9. Narrating Narratives
Conversations of a researcher with a Kudumbashree
Kudumbashree is a poverty eradication & women empowerment programme implemented by the Government of Kerala. It enables women to create networks within their community as self-help groups. It is arguably one the largest women’s network in the world.
Women play a key role in building households that are the building blocks of the society. Every action a woman takes in household decisions can amplify greatly to bring a positive impact in the house, to the livelihood & education of children.
The following is a conversation with a member of kudumbashree as a part of a research in Tinkerlabs. The snippets of our long conversation in malayam has been translated below. It dives into how a lady has transformed her life with the help of Kudumbashree and helps us understand the self-help model from her perspective.
Me: Sita Chechi, you got that new phone — I saw the kids were playing with it.
Sita Chechi. New phone? Oh yes yes, it is a smart phone, I only bought it.
Me: When did you buy it? Did cheta (brother) give money?
Chechi. For all this why cheta? I got loan na from my Kudumbashree group, now I paid back that also. I needed for the online classes, or else how will they study?
Me. Chechi? Kudumbashree o?
Chechi. Ya that neighbourhood group we have. All nearby house ladies only.
Me : okay…so it is a group of ladies? But chechi, how did you manage to get a loan for the phone?
Chechi : During the lockdown and the entire corona issues, we all took loans from our savings in the bank. I got a new phone for my daughter to do online classes — it was helpful.
We never just take money, we take it as a loan only.
Me : Chechi, bank? So you all can save your money in the bank via kudumbashree?
Chechi: So it’s more like we all work on some small activity to earn money & save in the bank …everyone adds to the total savings, all of us.
Me: So how does this happen? Do you all meet?
Chechi: Yes, we all meet on Sundays as the meeting rules say.
We meet for 1–2 hours — it is not long & all.
Me: But do you have to go every Sunday?rules and all also?
Chechi: hooo yes yes, or else we will have to pay fine, it makes sure we all attend and that money we use for any emergency for any of us.
Me: Chechi what is this Kudhumbashree about? Savings & loans?
Sita Chechi: It is …um…..so we are 14 of us, we are like a group, we save money, then we take loans. We also earn money, we do banana plantation or we make agarbathi, different people do different things, stitch clothes.
Me: You do so many things together? How do you manage it?
Chechi: Manage o? It is like a group thing ..we all do it together.. 2–3 people handle the main bank and money work, rest we all take part.
Me: What do you enjoy about the group?
Chechi: All of them are from this area only — so it is easier to talk — we understand each other’s lives better.
Me: oh so you are in this group since how long?
Chechi: In Kudumbashree? I got married & shifted here & then Lekshmi chechi from the next house suggested I join, Since then, it has been like 15 years now. Everything is going smoothly within the Kudumbashree.
Me: But before marriage? Had you seen your amma(mother) also go to Kudumbashree?
Chechi: Oh! when it started even Achan(father) was like why are you going out and all.But with time everyone started slowly joining. Then amma also joined. Before women were not so strong to go out so much, amma then started Kudumbashree, she started being more stronger, handling money — even used to make me save money.
Now you go ask Achan, he‘ll tell all women should be part of Kudumbashree — go out, be strong.
Me: So…why do ladies join the group?
Chechi: Oh that they don’t think of being strong and all, we think of saving money only no.Like Swathi Kutty(kido) had joined because she knew she will need money after having a baby, to make her children study and even via the Kudumbashree group she will be able to save & get money which will help her to pay back other loans also.
And in general, it is helpful to save money, we save a little money every week, so by end of the year it is a lot of money, then when we get so much money at home for Onam(Harvest Festival of Kerala), we can buy new clothes & it feels good to be able to save so much, in general, it isn’t that easy to keep aside money, but in the group, we all save together.
Me: How does it help you chechi..being in this group?
Chechi: You asked so easily how does it help — it is of help just knowing that you have other people there for you.
So..last month in the other chechi’s house her husband fell sick, we all were there to give her our support. We also set aside some money from our savings, the money from our fine…it goes for such needs, and we gave it to him like money for need..like help…we all went in turns to spend time with her & the kids.
It is good when you have each other as support.
Me: That is very kind of all of you…how was the harvest of bananas this year with Kudumbashree?
Chechi: Oh, this year we didn’t do banana plantation — with the entire COVID fear. We just saved money & took loans like I took for a smart phone.I take loans only from the group — I anyways work in activity, so repaying will happen & less interest also.
Me: That is handy, isn’t it? To take loans within the group?
Chechi: It’s the money from our savings, we put it in the bank then later take a loan when needed.
Me: Why not put your savings in bank chechi? You can take it from there also chechi
Chechi:…Molye (kido) if we put it in a bank, we will end up taking it even for anything small. But in the group, I can take a loan only if my group also agrees.
It is like a community coming together to save & grow as a community.
Kerala is best known for its literacy rates, to which there is a key contribution by empowering women. Starting from household savings, women are enabled to step up as an individual & as a community.
In today’s testing times, when we depend on everyone out there, women here have their own community. They have strengthened this community & made sure the stand in the time of good & bad.
Conversations with women who are a part of Kudumbashree makes me think with any little or more means of money, they always figured a way to save money, help fellow members & find a place for themselves in their household finance & a voice within the community. The Kudumbashree program has not only enabled women to help solve financial difficulties with the help of self-help groups but has enabled them to be decision-makers of finance, the future of their children & empower the community.