 kgs of seed for raising anursery to transplant in his 1.5 acres of landand when the seedlings were 8 days old, hetransplanted them in neat rows, keeping therequired distance of 25 cms. between saplings.He followed the SRI method correctly, andtherefore his crop was lush and green and pestfree.This success story raised enthusiasmamong farmers who came in groups to see itand learn about its benefits. “I explained tothem the method of cultivation and they werequite thrilled at the growth of the crop,” saysBabumiya. The crop yielded 65 bags of paddy.This is double the 30-35 bags he used to get,with a very high cost of cultivation on seed,irrigation and pesticide. Now Babumiya’s familyeats Basmathi rice at home and his childrenstudy in good schools. He was elected the bestfarmer in the mandal.Babumiya has proved that with persistenceand hard work anything can be achieved.Healthy paddy crop52 SRI PADDY – NOT JUST A FANCIFUL IDEAHope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 521/7/2008 10:43:29 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T30. SUCCESS IN A NICHE MARKETMatam Shyleswari is 45 years old. She lives inYatakallu village in Cheturu mandal of Anantapurdistrict with her husband and two sons. Theymigrated here from Karnataka and made a livingby running a small provisions shop. There werealready five provisions shops in the village,hence her income was limited to Rs.30-40 perday. As this income was low her family faceda lot of stress and Shyleswari had no moneyto spend. She had to send her sons to thegovernment school.When the APRLP watershed developmentprogramme started in the village she joined theShylaja self-help group. 22 self-help groups wereformed in the village. The village organisationreceived a livelihood fund because their savingand credit activity was good. Many memberstook loans to start small income generationactivities. This prompted Shyleswari to thinkabout starting an activity for herself. She hadobserved that one person had been doing goodbusiness selling fancy and rolled gold ornamentsfor the past three years. She decided to do thesame. Seeing her determination her husbandagreed with her decision to go into business.She borrowed Rs.12,000 from the villageorganisation and started her own “fancy shop”with helpful tips from fellow shop owners atKalyanadurg.She sourced popular items from Kalyanadurg.As she sells her goods cheaper than outsidevendors, most of the villagers buy only fromher. Thus the business has prospered and shesells items worth Rs.300–500 per day, of whichRs.60–100 is profit. During special occasions offestivals and marriages she sells goods worthmore than Rs.1,000 per day, thus getting a profitof more than Rs.200 a day. For two years nowShyleswari has been earning Rs.3,000 per monthfrom her business while her husband is earningRs.1,500 per month from his small provisionsshop. Their economic condition has improved,and the changes are evident.Their youngest son has joined a residentialschool where they pay Rs.12,000 per annumas fees; They have built a bigger house, andbought a refrigerator to store cold drinks.Because she is independent she has boughtmany household goods and decorations for herhome. Thus Shyleswari has become a role model.Shyleswari in her small provisions shopSUCCESS IN A NICHE MARKET53Hope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 531/7/2008 10:43:29 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T31. SILT TURNS WASTELAND TO PRODUCTIVE LANDThe villagers of Korlapahad of Katepallimandal in Nalgonda district have benefitedfrom silt application. The land here is sodic andlataritic so it cannot be used for cultivation.It therefore lies fallow and only cattle wanderacross these wastelands. With no source ofincome the villagers used to migrate to Vuyyuruin the Krishna district, Miryalaguda andsurrounding villages to cut sugarcane, or workin paddy harvesting and transplantation. Mostof the children dropped out from school becausetheir parents migrated.The villagers met to discuss this situation.They felt that the migration had to becontrolled. They wanted to be able to grow cropsin their fields. They decided to apply silt to theirfields to enhance the fertility of the soil. Thetanks could be de-silted and this silt would beavailable for application to the land. Desiltingwould have multiple benefits. The tank wouldget deeper and thus store more water. This wouldincrease groundwater, which would replenishwells in the villages. The silt applied to thefields is bio-organic manure, so the land wouldbecome cultivable. With the availability of waterand increased fertility, crops could be grown andthis in turn would provide work for labourerswhich would ultimately result in controllingmigration.The village organisation discussed thisplan in detail and they unanimously agreed toimplement it. They approached the NGO, whichfacilitated the implementation of watershedactivities and prepared a list of wastelands inthe villages. Thirty farmers were identified andthey all agreed to the plan and contributedto the development process. The villageorganisation resolved that the silt from the tankmust be dug and transported to the farmers’fields. 20 tractor loads of silt were dumped andspread. The need per acre was estimated at 50m 3 of silt. (A tractor load is equal to 2.5 m 3of silt). The expense for transporting the siltwas met from the Productivity Enhancementfund and the cost of digging and loading fromthe Food for Work programme. It generated anemployment opportunity for some of the labourand they were remunerated with 7 kgs of riceand Rs.70 in cash as wages for a day of work.This stopped the migration.The village was totally transformed. Farmersstarted growing cash crops such as cotton andgroundnut and a number of vegetables in thefields where the fertility was enhanced due tothe silt application. Productivity increased.All these lands filled with crops. Water storagecapacity had gone up in the tank. Open wellsand borewells have plenty of water. Thus thecycle of change towards development hasstarted.A healthy cotton crop54 SILT TURNS WASTELAND TO PRODUCTIVE LANDHope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 541/7/2008 10:43:29 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T32. A LITTLE HELP GOES A LONG WAYS K Mahabuni lives in B Pappuru village inNarpala mandal of Anantapur district. She is 40years old and belongs to the Muslim community.Her husband cannot earn a living due to illhealth, so she is responsible for her familyof five. She used to earn Rs.20 per day as alabourer, which was hardly enough to maintainher family.In 2002 APRLP started the watersheddevelopment programme in the village. Aspart of the process it organised poor womeninto self-help groups and formed villageorganisations. Awareness programmes wereorganised. Mahabuni joined the Srujana groupand since all the members are from a similareconomic status they started saving Rs.50 permonth. The self-help group opened an accountin the Andhra Pragathi Grameena Bank and paida membership fee of Rs.500 to the Shirdi SaiVillage Organisation.The members of the self-help group were ableto borrow from the village organisation to startsmall income generating activities. Mahabuniborrowed Rs.15,000 at Rs.1 interest and startedan STD telephone booth at the bus stand. Shealso started selling cigarettes and bidis. Sheearns Rs.150-200 per day. From this income sherepays her loan every month and also looks afterthe needs of her family.Mahabuni started selling tea and tiffinthrough the shop, which earned her a higherprofit. Later she also started selling cold drinkswith the help of her sons. She made her businessgrow and the shop got bigger. She and her sonsmanage the shop. One sells tiffin and tea, thesecond sells cold drinks and the third runs theSTD booth and collects phone bills. They havebecome completely involved in the business.They open the shop at 8 am and close the shopat 10 pm. They buy milk for the hotel from themembers of the group and get the cold drinksand other items from Bathulapalli village.They save Rs.5,000–6,000 per month aftermeeting all their expenses. She has purchaseda fridge for Rs.25,000 to keep the drinks cold.Mahabuni says that the livelihoods improvementprogramme of APRLP has brought light into herlife.Mahabuni sells snacks from her shopMahabuni’s son makes the teaThe STD booth run by Mahabuni’s sonA LITTLE HELP GOES A LONG WAY55Hope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 551/7/2008 10:43:29 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T33. KASAMMA FIGHTS POVERTYG Kasamma lives in Seethanagulavaramvillage in Tarlubadu mandal of Prakasam district.Though she belongs to an upper caste she isvery poor. She and her husband worked very hardas labourers. She earned Rs.20, and her husbandearned Rs.60 as a daily wage. They were a poorand honest couple. They have two daughters anda son, and even though times were hard, theydid not stop educating their children; in factthey gave it utmost priority.In 1998, Kasamma learned that self-helpgroups were being formed in the village, andtaking the lead she formed the Sarojini selfhelpgroup with 12 members. They opened agroup account in the Syndicate Bank and startedsaving Rs.30 per member per month. Graduallythey increased the savings amount to Rs.50 permonth. The group borrowed Rs.88,000 from thebank and repaid it. In 2001 Kasamma took aloan of Rs.5,000. She bought a buffalo with theloan amount. When it was fully grown, it gavebirth to a female buffalo. It produced 2 litres ofmilk per day; thus an additional Rs.20 was addedto her daily earnings.But Kasamma did not stop there; she kept onthinking about taking up a meaningful activitywhich would release her family from the clutchesof poverty. Unfortunately the buffalo died dueto illness. Kasamma’s group again borrowedRs.88,000 from the bank and she took Rs.8,000from the group and bought another buffalo. Shegot Rs.10,000 from the insurance company forthe dead buffalo. With this money she repaid herfirst loan.As part its activities the APRLP formeda village organisation in the village. Thewomen unanimously selected Kasamma as thechairman of the village organisation. APRLPhad sanctioned a revolving fund to the villageorganisation. In 2006 Kasamma borrowedRs.20,000 and started a small provisions shopin her house. She built a separate room in herhouse for the shop, at a cost of Rs.7,000. Theremaining Rs.13,000 was invested in stockingitems needed for the shop. She was able to earnRs.30-40 per day from the shop. Her husbandkept his job as a daily wage labourer. In January2007 she again borrowed Rs.15,000 from therevolving fund and upgraded her shop. Sherepaid the monthly interest regularly. Kasammaably manages the activities of the villageorganisation and her own shop and sees that herchildren are educated at the same time. Whenher husband broke his hand and could not workshe managed all their enterprises alone. She is acourageous woman, going forward alone.Kasamma with a customer56 KASAMMA FIGHTS POVERTYHope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 561/7/2008 10:43:30 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T34. WATERSHED ACTIVITIES STEM THETIDE OF MIGRATIONEven valleys, hills and streams have beenmade into forces for development by the womenof Rahimkanipet village.In 1998, the DPAP had started a watershedprogramme in Rahimkanipet village in Gundalamandal of Nalgonda district. The villagecommunity was made aware of the developmentstrategies and two self-help groups were formed.These groups had opened accounts in the CentralBank of India, Chada, and each member savedRs.30 per month.In 2001 APRLP activities were initiated. Theself-help groups set up a village organisationand opened accounts in the Nagarjuna GrameenaBank in Atmakur.The women implemented the watershedproject works for the watershed programmein 1,000 hectares of the village. They carriedstones, and dug the soil. They built several waterconservation structures: they dug water rechargepits for wells belonging to farmers, constructedtwo check dams on the road to Polireddypallyvillage, six percolations tanks and 40 stone/flood bunds. They sowed grass seeds and plantedJatropa and other plants.Earlier, women used to get only Rs.20 asdaily wages. This increased to Rs.50-60 per day,thanks to the watershed activities in the village.The self-help groups were running well and thevillage organisation loans were repaid on time.As these activities for watershed developmentcontinued for five years women got a lot ofwork, and the men were also fully employed.Migration has stopped. Today the villagers areliving happily, they can at last buy new clothesfor every festival and celebrate family functionson a grand scale.The village organisation implements watershed worksConserved Water has led to overall progressWATERSHED ACTIVITIES STEM THE TIDE OF MIGRATION57Hope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 571/7/2008 10:43:30 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T35. RAJAMMA’S STORYThirty year old G Rajamma lives inKavalakuntla village in Pullacheruvu mandal ofPrakasam with her husband China Venkataiahwho is ten years older, two daughters and ason. Rajamma and her husband worked as wagelabourers earning Rs.50 a day. But sometimesthere was no work and they had to sit idle. Theycould neither educate their children nor buy newclothes for them. They could not even attendfunctions at houses of relatives in neighbouringvillages. They belong to the Golla caste but theydid not own any sheep or goats. Thus they wereliving in extreme poverty.When she learnt that women were joiningself-help groups, she too joined the JanaSravanthi self-help group comprising tenmembers and so started saving Rs.50 per month.She attended all the discussions and meetingsof the group to discuss poverty and livelihoodsissues and strategies. She learnt about smallincome generation activities. APRLP provides arevolving fund to village organisations to helpenhance livelihood opportunities for the poormembers and in turn the village organisationsextend loans to their members for incomegeneration activities.Rajamma selected dairy farming as anincome generation activity. She took a loanof Rs.10,000 from the village organisation topurchase a buffalo. She paid Rs.1,000 per monthtowards repayment of the loan. Next she tookanother loan of Rs.5,000 and started a smallshop near the bus stand close to her home tosell cigarettes, bidis, chocolates, biscuits andprovisions. She stopped going to work as alabourer. Now her husband manages the shop ashe is too sick to work as a labourer. The buffalodelivered two calves and provides 3 litres of milkper day which is sold at Rs.10 per litre. Thusshe earns Rs.30 per day from selling milk. Thebuffalo and two calves are worth Rs.20,000. InJanuary 2007, she took a loan of Rs.15,000.With Rs.10,000 she bought a fridge and withRs.5,000 bought cold drinks to sell from theshop. The shop has now been upgraded anddoes brisk business since it is well located infront of the bus stand. She and her husband aremanaging the shop and the buffaloes.A poor, illiterate woman has been able tostop working as a labourer and is now the proudowner of a shop. All this was made possible withthe support and cooperation extended to poorwomen by APRLP.Rajamma tends her buffaloVenkataiah with a young customerRajamma and China Venkataiah in their shop58 RAJAMMA’S STORYHope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 581/7/2008 10:43:30 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T36. LAXMIDEVI AND NAGARAJU – IN THEDRIVER’S SEATTwenty-four year old R Laxmidevi and herhusband Nagaraju who is thirty years old livein Bondalavada village in Narpala mandal. Theybelong to the Dhobi (washerman) community.Nagaraju worked as a van driver and earnedRs.1,500 per month, but this was not enough forthem to lead a decent life. In 2002, when APRLPstarted, Laxmidevi joined the Peddammaswamyself-help group and so saved some money everymonth.In 2003 she took a loan of Rs.15,000 fromthe village organisation supported by the APRLPand bought a second-hand auto. Her husbandran this auto, and was able to earn betweenRs.100–150 per day. He repaid the loan amountsuccessfully. He then rented his auto to hisfriend at Rs.200 per day, earning Rs.6,000per month. Laxmidevi took another loan ofRs.20,000 from the village organisation and theyadded another Rs.15,000 from their own savingsand bought a diesel auto for Rs.35,000. Nagarajunow runs the diesel auto between B Pappuru andNarpala and earns Rs.200 per day after meetingexpenses. Thus the two autos fetch themRs.12,000 every month, of which Rs.3,000–4,000is spent on the maintenance of the two autosand Rs.1,000 is paid towards repayment of theloan. The remaining Rs.8,000 is either saved orspent on the family. Now they even educate theirchildren in private schools. Therefore, the couplefeel that the watershed development programmeof APRLP has changed their lives.Laxmidevi and Nagaraju with their autoNagaraju drives his autoLAXMIDEVI AND NAGARAJU – IN THE DRIVER’S SEAT59Hope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 591/7/2008 10:43:30 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T37. VEGETABLE VENDORS TURN TO DAIRYS K Fathima who is forty years old liveswith her fifty year old husband, HussainPeera in Gugudu village in Narpala mandal ofAnantapur district. They have three sons and twodaughters. Fatima used to be a vegetable vendor,but the paltry income she earned from this wasnot enough for her to manage her family andhousehold.When the APRLP activities began in thevillage she joined the Mallamma self-help groupand saved Rs.50 per month. Mallamma self-helpgroup has twelve members and became a part ofthe Kullayaswamy village organisation.Since the income from vending vegetableswas not enough she thought of augmentingit by buying a buffalo and selling the milk itproduced. This idea was born at the APRLPlivelihood enhancement meetings anddiscussions, which she attended. So she took aloan of Rs.12,000 from the village organisationunder the Productivity Enhancement fund.She bought two buffaloes with that money. In2004 she took another loan of Rs.15,000 fromthe village organisation and bought two morebuffaloes. Thus she ran two businesses of dairyand vegetable vending to earn money. Hereldest son assisted her. Her husband workedas a daily wage earner. She not only repaid theloan in time, but spent another Rs.7,000 to trainher son at handloom weaving. He too startedearning some money. As the dairy progressedshe stopped vegetable vending. The dairy, whichstarted with two buffaloes, has gone up to 10buffaloes. Currently she sells 50 litres of milkper day. Each litre is sold at Rs.12 and her dailyearning is Rs.600. She spends Rs.15,000 perannum on fodder and feed. The gopalamitrasprovide medical aid for her animals.Fathima and her family have risen fromabject poverty to a comfortable life. In 2006 sheconstructed a pucca house and her children areeducated. Her hard work and the government’stimely support have helped them to developeconomically.Fathima and her familyHussain Peera looks after their buffaloes60 VEGETABLE VENDORS TURN TO DAIRYHope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 601/7/2008 10:43:30 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T38. GAJJALAKONDA IS NOW AN EQUITYCONSCIOUS VILLAGEWhen the APRLP activities began inGajjalakonda village in Markapuram mandal,the DWMA conducted awareness programmeson the activities of the watershed programmefor farmers and labourers. The DWMA persuadedthe farmers to work on watershed works intheir respective fields. They started user groupswith farmers and labourers in the village. Theyconducted gender awareness programmes andintroduced the idea of equal wages for men andwomen. Men protested against this initially butlater on agreed to the proposal. The farmersand labourers of the village joined togetherand formed five labour groups, each comprisingthirty members. Men and women workedtogether on the construction of farm ponds,stone walls and check dams etc., and on 4 kmsof plantation from Gajjalakonda to ModdulapalliRoad.After the completed building works weremeasured, the labourers were paid Rs.61.20 paiseper metre for earth work and Rs.150 per metreof stone work. Women and men got equal wages.Earlier, women used to be paid Rs.20 and menRs.40 as daily wages. The villagers understoodthe injustice of the disparity in wages for menand women because they had attended theawareness camps.One person in the group was chosen asthe leader to oversee the work of the entiregroup. The village organisation got the moneydirectly from the DWMA and paid the labourersby cheque. The group leader assembled all themembers and distributed the money equally.Each member got wages ranging from Rs.50 toRs.80 per day and at the same time they workedand developed their own fields. The villagers aregrateful for the help and also admit that theyhave saved money in the process. Gajjalakondavillage is now a gender friendly village wheremen and women earn equal wages.Men and women work together for equal wages inGajjalakondaGAJJALAKONDA IS NOW AN EQUITY CONSCIOUS VILLAGE61Hope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 611/7/2008 10:43:30 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T39. KASAMMA BECOMES A SUCCESSFULENTREPRENEUR“My name is N Kasamma. I am 27 years old.I have studied up to class 10. My husband isVenkata Subba Reddy. He is 31 years old. Hestudied up to the intermediate level. We gotmarried five years ago but have no children. Wehave two acres of land and we both work in thefields.In 2001 as the women in my neighbourhoodwere joining the self-help groups, I too joinedone. I save Rs.50 per month. Through therevolving fund of APRLP the village organisationprovides loans to its members. In 2004 I took aloan of Rs.5,000 from the village organisationand started a bangle shop in my home. I repaidthe loan at Rs.500 per month.In 2005 I took a second loan of Rs.10,000from the village organisation and started sellingclothes as well. My shop is the only one in thevillage which sells clothes, and because I havea good relationship with all the members of thevillage organisation, they all buy their clothesonly from my shop. Thus my business has grown.The village organisation members encouraged meto upgrade the shop, so after totally repayingmy earlier loan, I took another loan of Rs.30,000from the revolving fund. I bought ready-madeclothes and dress material. I rented a room justin front of my house and shifted the shop there.I am fully involved in managing the shop. Ikeep the shop open from morning to evening.Currently I make a profit of Rs.100–150 everyday, thus my income is about Rs.3,000 permonth. During the marriage season I make alarger profit. There are clothes worth Rs.80,000in my shop. I repay the loan in monthlyinstallments, and my repayment record is good.Every three months, after paying the loan, I buyclothes needed for the shop. Other women in thevillage appreciate my achievement. My businesssecret is honesty and confidence in myself.”Kasamma with her customersKasamma in her shop62 KASAMMA BECOMES A SUCCESSFUL ENTREPRENEURHope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 621/7/2008 10:43:30 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T40. CONSERVE WATER FOR A BETTER LIFEK Venkata Mallaiah is a resident ofSeetharampuram village in Gundala mandalof Nalgonda district. He led an impoverishedlife even though he owns seven acres of land,because six acres were dry, half an acre wasfallow and only half an acre was fit for growingpaddy. He sunk a borewell to 250 feet in his fieldbut it failed and there was not a drop of water.The NGO, SHARP, initiated watershedactivities in collaboration with APRLP in thevillage. They formed self-help groups and usergroups in the village. Under NRM activities checkdams, flood control bunds and stone bunds wereconstructed.K Venkata Mallaiah gave half an acre forthe construction of a percolation tank. It was295 feet long, 12 feet wide and 6 feet high. Thispercolation tank cost only Rs.22,000. It wasconstructed in 20 to 25 days using a 15-personlabour force. A similar percolation tank, ifconstructed as per the Panchayat Raj Engineer’sestimates would have cost Rs.1 lakh.After the construction of the percolation tankK Venkata Mallaiah’s land became irrigated. Theborewell generated water. He is able to cultivatepaddy on one and a half acres and cotton andred gram on five acres. The yield from thepaddy in the rabi and kharif seasons togetheris 50 quintals and 10 quintals of cotton and 4quintals of red gram are produced. He also growsvegetables in summer.Though this percolation tank has beenconstructed in K Venkata Mallaiah’s field it helpsnot only him but other farmers in the commandarea too. Earlier, floods would have damagedthe crops, but now this percolation tank stopsall the runoff water and facilitates groundwaterpercolation. Thus 10 borewells downstream havebeen replenished with adequate water and 40additional acres of land can now be irrigated.The small farmers – B Chandrayya, D Narsayya,K Beerayya, A Narsayya, B Mallamma, K Veerayya,K Venkata Mallaiah, D Mallayya, D Abbayya, JUppalayya – who have lands adjacent toK Venkata Mallaiah’s field have also benefited.K Venkata Mallaiah with his cattleWater harvesting has benefited all thefarmers in the areaK Venkata Mallaiah’s wife – SattemmaK Venkata Mallaiah’s wife Sattemma joinedthe Ganesh self-help group. She too savesregularly every month. With a loan from theAPRLP Revolving Fund she has purchased abuffalo and 4 bulls, and repays the loan everymonth. The couple now has a secure futurebecause they have an assured livelihood.CONSERVE WATER FOR A BETTER LIFE63Hope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 631/7/2008 10:43:30 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T41. PROMOTION PHASEWatershed activities of the APRLP wereinitiated in Gangasanipalle village in Bongirmandal of Nalgonda district in a unique way.The message was spread through a ‘Kalajatha’cultural programme with singing and games.Films describing development activitiesimplemented in other areas were shown on TV.The officer from the project implementationagency and the village people together identifiedthe fields of farmers where the watersheddevelopment interventions would be carriedout. A village social map was drawn in thepresence of the village people to encouragetheir involvement. People of different strata i.e.rich, middle, poor and poorest of the poor wereidentified.Farmers were to contribute either in cash orkind for whatever work was done in their fields.Both men and women working on the watershedworks were to be paid equally. This informationwas given to the entire village communityand thus the work began. These were all newconcepts for the villagers.The village community had been informedabout the benefits of watershed development.Water scarcity in the village would be solved bythe construction of water harvesting structures.Farmers were taken to other watershed areas tolearn through exposure to other developmentactivities. Those who saw the successfulimplementation of watershed works in otherareas shared their experience with the rest ofthe villagers. Thus the whole community wasmotivated to participate in the watershedactivities.First a recharge well was dug in the land of afarmer, B Balram. In the village two check damswere built and two more are under construction.Stone works and flood control bunds were builtand recharge wells and six percolation tankswere constructed. Loans were given to farmerswho own between 1–6 acres of land.Villagers engrossed in a TV programme about theproject’s activitiesCheck dams conserve water64 PROMOTION PHASEHope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 641/7/2008 10:43:30 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T42. ECONOMIC INDEPENDENCE FOR A WIDOWIndira belongs to Maripadaga, an APRLPwatershed village in Gundala mandal. She losther husband within three years of marriage. Shehas two children. After her husband’s death, shecould not live with her in-laws. She returnedto her parents’ home along with her children.Her parents being poor, found it difficult tosupport her. It became hard to make ends meet.The Village Organisation (VO) and the PIA, anNGO – SHARP, came to know of her difficultiesand convinced her to join the VivekanandaSamabhavana Sangham, a self-help group, inMarch 2005.The VO wanted to help her earn a living.One of the objectives of the VO is to providesupport to its members. This is undertakenthrough meetings organised by the WatershedDevelopment Team (WDT). The meetings focusedon the need for women members to form acollective force. They would focus on the plightof women and narrate examples of differentwomen who had overcome their poverty andempowered themselves. The members of theVO looked at their organisations as the driverin changing their lives. They also understoodthat the neediest among them had to be helpedfirst. The VO aimed to achieve self sufficiencyin operations and meet the investmentrequirements of women. The VO had a perfectrepayment record. This was the VO that came tothe rescue of Indira.At the time, there was no flour mill in thevillage. Villagers went to nearby villages togrind their flour. There was a high demand fora flour mill in the village itself. Sensing thisopportunity, members of the VO proposed tohelp Indira by giving her a loan to set up a flourmill. The VO sanctioned a loan of Rs.5,000 fromthe Livelihood Fund. She pooled in her ownsavings of Rs.2,100. With the money, she boughtmachinery and started a flour mill in the village.Indira now earns Rs.55 per day, giving hera monthly income of Rs.1,650. The mill costsher Rs.450 a month to maintain. She uses thebalance Rs.1,200 to run her household and repayher loan. She worked hard to repay her loanand cleared it in a year’s time, in 10 monthlyinstallments. Now the flour mill is entirely herown. Whatever she earns from this, is solely herincome. She is able to maintain her householdwithout being dependent on anybody. Evenwithout a husband to support the family. As asingle, independent woman, she has become therole model for all other women of the village.All this was made possible due to the supportof the Course Director APRLP, the PIA – SHARPand the WDT.Indira works the flour millIndira and her childrenECONOMIC INDEPENDENCE FOR A WIDOW65Hope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 651/7/2008 10:43:30 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T43. A SMOOTH RIDE FOR BHAGYAMMANagoti Bhagyamma and her husband ChengalRayud are daily wage earners in B Pappuruvillage in Narpala mandal of Anantapur district.They have two daughters and a son.Because they were so poor they did noteven have a roof over their heads. For a time,Chengal Rayud worked as a lorry driver but hefell ill and could not drive any more. He set upa small service centre to repair punctured tyres.Bhagyamma started by helping her husband andlearned on the job.During 2002 when the watershed activitiesof APRLP started in the village, she joined theAnkamma self-help group and started savingRs.50 per month. The self-help group has tenmembers and they have opened a bank accountin the Andhra Pragathi Grameena Bank. TheAnkamma self-help group joined the villageorganisation after six months of its formation bypaying Rs.500 as a membership fee.Bhagyamma’s son Hemamber who had studiedup to the 10th class, dropped out of school asthey could not afford money for his education.She got Hemamber to learn the trade and hetoo started helping his parents to run the tyreservice centre. Bhagyamma then borrowedRs.25,000 from the Productivity Enhancementfund of APRLP and bought an air-filling andwelding machine. With this input she was ableto upgrade their services.They charge Rs.10 to repair a two-wheelertyre, Rs.40 for a tractor tyre and Rs.50 for alorry tyre. They earn around Rs.500 a day asthere is a great need for their services. They alsoprovide welding services for the vehicles. Aftermeeting their expenses which are approximatelyRs.1,500–2,000 per month, they make a profit ofRs.10,000–15,000 a month. With this they havebeen able to construct their own house in 2006,and in 2007 both their daughters were married.Bhagyamma and her husbandHemamber at work in the tyre repair shop66 A SMOOTH RIDE FOR BHAGYAMMAHope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 661/7/2008 10:43:30 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T44. LAXMI’S DREAMS COME TRUE35 year old Kotla Laxmi, and her husbandGopal Reddy lived in Gopannapalli village inDevarakadra mandal of Mahaboobnagar districtwith their son and daughter. They have six acresof dryland. There is a borewell on this land but itdid not irrigate more than a quarter of an acre,hence they used to cultivate red gram, greengram and cotton. These crops too yielded goodresults only when the rains were good. On theland irrigated by the borewell they cultivatedvegetables for their family. The entire familydepended on agriculture, and as there was noother income generating option they facedseveral hardships.After the watershed programme of APRLPstarted in Gopannapalli village the borewell ontheir land has yielded more water for the pasttwo years. Laxmi felt that with more water shecould grow vegetables which would fetch her abetter income. She asked for a loan of Rs.10,000and started cultivating ladies finger, tomato,brinjal, bitter gourd and green leafy vegetableson half an acre of land.Today Laxmi and her husband sell theirvegetables in Koukuntla on Thursdays and atDevarakadra on Sundays. They also sell leafyvegetables in the village every day. Theirexpenses for cultivating vegetables are:Seeds cost –Rs.3,000Fertilisers – Rs.3,000Pesticides – Rs.6,000Labour – Rs.5,000Total – Rs.17,000Their average income from selling vegetablesis Rs.2,500 per week, therefore their profit inthe year is approximately Rs.80,000. Last year,because the rates for vegetables were high theyearned more than Rs.2,00,000. With this theybought a pair of bullocks worth Rs.25,000,a house worth Rs.1,10,000, a TV costingRs.10,000, gold worth Rs.37,000. Comparedto the past they are now leading a very happylife. Laxmi says that because of the watershedprogramme a lot of good things have happenedin her life which otherwise would not havehappened, because they could not have earnedthis money.Kotla Laxmi and her husband Gopal Reddy in theirvegetable fieldsThe happy couple enjoy a more comfortable lifestyleLAXMI’S DREAMS COME TRUE67Hope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 671/7/2008 10:43:30 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T45. SABEMMA’S STORYSixty-year-old Sabemma lives in Singaramvillage in Narayanpet mandal of Mahaboobnagardistrict. Her husband is Sidappa. She has fourdaughters and three sons who are all married,except for one son. She has two acres ofdryland and when the rainfall was sufficientthey cultivated red and green gram. Sabemmaworked as a daily labourer while her husband’sjob was to graze cattle that belonged to uppercaste families. This income helped to run thehousehold. Gradually the number of cattledecreased and as a result Sidappa’s incomedropped, so they had to migrate to Hyderabadfor work.With the money earned they purchased somesheep. Gradually the sheep multiplied and theyhad sixty sheep. With the sheep as surety theytook a loan of Rs.70,000 to help finance theirdaughter’s wedding. Then suddenly all the sixtysheep contracted an unknown disease and died.Consequently they fell into debt and migratedto Hyderabad to try to recover their losses. InHyderabad Sabemma took to vending fruits,walking around the streets with a basket-load.One day when she was on her rounds a scooterhit her. Her medical bills amounted to Rs.30,000.When they were in this sorry state the coupledecided to retreat to their home in the village.By then the watershed programme of APRLPhad been launched in the village. So Sabemmajoined the Jyothi self-help group and startedsaving regularly. Since she was unable to earnafter the accident the village organisationdecided to bail her out of a helpless situationby giving her a loan of Rs.20,000 from theLivelihood Fund. Sabemma was able to set up asmall provisions shop. She spent Rs.10,000 onthe building for the shop, invested Rs.3,000 onthe groceries and she was in business.In six months’ time her sales grew to Rs.300-400 per day from which Rs.30-40 was her profit.This amount was not enough for her to pay offher earlier debts and accumulated interest andalso run the house. So she started a teashop atthe same location. She was able to sell 80-100cups of tea a day which earned her an additionalRs.50 per day. This income enabled her to payRs.500 to the village organisation towards theloan repayment and Rs.200 towards interest.Over and above that she was able to saveanother Rs.1,500 per month. With this savingand the yield from the previous crop, Sabemmacould repay Rs 40,000. She says that she isconfident of repaying all her debts this year.Sabemma in her small provisions shop68 SABEMMA’S STORYHope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 681/7/2008 10:43:31 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T46. A STITCH IN TIMEIn Narayanpet mandal of Mahaboobnagardistrict there is a village called Singaram. BorlaPushpa lives in this village with her husbandVishnu and three children. Vishnu is a tailor byprofession and Pushpa is a housewife. Singarambeing a small village there wasn’t much workfor Vishnu. Since he did not have the overlockmachine, young people did not give himtheir clothes to sew. If they did, he had to goto Narayanpet to get the over-locking done forthem. This was an expensive process and cutinto his profits, reducing his income. The olderpeople gave him banians (vests) to stitch andpaid him Rs.10 per piece. He had work only for2-3 months during the year. Maintaining hisfamily was difficult. He could have improvedhis income if he could get access to the latestequipment, but he did not have money to buythis equipment and he did not dare to borrow,paying commercial rates of interests.Luckily for him the APRLP watershedprogramme was initiated in the village and BorlaPushpa became a member of the Vijayalaxmiwomen’s self-help group. When the livelihoodfund was sanctioned for the village organisationPushpa took a loan of Rs.5,000 from theEnterprise Promotion scheme and purchased anover-lock machine. Now, there was no need forVishnu to go to Narayanpet. He was saving onthe cost of outsourcing the work as well as thecost of transport to and from Narayanpet. As aresult his income increased. More people cameto get their clothes stitched by him. Vishnu wasearning at least Rs.100 a day. However, withinone year another ten people started tailoring inthe village. Again there was a decline in incomefor Pushpa and Vishnu.Meanwhile, Pushpa had learnt to sew bywatching and helping her husband. So shestarted making blouses for the village women.She learnt how to attach falls on saris, work thepico edging machine and do embroidery. Therewas no one else in the village who did thiswork. She took a loan of another Rs.6,000 fromthe village organisation and purchased a picomachine. With these new skills she too startedearning Rs.100 a day. They now earn Rs.6,000per month and are living happily.Borla Pushpa at her sewing machineA STITCH IN TIME69Hope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 691/7/2008 10:43:31 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T47. THE ENTERPRISING WOMEN OFMOLUGAPALLIWhen the APRLP watershed programme wasintroduced the NGO called MYRADA helped toform seven self-help groups in Molugapallivillage. As a part of the livelihoods programmewhich was initiated in most of them, about fiftywomen were trained for tailoring jobs. They weretaken to Bellary on an exposure visit to studyhow to run small units successfully. There theywere also shown a leaf plate making machine,vermicelli making machine, flour mills and jeans/garment manufacturing industry.As twenty women had shown a keen interestin the jeans manufacturing industry, MYRADAorganised a meeting of the village organisationto discuss the matter. The investment requiredfor setting up a unit was Rs.1,50,000. Thevillage organisation and MYRADA membersapproached the Project Director, DRDA forassistance. He sanctioned Rs.75,000 and for thebalance amount, twenty members took a loan ofRs.5,000 each. With a total of Rs.1,75,000 theystarted their unit on 21 May 2006 and christenedit ‘Tulasi Jeans Garment’. They purchasedmachines worth Rs.54,000, cloth for Rs.60,000and spent Rs.15,000 on other material.They needed someone who knew how to cutand stitch jeans, so they called in an expertfrom Bellary at a salary of Rs.3,000 per monthfor six months. During this time they acquiredthe skill for themselves. Initially, until theyhad perfected the skill, they purchased cheapcloth. From December 2006 onwards theystarted stitching jeans independently. Till todaythey have manufactured 36 cotton pants, 190terry-cot pants, 46 jeans, 84 pants with somenew materials and 90 bags. All this is worthRs.75,000.They are marketing these pants and garmentswith the help of the self-help groups in nearbyvillages and towns/cities. Though their village is60 kms from Bellary where there are a number ofjeans/garments making units and it was difficultfor the women to sell their products, they haveexpressed the hope that they will be able tosell them in the districts and make a profit. TheDistrict Collector and several other officials haveappreciated the Molugapalli women’s group forestablishing the jeans/garment making unit andhave promised to give them the order to stitchthe uniforms for hostel students in the district.The members of self-help groups inMolugapalli have proved that there is nothingthat women cannot do.Members of ‘Tulasi Jeans Garment’ at work70 THE ENTERPRISING WOMEN OF MOLUGAPALLIHope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 701/7/2008 10:43:31 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T48. HALAHARVI, KURNOOL1,125 families live in Halaharvi village ofKurnool district and their main occupation isagriculture. Most of them do not own land andhence depend on wages from agricultural labour.When the APRLP watershed programme wasstarted in the village, the thinking among thewomen changed. The self-help groups, whichwere ten in number earlier, grew to fifty andthey formed the village organisation. Theproject organised several awareness camps. Instrengthening the village organisation theyinitially actively participated in social issues butlater changed their focus to the development ofthe poor.Members of the self-help groups decidedto practice improved agriculture methods toincrease their incomes rather than take upunfamiliar livelihood projects. On the outskirtsof Halaharvi, near Mantralayam, 90 acresof irrigated land came up for lease througha bidding system. The village organisationpresident, Boya Savithramma, heard aboutit and decided to put in a bid. She won thelease for 30 acres of land at Rs.4,200, beatingstiff competition from large farmers. Then sheorganised another village meeting and passed aresolution to distribute the 30 acres among thelandless poor.As per the resolution, the landless poor wereidentified and each one of them was allottedone acre of the land. Some of them did not havemoney to invest in cultivation so she gave thema loan of Rs.5,000 from the village organisation’sProductivity Enhancement fund to startcultivation. In the first year each one of themgot a yield of 25-30 bags of grain and made aprofit of Rs.10,000. They were very happy. Tocreate an opportunity for others, those who gotthe distributed land allowed some others tocultivate groundnut and they too made a profitof Rs.10,000 each.To make a living out of agriculture one needsto own some land. Those who do not own landare forced into working as daily wage labourers.The village organisation was appreciated for itsefforts to bring about a social balance in thevillage by distributing land to the landless.Boya SavithrammaLand cultivated by the landless poorHALAHARVI, KURNOOL71Hope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 711/7/2008 10:43:31 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T49. BITTER NEEM SWEETENSDHANAMMA’S LIFEKothapalli Dhanamma lives with her husband,Parvathalu and three sons in Kothapalli villagein Chandampet mandal of Nalgonda district. Theyown three acres of degraded land. They used tocultivate millet, castor and cotton but becausethe rainfall was scanty and they had to spenda lot on the crops they earned only Rs.8,000 toRs.10,000 each year. When there was no work intheir fields the couple used to work as labourers.During the months of November and Decemberthere was no agricultural activity, so they hadno work in their fields nor could they get anopportunity to work as labourers. Instead,whatever they earned would be spent on payingoff debts. This forced them to migrate to Guntur,Macherla and other nearby areas to earn alivelihood, and their older son had to drop outof school in the ninth standard.When the APRLP watershed programme wasinitiated in her village Dhanamma not onlybecame a member of the Anu self-help groupbut also got involved in maintaining the thriftand credit programme. She worked hard for thedevelopment of the group. Her group took aloan of Rs.18,000 from the village organisation’sLivelihood Fund, the objective of which is toprovide income-generating opportunities forpoor families. With the assistance of the DWMAthey purchased a Neem Pulveriser. Dhanammahas been entrusted with the work of operatingthe pulveriser for which she is paid Rs.100 a day.During the season farm owners bring neemseeds to her for grinding for which she ispaid Rs.2 per kg. She also grinds neem seedscollected by the village organisation and sellsthe powder at the rate of Rs.4 per kg. With thisincome she does not need to go out in search ofwork for those three months. After paying Rs.25for power she earns Rs.80 on an average day. Herhusband gathered 300 kg of neem seeds, whichshe ground and sold for a profit of Rs.1,200.She used to get only Rs.20-30 as a daily wagebut now she earns Rs.80 per day. Dhanamma caneven save some money after spending on thehousehold. From her savings she has bought abuffalo for Rs.6,000 which now provides anothersource of income through the sale of milk. Thusshe has been able to send her son to school.He got admission into the tenth standard at aresidential government school, after paying afee of Rs.15,000 a year. Dhanamma is a satisfiedwoman with a comfortable livelihood.Dhanamma operates the Neem Pulveriser72 BITTER NEEM SWEETENS DHANAMMA’S LIFEHope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 721/7/2008 10:43:31 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T50. DEBT-FREE AT LASTA woman from Malchalma village inZaheerabad mandal in Medak has proved thatacquiring new skills can turn the family’sfortunes around. Methari Prameela and herhusband worked as agricultural labourers,earning Rs.35 and Rs.25 per day respectively.They have two daughters and two sons. As theydid not have work every day Prameela’s husbandmigrated to Mumbai. Even then they used tofall short of money for running the house andeducating the children. Therefore they borrowedmoney at 3% interest.The APRLP watershed programme beingintroduced to this village was like a boon forPrameela’s family. First Pramela joined a selfhelpgroup and started saving. As the groupproved that it could conduct its savings andcredit activity successfully, the responsibility ofdeveloping a nursery was entrusted to it.Prameela was trained for this job inSangareddy. She quickly acquired the skills ofraising a nursery and was better than anybodyelse in her group. The project staff noticed thisso they took her to other watersheds to train heras a resource person on nursery development.Prameela trained women in other watershedson the stage wise development of a nursery.For this she was given a daily honorarium ofRs.150. After training, Prameela got work for 30days and earned an additional Rs.3,000. Todayshe travels all over conducting nursery trainingprogrammes.Prameela put in the money she had saved andtook a loan of Rs.10,000 from her group. Withthis she set up a business selling cloth duringfestivals. This earned her another Rs.5,000. Withher newly acquired skills and the help of theDWMA she is taking care of her family betterthan her husband. Earlier she had decided tostop her daughter’s education after the tenthstandard, but now that she has the means shehas been able to send her older daughter to anurse’s training course. She is educating herother children also. Her second daughter isstudying in college, her older son is in standardten and the youngest son is in standard seven.Now that she is earning well her husbanddoes not have to go far away to earn a living.She says that her husband is very supportiveof her activities and they are both debt-freeand happy. Her aim in life now is to mould herchildren into productive beings without goinginto debt.Prameela training other womenPrameela and her familyMethari PrameelaDEBT-FREE AT LAST73Hope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 731/7/2008 10:43:31 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T51. SOUJA BI’S HARD WORK PAYS OFFSyed Souja Bi is married to Abdul Razzak andthey have three daughters and one son. Sheused to weave mats from palm leaves at the rateof two to three mats per day. She sold thesemats to a trader at Rs.10 each. Her husbandearned Rs.1,000 per month from doing businessin cattle, but the going was tough for the family.They have five acres of land but it is totallydependant on rains.Souja Bi participated in the watershed andrelated programmes organised by RAIDS (RuralAction In Development Society) and learntseveral new things which she could use to earna livelihood. Immediately she formed a self-helpgroup named Sumiya with twelve members ofwhich she was the leader.In 2004 she took a loan of Rs.10,000 at1% interest from the village organisation andsome more from outside sources and investedRs.25,000 in a flour mill. Souja Bi did briskbusiness as there was no flour mill in the villageand the villagers had to go ten kilometres togrind their grain. On an average she earnedabout Rs.50 per day. Thus she was earningRs.1,500-2,000 per month. Some money went topay for electricity, and some was used to repayher loans.Later she also bought a chilli grinding millfor Rs.6,000 and started operating it. She earnedRs.500 per month from the chilli-grinding mill.So she worked and earned money, repaying thegroup punctually and educating her childrenwell.Because of the APRLP watershed programmethere was a huge benefit to the village. Onesuch benefit was that Souja Bi’s land becamecultivable. So she took a loan of Rs.10,000from the APRLP revolving fund for productivityenhancement and invested it in agriculture. Shesowed groundnut from which she made a profitof Rs.10,000.She stands as a live example that by workinghard there is nothing that cannot be achieved.Souja Bi and her familySouja Bi grinds chillies74 SOUJA BI’S HARD WORK PAYS OFFHope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 741/7/2008 10:43:31 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T52. AN IDEAL VILLAGE ORGANISATIONThe village organisation of Nomula villageof Nakrekal mandal in Nalgonda district is anexample of how systematic work contributestowards progress. The village organisationcomprising 22 groups and 360 members wasformed in March 2003. It has evolved into anideal federation in the district.Each member of the village organisationsaves Rs.60 every month. They meet twice amonth to discuss members’ loans, social issuesof the village and their action plan. All themembers attend the meetings regularly andpunctually. Those who cannot attend informthe president beforehand. Those who come lateby five minutes have to pay a fine of Rs.50.Any further delay bars them from attending themeeting.The meetings were used to advantagewhen they wanted to start a grain bank. Theystipulated that each of the members whoattended the meeting was to bring a handfulof rice. The rice was provided to childless oldpeople/destitute women or orphans. Eachmember followed the regulations strictly.Before joining the group, the women lackedbasic knowledge about society. There was noopportunity for them to come out of their homesand interact with others. It was surprising to seethese women resolve issues of various kinds atmeetings.Clean potable water is available in Nomula villageAnother important intervention that thevillage organisation took was insurance. All themembers were insured, and, having understoodthe concept of insurance some also insured theircattle.This village suffers because of fluorine in thegroundwater. To counter this problem the villageorganisation spent Rs.40,000 to provide 800water filters to the members.Using money from the Community InvestmentFund, the village organisation purchased redgram and castor worth Rs. 60,000. They tradedthis and made a profit of Rs.13,600 which wasdistributed among the members of the villageorganisation.All the members donated blood during theblood donation camp organised by KamineniHospital. To reciprocate, the Kamineni Hospitalprovided free treatment to the poor and verypoor of the village.To educate women about their rights and toknow how to deal with domestic violence, thevillage organisation invited the Sub Inspector ofpolice to interact with the members and educatethem.As a result of the various activitiesconducted by the village organisation togenerate awareness among the women, there isbetter cooperation among them and a greaterdetermination to resolve any issues that theymay face, together.The Kamineni HospitalAN IDEAL VILLAGE ORGANISATION75Hope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 751/7/2008 10:43:31 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T53. RANGA MUNIWhen Ranga Muni was barely a year oldan attack of polio robbed him of the use ofhis legs. But despite his physical handicapthis young man has become a role model forcommunity service in the area.Ranga Muni lives in Gundlakonda village inDevanakonda mandal of Kurnool district. Hestudied up to the 9th standard. The watershedprogramme trained him to become an animalhusbandry paraworker, or sangamitra. Heattended a training programme for 45 days atthe Kurnool animal health centre. This trainingequipped him to deal with diseases of cattlesuch musara vyadi, galikuntu, soppavaapu, etc.Ranga Muni provides a round the clockservice to the Gundlakonda, Gudimaralla,Tushyaduddi, M K Kottala, Burrakunta andPandirlapalle villages. As soon as he gets a callhe sets off with his medical kit on his specialtricycle to provide treatment to the cattle. Theroads are not good and it is not an easy ride,but he puts up with the difficulty bravely tosupport farmers. Though there is a veterinarycentre in Gundlakonda village, it does nothave a doctor or support staff. Hence, RangaMuni has become the only source of veterinarysupport for the farmers in these six villages.Ranga Muni loves animals. He enjoys his workand never demands a fee for the treatment heprovides to the cattle. He just takes whatever isoffered to him. Farmers pay him Rs.50 to Rs.100per treatment. Though this is a paltry sum henever complains. He says that the satisfactionand joy that he gets out of the service ispriceless. He is wanted by all these villagesand in a way he has conquered his physicaldisability. Ranga Muni’s life is an inspiration tous all.Ranga Muni at workRanga Muni on his way to work76 RANGA MUNIHope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 761/7/2008 10:43:31 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T54. WOMEN LEAD THE WAY IN KURUVALLI VILLAGENearly 200 families live in Kuruvalli village inAluru mandal of Kurnool district. Nearly 90% ofthem are dependent on agriculture, but of the2,500 acres of land available for cultivation, only150 acres are under tank cultivation. The feederchannel to the tank needed to be repaired. Waterescaped and was wasted. With a limited supplyof water in the tank most fields were abandonedand left for grazing. Farmers were able to getonly one crop in a year. For six months everyyear their income was poor, so the majority ofthe population in the village migrated. Theyreturned to the village only during the rainyseason. The children’s education suffered mostdue to this constant shifting of homes.MYRADA, a reputed NGO was selected as theproject implementing agency for 11 villages,including Kuruvalli. All the self-help groups inthe village joined together to form the IndiraVillage Organisation which was assisted byMYRADA to implement the watershed programme.As a part of the planning of activities, the issueof the village tank came up for discussion.The watershed development team and thevillage organisation called for a village meetingto discuss the blockage in the feeder channeland the resultant stoppage of water flow to thetank. The meeting resolved to undertake desiltingof the tank. The villagers felt that thisshould be done mechanically, using a proclainer,rather than using manual labour. However,the cost of the proclainer was prohibitive andbeyond the reach of the village organisation.The village organisation members took theinitiative and volunteered, along with ten otherfamilies, to clear the feeder channel blockadewithout expecting any benefit. Seeing themwork, other people joined them. Soon there wereabout 200 members working together and withinten 10 days the feeder channel blockade hadbeen successfully removed.In forty days, the feeder channel which was1844 r mts long was de-silted. Appreciatingtheir hard work, the village organisation paidRs.30,000 to the villagers who had put in theirhard labour.The increase in storage capacity of the tankworked wonders for the village. The paddy outputwhich was around 20-24 bags per acre went upto 30 bags. Sunflower, wheat and vegetableswere cultivated in about 60 acres as the secondcrop. The availability of water and harvesting ofthe second crop has generated more income andincreased the potential of employment withinthe village. Migration has reduced drastically.The village organisation now feels that if theentire tank is de-silted, there will not be anymore migration from the village.Water now runs smoothly in the feeder channelThere is now abundant water in the villageWOMEN LEAD THE WAY IN KURUVALLI VILLAGE77Hope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 771/7/2008 10:43:31 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T55. LAXMI ESHWARAMMA – BORN TO LEAD45 year old Laxmi Eshwaramma and herhusband Pulliah were very poor. Withoutadequate rain their small farm yielded nothing.She was also illiterate. But none of these factorscould stop her from becoming the President ofthe Mandal Mahila Samakhya and the Chairpersonof the Residential Bridge School (RBS) whichprovides education to several child labourers.When the APRLP was introduced inCherlakothur village in Veldurthi mandal ofKurnool district, the livelihood coordinatorencouraged her to join a self-help group as itwould help her. She joined the group in 2000and was a very active member. In 2001 she waselected to become the leader of her group. Sheattended night school and actively participatedin all the activities undertaken by self-helpgroups.There were 14 groups in the village. Amongthem Laxmi Eshwaramma’s group was voted thebest, achieving an A-1 grade. This was the resultof her hard work. The next year she was electedpresident of the village organisation. Seeing hersuccess and being motivated by her, many otherwomen in the village started joining self-helpgroups. As president of the village organisationshe was instrumental in getting gas connectionsfor 25 members, under the project.Laxmi EshwarammaIn 2004, thanks to her hard work in trying todevelop the village, she was elected president ofthe Mandal Mahila Samakhya (MMS). She becamewell known and she ensured that her mandalwas recognised at the district level. After herelection she worked hard to improve the gradesof the self-help groups to A and B, and get themlinkages with banks. She also helped those fromthe backward classes to get government support.She supervised and visited all the groups inthe mandal and got money from the revolvingfund sanctioned to financially backward groups.She also arranged a sanction of Rs.400,000 asrevolving fund for the village organisation ofwhich she was earlier president. In additionshe got financial assistance of Rs.12,000 foreach group in the village under the DalitEmpowerment Project (DEP). She ensured thatevery quarter 15-20 women were given trainingin tailoring and stitching under the enterprisepromotion scheme of the project. She rescuedabout 80 children every year from child labourto provide them with education and care ingovernment residential schools. These childrenwere later shifted to AP Residential Schools andA P Social Welfare schools.All the officials encouraged her involvementand active participation in developmentactivities, and all the women’s groups in themandal recognised and appreciated her effort.The women are now working together towardsprogress78 LAXMI ESHWARAMMA – BORN TO LEADHope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 781/7/2008 10:43:31 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T56. VETERINARY SERVICE AT YOUR DOOR STEPKotamarthi village in Mothkur mandal hasa large number of cattle (mainly buffaloes),sheep and poultry. The village did not have aveterinary doctor or anybody else to providemedical support. Cattle were reared by the poorand middle class people of the village as anadditional source of income. Recurring diseasesand the lack of timely medical care took aheavy toll – not just on the lives of cattle, butalso on the productivity of other animals. Themembers of the village organisation took itupon themselves to solve this problem. The bestsolution was to train a volunteer in veterinaryskills, who would provide timely medical aid tothe livestock in the village. In 2006, the villageorganisation, SIRD, an NGO, which was theproject implementing agency and the ClusterLivelihoods Resource Centre (CLRC) selected ayoung man by the name of Brahmachari for thispurpose.Brahmachari underwent 45 days of trainingat the Veterinary Centre in Nalgonda district,sponsored by the CLRC. After completing thetraining, Brahmachari started working as ananimal husbandry paraworker in the same village.With his experience and skill, he can now treatcattle against seasonal diseases. He can evenperform a Ceasarean Section on animals, ifrequired. On an average day, he administersinjections to 4 sheep, 25 poultry birds and givesmedical aid to 6 buffaloes. Besides Kotamarthivillage, he has also extended his practice toeight other nearby villages. Between theseother villages, on an average day, he supports6 buffalo calvings and gives emergency aid toabout 15 sheep and 10 goats. So busy has hebecome, that time has turned into a preciouscommodity.The villagers respect him for saving theirprecious cattle. Farmers from nearby villagesvisit him every day and take him home to treattheir livestock. They provide him with food andshelter whenever he needs it. His work gives hima very high level of satisfaction.Before his training as a para-vet, Brahmacharihad a meagre income of less than Rs.1,500 amonth. He now earns not less than Rs.200 aday. His earnings have more than trebled. Moreimportantly, his job has gained him respect andsocial standing. He is forever indebted to APRLPwhich made all this possible. And the villagershave got a good ‘para-vet’ to take care of theircattle-wealth. The crowning glory in all this wasthe award that Brahmachari received – for thebest paraworker in the mandal. He is a happyman today.Brahmachari off on his roundsBrahmachari the para-vet at workVETERINARY SERVICE AT YOUR DOOR STEP79Hope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 791/7/2008 10:43:31 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T57. WOMEN ARE SECOND TO NONE – IN FACTWE ARE AHEAD OF OTHERS!“My name is Macha Andalu and myhusband is Rami Reddy. I have three sonsand two daughters. I am from the village ofSetharampuram, which is 24 kms away fromMotkur mandal.We are farmers. We own five acres of landand both of us worked in the field. My husbandmanaged the sale of produce and the income.I didn’t know how much we earned and whatwe spent. I took money from my husband forhousehold expenditure.My husband took all the decisions in thefamily. Many women in my neighbourhood joinedself-help groups and I joined a group along withthem. A village organisation was formed in thevillage with the self-help groups as members.The village organisation conducted awarenessand training programmes at the ClusterLivelihoods Resource Centre. Members attendedthem to learn about women’s rights, women’sempowerment and gender discrimination.The information provided in the training wasinteresting and for the first time I understoodthe rights of a woman. Concepts like selfrespect,the right to defend yourself againstdomestic violence, education of the girl child,etc. fascinated me. I learnt how men dominateand discriminate against women. I was curiousto know about the opportunities for women tobecome self-reliant. I was particularly interestedin opportunities for women in the village insocial, economic and political spheres.Till such time as I attended the trainingprogrammes, I was of the opinion that selfhelpgroups and village organisations are likebanks providing money. How wrong I was! Theyhave been promoted to provide opportunitiesfor women to grow socially, politically andeconomically. I started taking the meetingsseriously and discussed various issues. I alsoencouraged other women to understand thesocial relevance of self-help groups and villageorganisations.I started to take an interest in what myhusband did in the market. I accompanied himand understood how produce can be sold forremunerative prices. I was confident that Icould do that. I discussed the matter with myhusband and after a great deal of persuasion,he agreed. His main problem was, “Why shouldyou pursue this path when others are silent?”I had to convince him that someone has to bethe first in bringing about change. Though hedid not understand it, he agreed because of myresolve, and also because he did not want anyunpleasantness in the family. He cautioned methat the children would suffer, but I assured himthat I would not forget this responsibility.So, the next season, I went to the marketand sold the produce. My husband was overjoyedas I was able to get a price far beyond hisexpectations. I thoroughly enjoyed doing it,more so, as other women asked me how itfelt and some of them wanted to follow myexample. Indeed, the sense of liberation that itgives is only to be experienced and cannot beexplained! The resultant change in my familywas visible. I could now lay hands on part ofthe income and spend it on my children andother family activities. My husband discovereda new helping hand, and now we jointly planour work. Other members of the self-help groupand village organisation look up to me. I havebecome known. I have realised that there aremany needs of women and the need for socialrecognition is very important. It has givenme a sense of fulfillment and I want this tohappen in the life of every member of the villageorganisation.”Macha Andalu80 WOMEN ARE SECOND TO NONE – IN FACT WE ARE AHEAD OF OTHERS!Hope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 801/7/2008 10:43:31 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T58. A LEADER IS BORNNarsimhulu and his wife Singineni Subbamma,belong to Chinnapalli village of C K Pallymandal in Anantapur district. They have a son,Subramanyam, who is studying for his Bachelor’sDegree. The couple are daily wage labourers andthe family is poor. It was a tough life with ameagre, uncertain income.Subbamma has been a member of theSaraswathi-II self-help group since 1995.However, before the watershed programmesbegan, the status of women’s groups waspathetic. They did not function well. The groupwould take a loan of Rs.20,000 from the bank.All ten members of the group would divide itequally among themselves, getting Rs.2,000each. This money would be insufficient for theirpurposes. Also, group members did not adhereto any social or financial norms of a self-helpgroup.In 2002, the staff of APRLP formedwomen’s groups and provided them with a lotof awareness and training. These self-helpgroups now started functioning well. Thoughshe is illiterate, Subbamma was elected as thepresident of her village organisation. In February2003, the village organisation distributedRs.150,000 as loans to those identified asbelonging to the poor, very poor and middleincome categories. Subbama was given a loan ofRs.10,000, to which she added her own Rs.5,000and bought a buffalo from the nearby village ofSanifa. The buffalo yielded five litres of milk inthe morning and five more in the evening. Byselling this milk at Rs.10 per litre, she startedearning Rs.100 a day.Subbamma spent this money on her son’seducation. Being poor and knowing the valueof money, she was very thrifty. She managedto clear the loan in seven months. While sheimproved her family’s economic situation, shealso worked hard to ensure that her villageorganisation proved to be the best in themandal. Her husband supported her fully andtook care of the buffalo, giving Subbammaenough time to work for the organisation.Subbamma took another loan of Rs.10,000from the organisation in 2006. With Rs.7,000she bought another buffalo from Perur village.This buffalo gave her six litres of milk a day.Of this, the family used one litre for their ownconsumption and sold five litres to the dairy,making Rs.50 a day.Subbamma spends Rs.1,000 on fodder andmanages to save Rs.3,500 a month. She paysRs.400 towards her loan every month. Rs.4,000remains to be repaid and once it is done, thefamily’s income would increase. Both buffaloeshave two calves and Subbamma plans to improveher dairy gradually.Subbamma says, “Without the APRLP, I wouldhave remained an anonymous Subbamma and myfamily would have stayed poor. I am sure thereare many Subbammas, who would thank APRLPfor giving them an identity and social status,along with secure income for their families. Isincerely thank APRLP for their excellent designto benefit scores of poor women and theirfamilies.”Narsimhulu and Subbamma with their buffaloesA LEADER IS BORN81Hope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 811/7/2008 10:43:32 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T59. ON THE PATH OF PROGRESS – AADARSHAVILLAGE ORGANISATION‘Aadarsha’ is the name of our villageorganisation. ‘Aadarsha’ means ideal, and ourvillage organisation is truly an ideal one. Ourvillage is located 17 kms away from the mandalheadquarters, Addagudur and 80 kms from theCluster Livelihoods Resource Centre (CLRC). Weformed the Aadarsha Village Organisation on 15March, 2003 with 141 members.The story in the members’ words, “The villageorganisation provided us loans. We knew aboutthrift and credit activities. We also knew aboutsaving, internal lending and repayment withinterest. In the village organisation we hadnot however focussed on economic and socialprogress. Women are looked down upon in ourvillage. How do we progress to take up livelihoodenhancement activities if the men do notcooperate?The need to run a business venturewas discussed in the village organisationmethodically. We had pooled together arevolving fund of Rs.3,60,000. With this money,we wanted to buy paddy locally and sell it fora better price in the markets outside. But wedidn’t have any business experience. We thoughtabout this and decided that to enhance ourunderstanding, we would have to undergo sometraining on income generating activities. First ofall, we would have to resolve to stand togetherand never break up. Then, we needed to acquireleadership qualities. We had to learn aboutlivelihood opportunities, income generationprogrammes, marketing and promotionalstrategies.Ten members from our village organisationattended a training programme on leadershipdevelopment and small business and industrypromotion held at the Cluster LivelihoodsResource Centre, Bhongir in collaboration withthe project implementing agency, SIRD. Herewe learnt about business skills and businesspractices. In turn, during our regular villageorganisation meetings, we taught othermembers about our learning from the trainingprogrammes. In this manner, all memberswould learn how to do business. The trainingprogramme gave us a lot of confidence andcourage. We now formed a committee withfive members to share equal responsibility anddecided on the paddy business.In 2007, we purchased 1,200 quintals ofpaddy, 450 quintals of red gram and 300 quintalsof castor – a total worth Rs.8,00,000 over twoseasons. With this, we earned a commission ofRs.12,000. During the current season, we bought14,000 quintals of paddy and 437 quintals of redgram, and did Rs.1 crore worth of business. Fromthis, we got a profit of Rs.1,50,000. We netteda total profit of Rs.2,10,000 in the current year.Now committee members are being paid Rs.1,500as honorarium per month. All members work withutmost responsibility. We now have the businessacumen to scale up and increase the size of ourbusiness.Earlier, women were confined to householdwork. We have now become a role model forother villages, mainly because we are united.In doing business, our village organisationbagged first place in the district and secondplace in the State. We are happy about thisachievement not just for us, but also for the105 persons who were hired for 15 workingdays per month. Thus, our business activity alsogenerates employment for daily wage workers.The farmer also benefits immensely now, as heis not cheated by middlemen anymore and alsodoes not incur expenditure on transportation. Webuy his produce at reasonable prices at his doorstep. The farmer benefits to the tune of Rs.70per quintal.We wish other village organisations inthe state would benefit from such businessventures.”The women of the Aadarsha VO are competentbusiness women82 ON THE PATH OF PROGRESS – AADARSHA VILLAGE ORGANISATIONHope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 821/7/2008 10:43:32 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T60. THE VILLAGE SARPANCH – BREAKING CLASSAND SEX BARRIERSThis is the remarkable story about a womanwho went from starvation to becoming villagehead.Boya Maddamma, aged 35, wife of Gajje Naidulives in Allagundu village in Veldurthi mandal ofKurnool district. The family depended entirelyon the daily wages of the parents. A slight feveror bad weather sent the family into despair.Being out of work meant going without food. Itwas a miserable life for the family. But in 2006Maddamma contested the panchayat electionsand was elected the sarpanch. A very poorwoman getting elected as sarpanch surprisedmany in the nearby villages and mandals.Boya Maddamma worked as a daily wagelabourer with her husband. Though they hadsome land, lack of irrigation rendered it fallow.She joined a self-help group. It was a women’ssavings group and she began saving betweenRs.30 and Rs.50 every month. Her husbandwas a member of the watershed committee.He was also associated with a political party.Thus she was better placed than the otherwomen to understand how the world around herfunctioned. She explained to the others, aboutproper utilisation of the sanctioned funds ofthe watershed project. She soon came to berecognised as an active member of the groupand attracted the attention of all the self-helpgroups in her village.She went to night school and learnt to reada little and sign her name. She organised severalnight schools to educate women in variousgroups. In the process, she came to the notice ofthe mandal officials. She took an active part invarious village projects along with her husband.Just then the elections were announced, andposts in their village were being reserved forwomen. Since her husband was a member of apolitical party and she was an active worker,conditions were conducive for her to contest thepanchayat election.But for this she needed money and they hadnone. In spite of that she was selected as acandidate. People mocked her poverty when shewent campaigning. Many questions were thrownat her, “Why are you contesting? Can you eventake care of yourself?” But she held her ground.Though Maddamma was poor, she had beenvery active in the women’s group. Most of themvoted for her. She won with a great majority andsurprised everyone.Participation of women in politics is very lowin the Rayalasema region. In such conditions,her election as sarpanch of a remote village isno small feat. She created a record of sorts as noone could recall a woman sarpanch being electedin any of the villages in the area. Her husbandGajje Naidu worked very hard and played acrucial role in her victory.After getting elected, her first task was toget a road link to the village. Along with thishighway, the main roads in the village toowere repaired and re-laid. She channeled therevolving fund from the APRLP into all the selfhelpgroups in the village. She obtained loansthrough linkages with banks. The village got safedrinking water thanks to her efforts. The listgoes on.Madamma is an example of a courageouswoman from the lowest strata of society,becoming successful. Effort always wins justreward. It was Madamma’s efforts with theself-help groups which helped her achieve animportant position for women. For the womenof that area, another gender barrier was broken.Self-help groups and projects such as the APRLPwhich support them, have ushered in many suchsilent but revolutionary changes.Boya MadammaTHE VILLAGE SARPANCH – BREAKING CLASS AND SEX BARRIERS83Hope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 831/7/2008 10:43:32 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T61. HOW WATER CHANGED GAJAWADAISMAIL’S LIFEWater is not just a basic necessity of life. Itis also critical for development. Just how criticala role it can play, is amply illustrated in thestory of Gajawada Ismail of Paidipalli village inNarayankhed mandal of Medak district.Ismail and his wife Gori Bi, lived togetherwith his adopted son and daughter-in-law. Hehad 16 acres of land, of which 2 acres wereirrigated by a well and 14 acres were rainfed. Asrainfall in the region was scanty, he could notsustain the agriculture. To fend for his family, hewas forced to sell off 8 acres of his rainfed landvery cheaply. On the remaining land, the harvestwas good only when there was sufficient rain.On the land irrigated by the well, he cultivatedone crop of paddy. This was stored to feed thefamily. On the rainfed land, he grew jowar,safflower, green gram and mimumulu (blackgram). From the sale of this produce, he madea profit of Rs.7,000-8,000. This was insufficientfor further cultivation and he had to incur debtsof Rs.30,000 on the land. In addition, he wasdiagnosed with kidney stones, which meantthat he had to take a further loan of Rs.40,000towards treatment. He was up to his neck indebt.At that time, the watershed developmentprogramme was initiated in his village. Thewatershed committee advised construction ofcheck dams at appropriate places and one suchspot lay in Ismail’s field. But some villagersmisled Ismail about check dams. They told himthat constructing the check dam would result incattle being drawn towards it and consequently,his crops would be trampled. Ismail refused toallow a check dam to be built on his field.A check dam was then constructed at anotherlocation in the same village. Once Ismail, whileseeking work as a farmhand, happened to visitthe place. He was surprised to see water in thewells surrounding the check dam and green cropsgrowing around. He realised his mistake and putforward a request to the watershed committeeto construct a check dam in his field as well.The watershed committee, through voluntaryparticipation of labour, then constructed a checkdam in his field.That year the rains were very good andthere was adequate water in his well under thecheck dam. He cultivated paddy as the first cropand later, onion and vegetables as the secondcrop. As there was sufficient water, he was ableto bring another acre under cultivation. Notonly did he plough another acre of land in theupper area around the well, but also irrigated itthrough pipelines and grew onion on it.For the past four years, with the help of hisfamily members, Ismail has cultivated two cropsper year. He has not only cleared all his debts,but also saved Rs.25,000. His wife provides himwith additional income by selling vegetables.This additional income means that the familycan now afford meat twice a week. Earlier, meatwas a luxury meant for special occasions. Thefamily now lives a better life with good food,better clothing, children’s education and caneven afford to celebrate festivals and otheroccasions.“The watershed changed our lives. From beingdeeply in debt, our family can now look forwardto earning at least Rs.2 lakhs in the next twoyears,” says a proud and successful Ismail.The check dams on Gajawada Ismail’s field84 HOW WATER CHANGED GAJAWADA ISMAIL’S LIFEHope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 841/7/2008 10:43:32 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T62. HALEEM BI WINS THE BATTLE FOR SURVIVALHaleem Bi lives in M K Kottala village inDevanakonda mandal of Kurnool district. Abusedby an alcoholic husband who was incapable ofearning a living, she found herself responsiblefor running her household and taking care ofher two sons and two daughters. Despite manyhardships she never lost hope.The staff of RAIDS, an NGO, and APRLPcame to the village to enhance awareness onwatershed programmes. Several meetings wereconducted to mobilise women to start self-helpgroups. There was a good response after HaleemBi took the lead and started forming self-helpgroups. This activity gave her self-confidence aboost. RAIDS supported and trained her.Haleem Bi owns five acres of rainfed land onwhich she cultivated Bengal gram. The incomefrom the crop was not enough to meet theneeds of the family, so she had to supplementher income by working as a wage labourer. Shewanted to experiment with an alternative sourceof livelihood. She took a loan of Rs.10,000 fromher group and with Rs.5,000 she bought fivesheep and with another Rs.5,000 she boughtone bull. She reared them carefully and afterone year sold the sheep for Rs.8,000, making aprofit of Rs.3,000. She repaid Rs.5,000 as partof the loan and with Rs.3,000 bought threemore sheep. She used the bull for agriculturalactivities.In April 2006 she took another loan ofRs.20,000 from the Productivity Enhancementfund of APRLP. With Rs.15,000, she constructedfour vermicompost pits. To provide shade shecovered them with a thatched roof, and toprotect the earthworms from the hens she put afence around them. With the balance Rs.5,000she purchased earthworms.In three months she got 15 quintals ofvermicompost. She applied 8 quintals as manurein her own fields and stored the rest. She sawgood results in her fields, and as a result shestopped buying chemical fertilisers. Severalfarmers came to buy vermicompost from her.The asking rate is Rs.5-6 per kg which meantthat the stock that she had was worth Rs.3,500-4,000.In 75 days each bed can yield 3-4 quintals ofvermicompost. It does not require much effort.Haleem Bi spends only an hour taking care ofthe pits. She also works in her field, and as awage labourer and takes care of her sheep. Thedifferent sources of income have improved herfamily’s economic situation.She counseled her husband to stop drinking.Her role as a leader of the self-help groupbrought about a change in him. Many womenvisited their residence and he realised herimportance and wanted to be respected too. Ittook some time but finally he stopped drinking.The family is now happy with the childrenstudying and enough income for good food andother expenses.Haleem Bi’s vermicompost pitHaleem Bi with her goatsHALEEM BI WINS THE BATTLE FOR SURVIVAL85Hope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 851/7/2008 10:43:32 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T63. THE BATTLE FOR WATER INAINAMUKKALA VILLAGEJust as Baghiratha struggled to bring themighty Ganges down to earth the womenin Ainamukkala village fought a water warand strived for two years to get water totheir village. This is a rare story of collectivedetermination.Ainamukkala village is located close toDornala mandal in Prakasam district. For twoyears the village did not get any rain. There washardly a blade of grass on the parched earth,all the birds had fled and all the cattle soldby the farmers who were unable to feed them.This intense drought had never before beenseen by the people in the village. The nearestborewell with water was in the fields of theneighbouring village two kilometers away. Thefive hand pumps in the village had dried up. Fordrinking water there were two taps but the watersupply was intermittent and unpredictable. Andwhen the water came, it came in a thin streamresulting in hours of waiting for the people. Notall those who stood in long queues managedto get any and this resulted in street fightsamong the villagers. Nobody seemed to care.The government officials did not bother to doanything to solve this problem.Then the Andhra Pradesh Rural LivelihoodsProject started in the area and the Society forNation Integration through Rural Development(SNIRD), an NGO, was appointed as the projectimplementing agency. SNIRD focused on a longterm and sustainable solution to the problem ofdrinking water in the village. They looked at theshortage of drinking water as an opportunity toeducate the community on the importance ofconserving water. The meetings with villagersfocused on the ways to improve groundwater andhow they could collectively work towards thisgoal. To solve the immediate problem of drinkingwater, about 100 women carrying empty potsmarched to offices of the MRO, MPDO and MPP.They requested the officials to visit their villageand personally see and understand the situationand they insisted that they would not leavethe place until the officials promised to providewater to the village.The government took the matter seriously.Though the project cost was a little higher thannormal, the government accepted because of thestrong protests by the women. A borewell wasdrilled in Chinna Gudipadu village located 8 kmaway from Ainamukkala. A pipeline was laid tocarry water from the borewell to a mini tank inAinamukkala, and through it to the taps locatedin all the major streets. The work of the pipelinewas completed in six months. The credit foraccomplishing this feat went to the women ofthe village.The collective effort of the women to getdrinking water to the village had a profoundimpact on social mobilisation for the watershedprogramme. All the men and women of thevillage came forward and participated actively.They undertook rain water harvesting throughpits in front of their houses, built check damsand tanks in their fields. The inspired work ofAinamula village also influenced the neighboringvillage of Timmapur where the women followedtheir example and started water conservationand management initiatives and lobbied with thegovernment to resolve their problem of drinkingwater.Today water flows freely from the taps inAinamukkala village86 THE BATTLE FOR WATER IN AINAMUKKALA VILLAGEHope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 861/7/2008 10:43:32 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T64. THE WATERSHED ASSOCIATION OF MAJIDPURThe village Majidpur is located in Shameerpetmandal of Rangareddy district on the outskirts ofHyderabad. As a result of the real estate boomthe lands of the villagers are in demand. Theyhave been offered crores of rupees, but they willnot oblige. “In the last five years the villagehas witnessed development through watershedactivities. The groundwater table has risen andthe village tank has filled up. We are able tocultivate two crops a year. We will not sell theselands to anybody,” said the villagers.Until 2000, the rains were scanty. Agriculturesuffered, making those who depended on it,jobless. They toiled in the city to earn theirdaily wages. In 2001, Integrated WastelandDevelopment Project officials selected thisvillage for watershed development. It wasidentified as a model watershed. The NGO Spurthiwas made responsible for the implementationof this project. They increased the villagers’awareness of watershed development throughkalajatha programmes, songs, wall writings andexposure visits.Most of the villagers took part in aParticipatory Rural Appraisal exercise. Usingrangoli colours, farmers drew a village socialmap and a resource map. The resource mapwas utilised to explain the flow of the streams,ideal locations to construct structures, waysto channel water to their tanks, replenishgroundwater, types of soils and methods toretain soil fertility.The watershed association was formed. Theassociation members elected the watershedcommittee and opened a bank account. Whenthey received money they organised a villagemeeting. The villagers discussed the works thatthey wanted to undertake, especially the landtreatment from ridge to valley, using the moneythey had received. A resolution was passed toinvolve farmers as user groups which wouldundertake all the works in the fields. It wasalso proposed that farmers would contribute10% to the watershed development fund formaintenance of works when the watershedprogramme had ended.Every gully in the village was treated byvarious structures such as gully controls, checkdams, sunken ponds, farm ponds, field bundingetc. Towards the east of the village, a contourtrench was built around the hill. This wouldcontrol a sudden rush of water that erodedthe fertile soil, and train the water to slowlyseep into the ground and gradually enter thetank. The weak spots around the tank werealso repaired to avoid future breaches. Whenthe village tank filled with water the farmerscultivated two crops a year. The cattle also gotenough water and people were happy.With a significant rise in the water table theyield of rice has improved. The farmers now get30 bags as against 20 bags they used to get.Migration has declined. The poor who did nothave land have been included in groups and aresupported with loans.“Because of this watershed project, there hasbeen all round development in our village”, saythe villagers.The members of the WatershedAssociation of MajidpurTHE WATERSHED ASSOCIATION OF MAJIDPUR87Hope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 871/7/2008 10:43:32 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T65. WOMEN AND WATERSHED DEVELOPMENTThe women of Villupuram village in PeddaVadaguru mandal of Anantapur district wereliving in thatched homes and eking out aliving on Rs.10-15 per day. In 2001, the APRLPwatershed programme was initiated in thevillage. The women formed self-help groups anda village organisation. Each self-help groups hadfour committees:1. Supervision Committee2. Recovery Committee3. Social Issues Committee4. Bank Linkage Problems CommitteeBe it cleanliness drives, construction ofschool buildings or other work, the women ofthe self-help groups participated voluntarily.This was the result of awareness programmesconducted by the project staff.The enthusiasm of the women was evidentby their participation as members of the usergroups. They planted 1,000 plants such asjatropha and tamarind on both sides of the roadalong the 2.5 km stretch from Virupapuram toGutti Cross Road. A special account was openedin the name of the Varalaxmi women’s groupand wages were paid by the user groups to thewomen who participated in this plantation work.The women appointed one person for two yearsat a salary of Rs.2,000 per month to care for theplants. During summer, the plants were wateredby one self-help group every day.The Gopala Swamy temple in the villageowned ten acres of land. The women plantedtamarind on seven acres of this land andon the remaining three acres they plantedneem, jatropha and jamoon (Neredu). Thevillage organisation was permitted to take theincome accrued from the tamarind trees aftercontributing some part to the temple and someto the gram panchayat.Twenty acres of sandy land belonging to thegovernment was lying unused. The user groups,despite discouragement from others used it tocultivate grass and maize for the cattle and soldit to the farmers. The village organisation wasgiven Rs 80,000 by the project for NRM worksand all the self-help groups participated indeveloping a farm pond.Women in the village took ‘Ananta MahilaRaksha’ insurance for which each member paidRs.100. Those who had children studying in the9th and 10th or Intermediate classes, were givena stipend of Rs.100 as well as accident benefits.Women who had not ventured out of theirhomes began to participate in developmentactivities and proved that their economiccontribution is very important. Today they haveconstructed houses and are able to solve manydifferent types of problems that confront them.Tulsamma, a member of a user group was invitedto Warangal district as a resource person tostrengthen self-help groups in Raghunathapally.She was paid Rs.250 per day as an honorarium.The women’s self-help groups and villageorganisations have provided opportunities forwomen to grow and have proved that women, farfrom being helpless, can actually be instrumentalin taking forward the process of development.Plantations cared for by the womenWater conservation structure in Villupuram villageA meeting of a self-help group88 WOMEN AND WATERSHED DEVELOPMENTHope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 881/7/2008 10:43:32 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T66. THE LOWLY EARTHWORM CHANGESLALITHAMMA’S LIFEThirty eight year-old Katra Lalithamma andher husband left their village Damarcherla ofChandampet mandal in Nalgonda district fouryears ago. They came to Kothapalli village toseek their fortune. They have a son who isstudying in college. Initially they worked aslabourers for a living. Then the couple leasednine acres of dryland and one acre of wet landwith a borewell and started cultivation. Theterms were a 50% share of the output. Theyused chemical fertilisers, which are expensive.This reduced their income and they barely gotRs.15,000 per year. Sometimes when the rainswere not adequate they did not get good yieldsfrom the crops. They got into debt of Rs.20,000.On nine acres of the leased land they sowedcotton and on one acre of irrigated land theystarted vegetable cultivation. This too did notwork because pests attacked their crops and theyhad to apply pesticides in large quantities.After APRLP watershed programme startedin Kothapalli, Lalithamma became a memberof the Satya Sai Sangam self-help group. Theproject sent her to the Krishi Vignana Kendrain Gaddipalli to learn methods of preparingvermicompost as part of the Natural PestManagement movement. After learning ofthe benefits of vermicompost at the trainingprogramme she returned to her village andimmediately took a loan of Rs.3,000 from hergroup’s Livelihood Fund. She built the necessarypits and a shed. She applied the first lot ofvermicompost from her pits to the field whereshe was cultivating vegetables.Since she got good results she continuedto utilise the vermicompost in her farm for thenext three months. When they saw her goodcrop and the low intensity of pests the othervillagers grew curious. They offered to buythe vermicompost from her. So she preparedsome more troughs. By selling ten quintalsof vermicompost at Rs.3 per kg., Lalithammaearned Rs.3,000 per month.Thanks to vermicompost the vegetableharvest has increased considerably. At thesame time there is a substantial saving on theexpense of fertiliser and pesticide application.Lalithamma earned Rs.40,000 in one year andafter giving 50% to the landlord according totheir original contract, she earned Rs.20,000.In addition, by selling vermicompost she earnedanother Rs.35,000 a year. With that she repaidRs.10,000 of their debts, purchased a lambfor Rs.8,000, a cow for Rs.6,000, a buffalo forRs.8,000, gold worth Rs.5,000, a TV for Rs.6,000and paid Rs.500 per month for her son’s collegeeducation. She says, “Having left my own villagein poverty I am today earning Rs.5,000 per yearby the grace of the watershed.” She has nowinstalled a phone (08691 200236) so that shecan be contacted by other farmers who wish tobuy her vermicompost.Lalithamma looks after the vermicompost pitVermicompost – ready to be usedFarmers phone in to buy vermicompostTHE LOWLY EARTHWORM CHANGES LALITHAMMA’S LIFE89Hope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 891/7/2008 10:43:32 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T67. SAROJAMMA – LIVING LIFE ON HER OWN TERMSIn this part of the world the aged have todepend on their children for survival. We oftenhear complaints about children who don’t careabout old parents; there are pathetic stories ofparents being thrown out of homes. The currentstory is a contrast.Fifty five year old Sarojamma and her sixtyyear old husband Kotha Subba Rayudu live inDaduloor village in Kanaganapalli mandal ofAnantapur district. They have three children.Their oldest son Chiranjeevi is married andlives separately with his wife. Their daughterShantamma is also married. Their youngest sonAnjaneyulu is 20 years old and lives with them.Both Sarojamma and her husband worked asagricultural labourers, but as as he got olderSubba Rayudu was unable to do heavy work.With money drying up they did not have thefunds to educate Anjaneyulu at the ITI. Theysold a piece of their land to finance theirdaughter’s marriage.Sarojamma has been the president of AradhyaWomen’s Group for the past 15 years. She tooka loan of Rs.10,000 under APRLP and purchased6 goats. Her husband used to take the animalsout to graze. She saved Rs.50 per month withthe self-help group and also repaid Rs.400 permonth towards the loan. She faced problems ofmoney once in a while but she overcame all ofthem. The goats she purchased gave birth andthe herd grew in number. In March 2005, shetook another loan of Rs.10,000 from the villageorganisation and increased the number of goatsfrom 6 to 11, and another Rs.10,000 in 2006 topurchase 4 more goats. She now has 15 adultgoats and 4 kids. Sarojamma also stores the goatdroppings and sells them once a year duringsummer. She gets Rs.500 for one tractor load.With money available at last, Anjaneyuluwas able to join the ITI Whenever Sarojammaneeded money to run her household or pay forAnjaneyulu’s books and fees she sold a few ofthe goats. Earlier, when her daughter Shantammavisited them, they could not offer her newclothes and they felt bad. But, thanks to thegoats she could now give her new clothes andfeed her well. She gave a young goat to herdaughter as a gift and every time she visited shegave her Rs.500-1,000 in cash. Chiranjeevi wasalso treated well during his visits to the family.People are surprised to see Sarojamma runthe family without depending on anybody ather age. She does not subscribe to the idea thatparents should depend on children’s earnings.They earn their own livelihood. She wants to beindependent as long as possible and does notwant to be a burden on anybody. Sarojammalives life with dignity, thanks to the project.Sarojamma’s son with their goatsSarojammaSarojamma and her husband Kotha Subba Rayuduwith their goats90 SAROJAMMA – LIVING LIFE ON HER OWN TERMSHope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 901/7/2008 10:43:32 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T68. EDUCATE CHILDREN FOR A BETTER TOMORROWMost families in Halaharvi village in Halaharvimandal of Kurnool district depend on agriculture.Though they sent their children to school theywithdrew them when they reached the secondor third standard and sent them to grazelivestock or do other agriculture related work.As a result, about 70% of the children had aminimal education and turned into agriculturallabourers. Another 20% of the children droppedout of school without completing the tenthstandard and could not find employment becausethey were neither educated nor had theylearnt a skill. Only 10% carried on studying tillintermediate or graduation. The women believedthat education would alter this situation.Before APRLP watershed programme started,there were ten self-help groups in the village.With APRLP, fifty self-help groups were formedand federated into a village organisation.The women who joined these groups becameaware of social issues like the need for oldage pensions, giving support to the physicallyhandicapped and organising medical camps, byinteracting with officials and NGOs who cameto strengthen, support and provide training totheir groups, by attending meetings and throughdiscussions. At that stage members of the villageorganisation took up a unique programme toensure that those who had become animalgrazers or agricultural labourers without anyeducation got some basic education.To begin with they conducted a survey ofall school dropouts in the village. Then theycounseled the parents of those children on thebenefits of education. While one or two listenedto them, most of the parents refused to sendtheir children to school. The village organisationannounced that those members who did not sendtheir children to school would not be eligible forloans. This encouraged some reluctant familiesto send their children to school. But soon thepeople began to understand what the villageorganisation was trying to do. They voluntarilystarted sending their children to school.The village school in Halaharvi ended at theseventh standard, so the villagers ended thechildren’s education at the secondary schoolbecause they thought that high school would betoo expensive. The village organisation membersmet and apprised the officials of NandanavanamHostel near Halaharvi mandal of the problem.Once the officials agreed to help them, 24children were admitted to the Hostel. Thesechildren came home during the vacations andtalked to the others in the village about thefacilities and experiences. As a result another20 children joined the Hostel in the eighthstandard. Members of the village organisationmake it a point to call on these students toenquire about their well-being and distributechocolates and give them anything that theyneed. The children even request these members,rather than their own parents, to come to seethem. The members of the village organisationare striving to ensure that there will be nouneducated children in the village in the future.The Kasturba Gandhi Balika Gurukula VidyalayaEDUCATE CHILDREN FOR A BETTER TOMORROW91Hope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 911/7/2008 10:43:33 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T69. LAXMA REDDY’S NEW JOBNagireddy’s son Gangati Laxma Reddy tellsus how from being unemployed he got himselfa job and now successfully looks after his wifeand children.40-year-old Gangati Laxma Reddy has apiece of land in Amudalakunta. He lives withhis 35-year-old wife Laxmi Narasamma, andyoung daughters Nikhita and Samata in an oldhouse. Laxma Reddy studied up to intermediatelevel and was considered fairly well educatedin those days. But he discontinued his studiesand therefore could not find a good jobbecause he was not qualified enough and hecould not do a labourer’s job because he wastoo well qualified to do that kind of work. As aresult he was sort of limping along.Then the APRLP watershed developmentprogramme started. Self-help groups and avillage organisation were formed, providingeasy access to loans for livelihood activities.In 2003 the project was on the look-out fora person to be the Village Book-Keeper tomaintain the group’s accounts. An unemployedperson such as Gangati Laxma Reddy wouldbe ideal, so the Watershed Development TeamSocial Mobiliser asked him if he would take onthe assignment on a part time basis. Withouta second thought Laxma Reddy agreed to workas Village Book-Keeper/Animator for whichhe was offered Rs.500 per month. It was likean oasis in a vast desert - this money seemedlike Rs.5,000 to him! He was also hopeful of araise and of a better life. He did better his lifeto some extent, but hospital expenses for hissmall children and his mother kept him in debt.Spending whole days at work became difficultfor him as his children used to contractseasonal ailments. But he did not lose heart.He kept his focus on his work and continuedworking thus for two years.At this time the village did not have anyaccess to veterinary services. The peoplehad to travel to another village, even if thelivestock needed treatment for minor ailments,or for artificial insemination. The DRDA setup a sub-veterinary centre for cattle in thevillage. Laxma Reddy was trained to deal withminor ailments and artificial insemination ofcattle at a 45-day programme in Anantapurand a six-month animator training programmein Chittoor. He was appointed animator for thecentre, with a remuneration sponsored by theJK Trust. During the training period he was paida stipend and TA/DA. He took full advantage ofthis opportunity to improve his lot.As animator Laxma Reddy earned Rs.1,500per month and also Rs.20-50 daily for providingfirst aid or artificial insemination to the cattlein the village. The JK Trust has looked after hisremuneration since 2006. He earns Rs.3,000which is a good income in a village wherefirewood is available free of cost. In October2006 the J K Trust ensured that a motor cyclewas given to him from the DWMA.Today Laxma Reddy lives happily. His familywears good clothes and he sends his children toa private school. One cannot succeed by sittingaround and moaning about being unemployed.One has to involve oneself actively to succeed.Laxma Reddy has proved this. He says he willdo his part to develop the women’s groups aswell. If the women’s groups are developed,more people will buy cattle and he will getmore business and therefore more income. Hecredits APRLP for his development and saysthat women’s groups though APRLP DWMA havegiven opportunities for employment to theunemployed.Laxma Reddy the book-keeperLaxma Reddy the para-vet92 LAXMA REDDY’S NEW JOBHope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 921/7/2008 10:43:33 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T70. FESTIVITIES MADE EASY BY THEVILLAGE ORGANISATIONChintalapallem village of Peddavoora mandalin Nalgonda district is 10 km from NagarjunaSagar. There is no proper road to this villageas it is in a minor forest area. Transport toois not available and people have to walk longdistances.During festivals and other celebrationsthe villagers had a problem as there wereno facilities to hire shamianas or vessels forcooking. They had to go to Nagarjuna Sagar,which was tiresome and expensive. Afterthe APRLP came to Chintalapallem, a villageorganisation was formed. During the villagemeetings the people expressed a need for a‘tent house’ which stocks shamianas and othermaterial needed for large scale celebrations inthe village. The village organisation immediatelydecided to set up a tent house on behalf of allthe self-help groups for the benefit of all thevillagers. Each of the sixteen self-help groupscontributed Rs.7,500 and collected Rs.1,20,000,with which they bought:Chairs – 100Tables – 10Cooking utensils – 9Basins – 12Buckets – 12Tents (shamianas) – 4Other smaller items.They rented a house for Rs.150 a month,which became the ‘tent house’.All the self-help groups mutually agreed toappoint one member who is paid Rs.4,000 a yearto manage this business. They have opened abank account and deposit the money accruedfrom this business into this account. Theyhave formed a recovery committee comprisingone member from each of the sixteen groupsto collect overdue payments. The recoverycommittee is given a list of defaulters and theoutstanding amounts. Initially one membergoes to recover the money. If she fails, fivemembers go together and insist on payment, ifthe reasons for non payment are not compelling.This is the style of functioning that has beendecided by the committee.They village organisation reviews the businessonce in six months. They have decided to lendthe money they have earned from this businessto those who are in need, for example peoplewho require funds for marriages, education,medicines, and other such reasons. They runthis business based on strict regulations. Theycollected Rs.19,500 in 2006 and have been agreat help to all the villagers.Inside the “tent house”Members of the VO who run the tent houseFESTIVITIES MADE EASY BY THE VILLAGE ORGANISATION93Hope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 931/7/2008 10:43:33 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T71. JAJAPUR MAHILA BANKThe women of Jajapur believe that all youneed is an idea, because any idea can beimplemented if you have the will. From a stagewhere they were afraid of going out of theirvillage on their own, they now own their ownbank. They are unique indeed.There are about 500 families living in Jajapurvillage in Narayanpet mandal of Mahaboobnagardistrict. Earlier, the women of this village hadno standing. In 2002 the watershed programmeof APRLP was initiated in the village and withthe help of WOTR, 18 self-help groups wereformed. These groups in turn formed a villageorganisation. The women were well trained andunderstood the objectives of the programme.Therefore these groups took proper care of thesavings and loans and used to meet twice everymonth.Through the livelihood fund of the watershedprogramme the village organisation startedgiving higher loans for income generationactivities to their members. Initially there wasa problem collecting the loan repayments. Sincethe village organisation met only twice a month,women had to save up the repayment amountand wait for the village organisation meeting.Sometimes, they ended up spending that amountand were unable to make their loan repaymenton time, and had to pay a penalty. This led toa decrease in repayments. Therefore the villageorganisation decided to have their office openon all days. They engaged a book-keeper ata salary of Rs.800 per month to maintain theaccount books and work as an office assistant.Ever since then the repayments have been a100%.Women who had saved some money afterpaying their loan installment had to go toNarayanpet Bank to deposit their savings. Thosewho could not go to the bank frittered awaytheir money. Thus an idea was born – Why nothave a bank of our own?The village organisation took guidance andinformation from WOTR, organised a villagemeeting and informed the village sarpanchand other elders about the activities that theywere initiating. With their encouragement theystarted a Mahila Bank in Jajapur village andappointed a manager who is paid Rs.1,500 asremuneration.They collect deposits, so that even thosewho are not members of the self-help groupscan deposit their savings. They collect fixeddeposits at an interest rate which is higherthan nationalised banks (at present they havecollected Rs.30,000 as fixed deposits fromtwenty members). They have convinced agedpersons to save Rs.50 to Rs.200 from theirold age pension so that they will not need toborrow from anybody if they fall ill. They handout pass books, voucher withdrawal forms, loanapplications, ledgers and daily reports as part ofthe banking process.Depositors can get back their money at anytime. Self-help group members can get smallamounts at any time. The money collected asdeposits is loaned out at 2% interest whilethey pay 1% to the depositors. They are nowcontemplating lending money at a higher rate ofinterest to people who wish to invest in a largescale activity.At present the total deposit in JajapurMahila Bank is about Rs.12,50,000. They earnRs.24,000 as interest while their overheadsare just Rs.1,900 (Rs.1,500 for the manager’ssalary; Rs.200 for room rent; Rs.200 as cost ofstationery).This is an example of how a need sparked offa lucrative idea, thanks to the APRLP.The Jajapur Mahila Bank in action94 JAJAPUR MAHILA BANKHope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 941/7/2008 10:43:33 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T72. BUILDING CAPACITIES LEADS TOSUCCESSCh. Yadagiri, a resident of Bujulapuramvillage in Mothkur mandal of Nalgonda district isa 32 year old dalit. He worked as a teacher in aschool and earned Rs.1,000 per month. In 1996when Yadagiri married Padma he was in direstraits. His income was just not sufficient to runhis household smoothly.During that period, SEERD an NGO, whichis implementing watershed activities in thevillage, organised a Kalajatha programme tomotivate the community by making them awareof the many development issues. After seeingthis programme, Yadagiri met the officials ofthe organisation to get some advice on how toimprove his livelihood. In November 2003 theysent him for an initial training programme for45 days to become an agricultural paraworker.Thereafter he attended many trainingprogrammes:• Training on bio diesel plantations as aresource person.• Training on NPM practices at Bhongir.• Training on book-keeping at CLRC.• Training on agriculture at Chowdarapallyfor 45 days.• Training on SRI paddy cultivation at KVKfor 5 days.• Training in Nalgonda on micro-irrigationand sustainable agriculture for 10 days.• Training on NRM at Myrada,Ananthapuram for 2 days.• Training on medicinal plants atZaheerabad for 2 days.• Training on CLDP and sustainableagriculture.Thus Yadagiri learnt a lot. He now chargesfarmers a fee for his services, such as Rs.25 forcollecting samples for soil testing. He worksas the village book-keeper and gets Rs.750per month. His wife is a member of a self-helpgroup. She borrowed Rs.5,000 from the villageorganisation supported by APRLP to startvermicompost production. As he is experiencedin this activity, they laid vermicompost bedsin their backyard. They sell two quintals ofvermicompost per month at Rs.350 per quintal.Now because of his experience in agriculture,he is Agriculture member of the watersheddevelopment team (WDT) and is paid a salary ofRs.2,000.In the village houses are being constructedunder the Indiramma Housing Scheme. Sincebricks are necessary for this he motivated hiswife to take up brick making. She borrowedRs.15,000 from her group, employed ten workersand started brick making. She pays Rs.100 toeach labourer to make the bricks. They earnRs.5000 in 20 days by making and selling thesebricks. His wife looks after this activity when heis away. Thus the couple has a stable livelihoodand so leads a comfortable life.Yadagiri training other farmersYadagiri’s wife runs a brick making businessBUILDING CAPACITIES LEADS TO SUCCESS95Hope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 951/7/2008 10:43:33 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T73. HONEY PRODUCTIONK Venkateswarlu, son of Venkatasubbaiahwas an ordinary tailor. He is 49 years old andis married to Jayalaxmi, aged 45 years. Theyhave three sons. It is a poor family that ownsno agricultural land. They used to eke out aliving from tailoring, making about Rs.2,000per month. Jayalaxmi helped him with hisoccupation.Venkateswarlu heard about bee keeping forhoney production from friends and relatives. Heknew this was an opportunity for him to earnmore money. One day he saw an advertisementin the paper about bee keeping, so heapproached the Horticulture Department for allthe information required to help him set up anapiary. He was offered a 50% subsidy. Thereforehe was determined to get some training on beekeeping.In 2004 he did a week long trainingprogramme at Ongole which was sponsoredby APRLP. After another three day trainingat Hyderabad he was ready to take on thechallenge. In April 2004 he purchased five boxeswith the 50% subsidy from the HorticultureDepartment. At the first attempt he did not getgood results due to a lack of experience. In 2005he worked in a bee keeping farm in Valiveruin Tenali for three months to gain practicalexperience. He got some sound knowledge andexperience to start on his own again. This timehe took a loan of Rs.15,000 from the villageorganisation supported by APRLP, made five newboxes and started honey production.He was asked to describe what he does:There are two kinds of boxes which can beused – (i) Super Box, and (ii) Normal Box. Everybox has only one Queen bee and all the othersare worker bees or drones. It takes 30 – 40 daysfor the bees to produce honey in these boxes.A Super box has 1 lakh bees and can supplyup to 10 kgs of honey while a Normal box has40–50,000 bees and produces 5 kgs. The qualityof honey is dependent on the flowers in season.In summer when the flowers are in bloom,the bees have to be given food in the form ofa sugar solution. Each box needs 1 kg of sugarsolution during summer.The cost of making an empty box is Rs.1,100.Each box with bees costs Rs.2,500 and canproduce 5 – 8 kgs of honey. The honey issold at Rs.150 per kg. The annual income perbox is about Rs.8,000-9,000 and the annualexpenditure per box is just Rs.250.In February 2007, Venkateswarlu borrowedRs.70,000 from the Punjab National Bank andput in 5% as his contribution. With this hemade 40 new boxes. Now he produces a lot morehoney and his income has increased. He hasbecome a resource person cum expert on beekeeping for which he is paid a daily honorariumof Rs.250. With access to an assured income hehas constructed a new house and his children arestudying in college. His life is sweet now, thanksto the project.K Venkateswarlu96 HONEY PRODUCTIONHope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 961/7/2008 10:43:33 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T74. METLA NAGALAXMIMetla Nagalaxmi is the second leader ofVenkatalaxmi self-help group of Kavalakunthavillage. She is 35 years old and is married to40 year old Venkateswarlu. They have two sonsstudying in the 8th and 7th standards. They donot own land. They work as daily wage labourers;she earns Rs.30, while her husband earns Rs.50per day. They used to be entirely dependent onlabour for their income. Though they are fromthe Yadava community, they could not rear sheepdue to financial constraints.One day an animator working in the APRLPprogramme explained to the women in thevillage about the formation, management andbenefits of self-help groups. She told them aboutthe importance of saving and how it would beuseful in the future. Immediately Nagalaxmi tookthe initiative and persuaded nine other womenin her neighbourhood to form the Venkatalaxmiself-help group with her. Each member savesRs.50 per month. The group is now four years oldand is running well.In the first year of the formation of thegroup, three women borrowed Rs.30,000 fromthe Andhra Pragathi Grameena Bank and boughtten lambs. After one year, in 2004, they soldthese sheep and made a profit of Rs.10,000. Theentire loan was repaid to the bank with Rs.1interest. In 2005, two members took a loanof Rs.50,000 from the same bank and boughttwenty lambs. They reared them for five monthsthen made a profit of Rs.10,000 when they soldthem. They repaid the loan fully. Later, tenmembers took Rs.10,000 each from the samebank. Nagalaxmi bought a buffalo with the loanamount. After three months of purchase thebuffalo delivered a female calf. It yielded twolitres of milk per day, which she sold at Rs.10per litre, earning Rs.20 per day, ie Rs.600 amonth. Nagalaxmi repaid the loan at Rs.500 permonth. Now she fully owns the buffalo.In January 2006, Nagalaxmi bought a ChilliPowder Making Unit for Rs.13,000. She tooka loan of Rs.5,000 under the allocation forProductivity Enhancement of the revolving fundof APRLP at Rs.1 interest and organised anotherRs.8,000 on her own. She earns Rs.20 per daygrinding chillies in the unit. She works either inthe morning or in the evening. Thus she earnsRs.600 every month from the unit. During theday she works as a wage labourer. She also takescare of the buffaloes and the milk production.Not only could Nagalaxmi take a loan ofRs.10,000 from the revolving fund in 2006 tostart a sheep business, she has been able to earnfrom it too. Her husband works as a sheep traderas well as a daily wage earner. He earns aboutRs.3,000 per month from these activities.As her economic status has improved shehas constructed a two-room pucca house forher family. Earlier Nagalaxmi could not evenmeet her basic needs. But now they lead arich fulfilling life. All this became possiblethrough self-help group and village organisationactivities supported by the watersheddevelopment programme of APRLP.Nagalaxmi’s chilli powder making unitMETLA NAGALAXMI97Hope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 971/7/2008 10:43:33 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T75. SALAMMA’S DAIRYKandula Salamma is 60 years old. Shelives with her husband and two sons inPenchikalapadu village of Cumbum mandal inPrakasam district. Her other two sons are marriedand have set up their own establishments. Theyhave two acres of irrigated land. Because of ashortage of groundwater they were able to growonly red gram.They also had two buffaloes. They needed atractor-load of dry fodder for them. They hadto get the fodder from Nandyal at a cost ofRs.2,700. Without adequate fodder there was adrastic reduction in the milk yield to just 4 litresa day, and that too only for six months in theyear. The family consumed 1 litre and sold theremaining 3 litres at Rs.8 per litre. This incomewas insufficient for the family of four. As aresult the third son dropped out of school fromthe 10th standard. Kandula Salamma’s husbandSubba Reddy was not interested in rearing theanimals, but she persuaded him to continue, asthere was no alternative source of income.Check dams and percolation tanks wereconstructed as part of the APRLP watersheddevelopment programme in the village. Therewas a gradual increase in groundwater andwater in the wells. Observing this, the multidisciplinaryteam (MDT) generated awareness onfodder development. Salamma and fifteen otherswho showed an interest were provided withfodder seeds. While all the others grew fodder onsmall patches of 20 or 30 cents of land, Salammagrew fodder in an acre of land.The fodder offered scope for Salamma torear more buffaloes. She took another loan ofRs.25,000 from the Lakshmi self-help group. Thisloan was repayable in 10 months in installmentsof Rs.2,750 per month. Though this was a hugeamount, the availability of fodder emboldenedher to take the loan. In the first month, themilk production was normal but later the yieldimproved dramatically as a consequence ofbuying hybrid animals and the ample availabilityof green fodder. The buffaloes yielded 4 – 6 litresper day. Salamma started selling 20 litres ofmilk at Rs.10 per litre, earning Rs.200 per day.She earned between Rs.5,500-6,000 per month,and could easily repay the loan installment fromher monthly earnings. She was making a profitof about Rs.2,000 per month after meetingexpenses and repaying the loan every month.As others also started growing fodder, themilk production shot up. The traders offereda lower price for milk as the production washigh. Salamma started a milk collection centrewith her third son and made an additionalprofit of Rs.5 per litre by trading in milk. Asher income went up she not only cleared theentire loan but also bought another buffalo withher own savings. She now owns five buffaloes.Her husband is fully engaged in managing thebuffaloes and milk production.Salamma’s fourth son is studying in the 10thstandard now and she wants to invest in hishigher education, as she was sad that her thirdson had to drop out of school. From a stageof dependence on her husband, she has nowbecome the breadwinner for the family. Theentire family is gainfully employed and Salammais a role model in the village, commandingrespect from all.Milk collection centre run by SalammaSalamma and her family98 SALAMMA’S DAIRYHope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 981/7/2008 10:43:33 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T76. BHYRUNNISA BANKS ON BANGLESThis is a story of a Muslim woman who hadlived all her life behind purdah. The sweepingcurrents of change eventually helped her supporther family of six daughters and enhance theeconomic status of her entire household.Bhyrunnisa belongs to Mulugu village ofMulugu mandal in Medak district. She faced a lotof hardships trying to bring up her large family.She could not even send her children to schoolas her husband’s earnings were not adequate.The watershed development programme waslaunched in the village with the support ofthe NGO, TREES which was the implementingagency. They held meetings with the community.There were intense discussions on several issuessuch as health, education, the practice ofchild marriage, and the very important one ofsustainable livelihoods for women.TREES motivated the women to form self-helpgroups, each with 10-15 members. Bhyrunnisajoined the Bharathi group. The membersmanaged the group and each member saved Rs.1a day. They conducted group meetings regularlyand had lively discussions on matters pertainingto savings, repayment of loans and otherissues related to promoting awareness amongthe women. A literate woman from among themembers wrote the books.The DWMA sanctioned Rs.25,000 as a loan tothe group. They distributed this amount amongstthe members, but it was not enough to fulfilltheir economic needs.Bhyrunnisa started thinking about startinga stable business activity. She discussed thiswith fellow members and decided to start sellingbangles. She borrowed Rs.10,000 from theenterprise promotion fund and added anotherRs.2,000 from her own savings. She purchasedbangles worth Rs.4,000 from Goshamahal Centrein Hyderabad. Initially she carried the banglesin a box on her head when she went fromhouse to house. Her own community ridiculedher for taking up such a menial job. She didn’tlet it bother her and marched ahead withdetermination.Many people knew her in the village. Theyencouraged her and bought bangles from her.She earned Rs.200-300 per day. She approachedhouseholds where marriages and functions wereto be held, so she could sell many more bangles.She also sold on credit to encourage buying.These promotional activities increased her sales.Soon Bhyrunissa was able to set up a shopin her own house and started selling her waresfrom there. She now visits houses only on specialoccasions. She purchases bangles worth Rs.4,000from Hyderabad once a week, and makes a profitof about Rs.1,200 to 1,500.Recently she was able to celebrate her eldestdaughter’s wedding, using her savings andborrowing Rs.30,000. Earlier she used to beafraid of taking loans, but not now. She has theconfidence to be able to repay them from themoney she now earns.She feels that joining the self-help group hasgiven her confidence and knowledge. She haslearnt new skills and is able to earn a living. Sheis very grateful for this.Bhyrunnisa with her customersBHYRUNNISA BANKS ON BANGLES99Hope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 991/7/2008 10:43:33 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T77. JUBEDABI’S INDOMITABLE SPIRIT29 year old Jubedabi is HIV positive and herhusband died of AIDS, but she is not afraid. Sheis a born leader and runs the village organisationefficiently. Her life is an example for all thosesuffering from HIV/AIDS.She studied up to the 5th standard, and wasmarried to Sharif sixteen years ago. She has twochildren, and owns 1.5 acres of land allottedto her family by the government. She joineda self-help group comprising 15 members in1995. Given her assertiveness, combined withher energy and helpful nature, she was electedleader of the self-help group. Each membersaved Rs.30 per month. Seeing how thesemembers were prospering, other women in thevillage were motivated to join the self-helpgroup movement and soon 10 self-help groupswere formed.In the year 2000 Tadakalapalli village wasidentified and selected for the implementationof the watershed development programme. Forthe first time in the history of the watersheddevelopment programme an all women’swatershed committee was formed, headed byJubedabi. The committee got special recognitionfrom the departments and officials as awatershed successfully run by women. The selfhelpgroup led by Jubedabi achieved many goodthings for the community.One such activity stood out as an example ofhow the group builds unity in the community.The women’s group took a loan under thewatershed programme and started piscicultureas a group activity. When they made a profit ofabout Rs.40,000, the self-help group contributedRs.30,000 to build a church, a mosque and atemple in their village, at a cost of Rs.10,000each. They pledged this donation to prove thatself-help groups mean unity and all communitieshave a stake and need to take part in theirdevelopment. This gesture has built enormousgoodwill for the groups.The women’s group also worked on othersocial issues such as the prevention of childmarriages, and persuading parents to re-enrollchildren who had dropped out of schools.They influenced the election of politicalrepresentatives, ensured the granting of rationcards and built relationships with officials ofgovernment departments.The self-help groups took on theresponsibility of running the National ChildLabour Project (NCLP) School in the village. Theysaw to it that the children lived in the SocialWelfare Hostel if they opted for higher educationafter they finished school.The village school had only two roomsand hence could not accommodate any morechildren. The self-help groups collectedRs.16,000 for the construction of some morerooms. Jubedabi alone contributed Rs.4,000 as away of showing her concern and commitment tothe development of the village.Their village was called the `Insured Village’as the self-help groups motivated the entirevillage community to be covered by an insurancescheme – a unique achievement.They built a veterinary hospital, and bymaking a representation to the Government theyappointed a compounder to run the hospital.As the leader of a self-help group andmember of the watershed committee Jubedabiinitiated many other village developmentactivities and the village witnessed greatprogress. Twice she has received the award forthe ‘Best Village Organisation Leader’ from theChief Minister. “I don’t know how long I willsurvive but I would like to do the best possiblefor the village before I die”, says Jubedabi.Jubedabi100 JUBEDABI’S INDOMITABLE SPIRITHope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 1001/7/2008 10:43:33 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T78. THE COMMUNITY’S FUTURE RESTS ONYOUNG SHOULDERSOurs is a male dominated society and theplight of women continues to be grim. There isno dearth of rhetoric with regard to amelioratingconditions of women, but not much seems to behappening.As a sharp contrast here is a success storythat deals with the formation of Balika Sanghaswith girls who are 14-18 years old. Thesesanghas were set up to increase creativity andsocial consciousness among young women.The presence of such groups in every village isabsolutely the need of the hour, especially asIndia is now younger than ever.During the appraisal of the watershedimplementation programme in Jalakanur villageof Midthur mandal in Kurnool district, theacute problems faced by girl-children cameto the surface. Child marriage is still a norm.Women are neglected and backward. They sufferpsychological stress, are illiterate and notgainfully employed. The social mobiliser initiallyformed two Balika Sanghas with 10-15 memberseach. The two sanghas opened accounts in alocal bank and members started to save Rs.30 amonth.Along with being encouraged to save, themembers were trained and taken on visits togive them an exposure to different things. Thesemeasures enhanced their skills and learning.The young members of the Balika Sanghasspearheaded the spread of awareness on criticalissues among the members of the regular selfhelpgroups. The young women’s enthusiasm andenergy was thus channelised for a positive socialcause.Balika Sanghas members are very aware ofthe importance of issues such as health, formingself-help groups and participation in communityand nation building. They also focus on:• EducationIf you educate a man, one person iseducated, but if you educate a woman, a wholefamily is educated. Literacy of women is ofparamount importance. Literate mothers canmould their households meaningfully. The BalikaSanghas focus on literacy of not only theirgroups but also other women’s groups.• HealthRural women are susceptible to disease andmental disorders. Many women are anaemicdue to menstrual problems. Health awarenessand child care are vital. Sangha members areeducated about the importance of nutritiousfood and pre-natal care and their effect onlong-term health, and they in turn teach otherwomen of the village about these issues, thuscontributing to the well-being of the community.• SavingsIt is essential for all women to savemoney regularly. It enables them to deal withemergencies at home. It teaches them to managea house economically. Members of the BalikaSanghas have saved money and learnt the utilityand value of savings from a very early age. Eachmember saves a rupee per day.The young women have also learnt tailoring,embroidery, nursing and how to use a computerand other skills that make them employable.The goal of the Balika Sanghas is to makewomen self-reliant by fighting for economicindependence and against social evils.Members of the Balika SanghaMembers of the Sangha have been taught tailoringTHE COMMUNITY’S FUTURE RESTS ON YOUNG SHOULDERS101Hope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 1011/7/2008 10:43:33 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T79. GENDER EQUALITYThe women of Kammuru village of Kuderumandal in Anantapur district proved that whenwomen get equal opportunities and status toaccess development initiatives, development isdefinitely faster.Before the formation of self-help groupsand village organisations began, the womenof Kammuru village had no say in makinghousehold decisions. They also got lower wages.Other than agriculture, men did not bother tolook for avenues of income. Women took care ofthe children, did all the household chores, tookcare of cattle and worked as labourers. They hadvery little control over their lives.The table below compares the work done bymen and women, earlier in Kammuru village.(Figures in %)Particulars of Work Women Men VariationHousehold work 100 0 100Cattle related work 100 0 100Feeding the cattle 80 20 80Grazing cattle 50 50 –Agriculture 40 60 40Nurturing children 80 20 80Managing the home 0 100 100Decision making 0 100 100When APRLP watershed programme wasinitiated in Kammuru village, self-help groupsand village organisations were formed. Thewatershed development team organisedawareness programmes and training for membersof self-help groups and village organisations.Women were required to attend the GenderAwareness training at Kuderu where they weremade aware of various aspects related to genderdifferences such as the social and individualbenefits of men and women sharing work andresponsibility, the need for women to achievecontrol over their lives, and the role of incomein gender relations.The village organisation held a gramsabha where the contents of the GenderAwareness training were shared with the restof the villagers. Self-help groups and villageorganisations played a significant part inachieving behavioural change in men. Womenprovided critical investment support throughthe self-help groups and contributed to betterincomes. The benefits of being members of selfhelpgroups combined with gender awarenesscampaigns resulted in men supporting womento participate in meetings and also to undertakesmall economic activities.A change in the pattern of work-sharing wasnoticed. The box shows approximate figuresas explained by the families. The relevance of102 GENDER EQUALITYHope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 1021/7/2008 10:43:34 AM

these figures lies in the fact that there is mutualconsensus on the change in the percentage ofwork.Particulars of Work Women MenHousehold work 80 20Cattle related work 50 50Feeding the cattle 50 50Taking cattle for grazing 50 50Agriculture 40 60Nurturing children 60 40Managing the home 50 50Decision making 50 50(The figures must be viewed as indicativeonly of perceptions and not as derived fromsystematic empirical study. These have beengathered through PRA techniques duringinformal discussions, when on visits to collectdata).Thus the watershed livelihood fund acted asa critical factor in bringing about a change inthe attitudes of men and in creating a sense ofequality. Credit at affordable rates was a crucialelement. Earlier, when men wanted a loan theygot it at a very high rate of interest. Theysigned promisory notes, provided mortgagesand sureties. Many families lost valuables andon occasion even land and property to moneylenders. Because of women’s membership inself-help groups and village organisations, thefamilies had access to loans with easy repaymentin installments and with a low rate of interest.While the men were happy to get loans oneasy terms, the hidden leadership abilitiesof women came into the open. They not onlyextended mutual help to other women andsupported each other but many of them alsomade a success of income generation activities.In a short span of time women assumed aleading role not just in self-help groups andvillage organisations but also in their householdeconomy. The power of collectivity gave themunprecedented security and social respectwhich also changed their status in the family.Women were ready to adapt to gradually takingover important positions in relationshipswithin families. That it was all done within theboundaries of tradition is important.Men and women work together in Kammuru villageGENDER EQUALITY103Hope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 1031/7/2008 10:43:34 AM

T H E A N D H R A P R A D E S H R U R A L L I V E L I H O O D S P R O J E C T80. ECONOMICALLY INDEPENDENT AT SIXTYSixty-year-old Dhulla Venkatamma andher husband Ramulu live in Kothapalli villageof Chandampet mandal in Nalgonda district.They have a son and daughter-in-law who liveseparately. They have one acre of dryland whichdid not yield much so they worked as daily wagelabourers. Ramulu also traded in goat and sheepskins, a trade he had learnt from his father. Withthis income they lead a fairly comfortable life.When the trade in skins was bad they used tomigrate to Miryalaguda to look for work.Seven years ago Ramulu fell and has beenbedridden. The mantle of running the familyfell on Venkatamma’s shoulders. She tried tocontinue her husband’s business for which shehad to borrow money. She was selling the skinsat Devarakonda for Rs.10 per skin, but spentmore than half her profits on bus fares, onpaying back the loan and on Ramulu’s medicaltreatment. It was becoming increasingly difficultfor her to run the home.When the APRLP watershed programme cameto Kothapalli village, Venkatamma joined theVenkateshwara self-help group and saved moneyon a regular basis. She took a loan of Rs.5,000from the village organisation livelihood fundand continued her business. Earlier, because theinterest rate on the money she borrowed wasvery high she could not take more than Rs.1,000and so could not visit more than two or threevillages to procure skins. Now with a loan ofRs.5,000 from the village organisation and witha simple system of repayment at a low interestrate, Venkatamma is able to visit twenty villagesto buy skins.She preserves all the skins in salt and sellsthem in Devarakonda once a week. Thus she sellsabout fifty skins in a week and is able to makebetween Rs.10-20 profit on each skin. She nowearns not less than Rs.3,000 per month. All thenearby hamlets are inhabited by the Lambadaswho slaughter many goats and sheep duringfestivals. At these times she is able to buy andsell up to 500 skins in the week. She was ableto earn Rs.60,000 during the last year from thisbusiness. From her earnings she repays Rs.500 tothe village organisation.Venkatamma spends Rs.1,500 on thehousehold and Rs.500 for her husband’streatment. Besides, she pays toward theeducation of her grand-children. She hasbought twenty small ruminants valued at aboutRs.40,000. She claims that ever since thewatershed programme began she is able to earnreasonably well, even at the age of sixty, and isindependent.Dhulla Venkatamma with her husband Ramulu104 ECONOMICALLY INDEPENDENT AT SIXTYHope_CaseStudies_BK.indd 1041/7/2008 10:43:34 AM