Continuing its effort to empower women, CUTS CHD has signed a new SHG project with the NABARD. Under the new project, CHD will be forming 800 SHGs in Bhilwara and Chittorgarh districts. In all, 400 SHGs will be formed in each district during the project period. The duration of the project is of three years. The project will target mainly Above Poverty Line (APL) families. In the first year, the focus will be on mobilising women and men, formation of groups, inter-loaning, opening bank accounts in the local banks and capacity building of group leaders and members. In Bhilwara district, the project will be implemented in Banera, Suwana and Mandalgarh blocks. In Chittorgarh district, the project will be implemented in Chittorgarh, Nimbahera and Gangrar blocks. The SHG project would increase the savings activity among women, and help them engage in income-generating activities, which will raise their living standards on sustainable basis.
Overall Objective
The overall objective of the project is to ensure socio-economic development and enhance livelihood security in rural areas.
Immediate Objectives
- organising village women and give them a platform to discuss their problems
- establishing a mechanism for permanently evaluating the poverty level of the micro-finance programme clients
- creating opportunities for people for regular jobs
- availability of jobs locally
- ensuring economic security
- empowering village women
- empowering weaker sections
- checking migration
- promoting water and environmental conservation
- ensuring access to basic services
- Long-term Objectives
- providing opportunities to working villagers to lead a respectable life
- generating productive assets
- ensuring social audit
- protecting the environment
- fostering social equity
- ensuring social security
- holistic development of villages
- rural empowerment and enhanced participation in decision-making process.
Stakeholders in the Programme
Primary Stakeholders
- Village panchayat members
- Community and religious leaders
- Village-level institutions
- Members of SHGs
- Local leaders
- Youth clubs
- Farmers
- NGO workers
- Government officials
Secondary Stakeholders
- Contractors
- Health workers – dias and anganwari workers
- Teachers
- Local businessmen
Beneficiaries
Direct Beneficiaries
- Women
- Backward class people
- Unemployed youths
- Farmers
Indirect Beneficiaries
- Family
- Government officials
- Political parties
- Village-level institutions
- Local business men selling food and daily-use articles.
CUTS CHD will adopt certain methodologies for sustainable functioning of groups. The broad activities would be as follows:
- Staff orientation programme will be conducted on group dynamics and concept of SHGs for new staff, which will be conducted by experienced CUTS CHD trainers.
- For mobilising women and other villagers, street plays will be performed. The help of village elders will be taken for environment conservation activities. Subsequently, chaupal and gram baithaks will be conducted and TV and video movies will be shown on successful case studies on SHGs to encourage them for forming SHGs at their own level. Simultaneously, members with leadership qualities will also be identified.
- One Refresher Training programme will be conducted for the SHG leaders.
- Training programmes will be organised by key members of CHD staff, independent and external experts on the meaning of SHG, the need for savings, group solidarity and book-keeping.
- Regular monthly meetings of SHGs will be ensured. The CHD staff and its net workers will undertake subsequent monitoring and supervision for sustainability of groups. SHGs will be linked then with the local financial institutions.
- Assessment will be done from time to time to analyse the impact of the intervention measures.
- Each of these groups will be provided with three registers: member and meeting register, savings and credit register and individual savings pass book.
- Follow-up of the project intervention will be done through chaupal and gram baithaks, at least once in a month.
- Documentation will be a continuous and on-going process. Project interventions, learning and actions for sustainability would be regularly recorded.
- All SHGs will be linked with banks.
- A report incorporating the project learning will be prepared at the end of the project period.
Expected Outcome
At the end of a year-and-a-half out of the project period, 350 SHGs would start functioning actively. These SHGs would have loan linkages with banks.
Quality of life (with ‘improved problem-sharing, better health status, improved earning and greater mutual help’ as key indicators) would significantly improve. Dependency on costly and unviable loan would decrease.
The project was started in June 2008. Though the duration of the project is of two years it can be finished before the stipulated project time period.
Time Schedule
The project was started in June 2008. Though the duration of the project is of two years it can be finished before the stipulated project time period.
Project-implementing Staff
Currently, seven staff members are working at the block level, as block-level officers. Two supervisors are leading the project at the district level in Chittorgarh and Bhilwara. The overall supervision of the project is done by the project head from CUTS CHD office based at Chittorgarh. There is one animator in each panchayat, the total number of animators is 72, while 80 percent of these animators are women.