Thrift Group Motivational Camp

This is .the most crucial and important program requires to the sustainable implementation of the SHG programs in the Anodal. Hence HELP has taken much care and started sensitising the women identified in the villages about the importance of this camp.

The camp has been organized at Doulathabad and 200 women participants attended the camp. The objectives of the camp is to develop the concept of unity among the women, to offer financial assistance to the groups with sustainability, enable women to handle their own earnings, improve their capacity in financial management and to develop the habit of circulating their thrift money among themselves. The goal behind this is economic independence and strong socio - economic fall back position for women in the family.

Project Director of Women and Child Development Ms. D. Lora Kalyani, and from Kurnool Manager of Rural Banks Dr. Sujatha are the Resource persons attended this camp.

Discussions were mainly focused on the benefits out of SHG formation and how to sustain the groups. Dr. Sujatha explained the participants about the group concept and how to manage their thrift and how best they can utilize their savings for social and economic needs with priority. Ms. Lora Kalyani explained the participants about the functional literacy and roles and responsibilities of SHG members in family and community development.

Women members were well motivated towards group and thrift concept. As on March 2003 all 50 groups formed have saved R's. 1,29,150/-. This itself can be considered as an achievement because of the prevailing socio - economic conditions in the district it is much difficult to earn and save the money especially by women.
HELPs close monitoring also revels that groups have slowly reaching to the stage of sustainability with financial strengths. However, this will take some more time with close monitoring, and also these is a need to provide and support these groups further with required inputs.

Inequality is the major threat for women's development and    its    impact    is    more    in   the    districts    like Mahabubnagar where poverty is wide spread.   In this situation it is essential to sensitises the women on their roles and  responsibilities within and out side the family. This gives scope to strengthen and sustain the present ongoing program  and also yields  required  results. Hence a training camp on Gender Sensitisation has been organized at Doulathabad and 154 women who are the members of self-help group have participated.

The major objectives are to sensitise women on social evils that hindering the social mobilisation of their community, to create awareness about their rights and existing laws that gives social protection to them from all forms of exploitation.

Dr. S. Vijaya Kumar, Dr. R. Venkata Ravi and Mr. M. Venkataramana from Council for Social Development JAn Organization of ICSSR, Min. of HRD] interacted with the participants as resource persons. Dr, Ravi explained about the roles and responsibilities of women in family matters and also discussed with the women participants about the welfare programs especially designed for women's development. Mr. Venkataramana explained the small family norms and appropriate spacing. He further explained about the social evils such as girl child marriages, exists in the society and also highlighted the importance of birth registration. Dr. Vijaya Kumar spoke about the laws that gives protection to women from exploitation and also explained the importance of life insurance.

Since most of the women are illiterate and by nature their reaction to any sensitization is slow and hence, it will take some more time to judge the output from this camp.