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

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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
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