EMPOWERING WOMEN THROUGH LIVELIHOOD GENERATION

The overall empowerment of women is crucially dependent on their economic empowerment as it can enhance the self-confidence and increase the 'bargaining power' of women in their families and communities. Keeping these ideas in view, the Foundation has promoted the formation of Self-Help Groups, Sangathans and Women’s Dairy Cooperatives to promote livelihood generation. It provides savings, credit and other development opportunities to women in the Nandesari, Chhota Udepur, Kawant and Naswadi blocks of Vadodara District and Halvad and Dhrangdhra blocks of Surendranagar District. The livelihood generation activities in the Surendranagar District were carried out under the Sustained Nutrition, Education, Health and Livelihood (SNEHAL) Project with Care India till December 2007.

Women's Dairy Cooperative Society (WDCS)

The Foundation facilitates the formation and activation of the cooperatives. Today, there are 20 dairy cooperatives involving 915 members having a turnover of more than 68 lacs. The Foundation also provides support services like training and exposure visits for members and ensuring veterinary services and other services as per the need.

The women’s dairy cooperatives have opened wide horizons for the rural women. Fair price for milk, availability of fodder, knowledge about checking fat, dairy visits, availability of bonus, small credit facilities are some of the tangible benefits reported by the women. Some of the less tangible changes like higher esteem for women’s work, increase in self-respect and confidence, decision making ability, support from family members, ability to demand services and spend money for one’s own needs and so on have also been observed.

Self Help Groups (SHGs) and Sangathan

Till date, 208 Self Help Groups have been formed with total savings of more than 50 lacs between 3137 members. Besides income generating activities and seeking micro credit, the SHGs work on a range of issues such as health, nutrition, agriculture, forestry and watershed. The Foundation facilitates formation and strengthening of self-help groups of rural women in the Vadodara District and Surendranagar District. Sangathan groups are running in 10 villages of Nandesari for overall village development, with special emphasis on social and economic development. The aim is to provide a platform from where women can access public services and bank facilities and spearhead changes that affect them as poor women.

Main Activities Undertaken 

• Food catering services
• Starting beauty parlors
• Preparation and sale of vermicompost
• Preparation and sale of newborn baby kits
• Vegetable plantation using scientific methods
• Production and sale of artificial jewelery and handicrafts items
• Production and sale of consumer products such as phenyl, detergent powder in collaboration with Hindustan Lever Limited

Pithora paintings

Pithora paintings are ritualistic paintings done by the men of the tribes, Rathwas, Nayaks and Bhils of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. In Vadodara district, the art is carried out in Chhota Udepur and Kawant blocks. Pithora Painting is a unique art form in itself with several distinctive features and motifs. Even the material used is quite unique and the preparation of colors requires mixing of paints with milk and liquor prepared from the auspicious Mahuda tree. The bright colors and exotic designs depict a special aesthetic sense of the Lakharas who produce it. The motifs used speak about their history and everyday life in terms of the natural elements with whom they are intimately attached.

However, Pithora painting is a dying art in the tribal region, the main reason being the high expenditure incurred on the ritual of getting this painting made. The number of artists has gone down considerably over time, and presently there are only around hundred artists left practicing it. Though the art is done by the males, Deepak Foundation has introduced tribal women to the ancient art as an alternative source of income in the villages. For this purpose, the Foundation has initiated training programmes for women in making the traditional Pithora paintings.