Liberation through Cooperation

On our last day in Koppal we had the opportunity to meet with a local women’s self help group (SHG). I asked about how older women feel about the actions these women are taking and was delighted to hear they had support from almost all women from any generation. Any time they were asked about barriers faced by their organization they referred back to the same group of people: men. Those who openly opposed this group were, according to these women, always men. There are husbands who do not allow their wives to participate in the SHG; there are members of the local government who refuse to take the women’s group seriously. It is not other women, the government, or differing caste alliances that challenge these women, it is men from their own community.

Men being the main opposition faced by the SHG was stated clearly and repeatedly but there is still optimism that the SHG will continue with the support of men. Husbands begin allowing their wives to go to the SHG meetings and wives disobey their husbands’ wishes and attend the meetings anyway. In both these situations, membership to the SHG brings benefits to the woman and her family and she gains support from her husband and encourages more women to join. As the SHG gains members, support, and power in the community the men in their local government are starting to listen to the women’s opinions. It may take time, but it seems that someday the SHG’s will be supported by men as well as women.

Perhaps it is only the financial benefits of belonging to a self help group that is bringing this group support, but I would like to think that, in addition to the financial gains made by members, it is the support offered for women for their development as well. The group may focus first on finances, but their second focus is education. They are working for not only the education of the member’s children but also for the education of the members themselves and their community as a whole. Some believe that self help groups like this one only help members financially, they do not offer any vehicle of change. I feel differently. The women we spoke with had fire in their eyes and and passion in their words. They were not members simply for money, they were members because the self help group offered them a chance to make a positive change in their lives, empower themselves, and bring respect and hope to women in their community.