Anita Minz and her struggle is a common story of rural Odisha. She is a poor mother of three children, carrying the burden of her paralysed husband. In a tender age of 30 years, Anita is the sole bread earner of the family. She has struggled hard to provide food security to her three children and husband.
She became a member of a self-help group-Salomi SHG of Balishankara block and Anita was able to mobilize Rs 10,000 from revolving fund and bank loan. This money helped her in taking up vegetables and pulses cultivation in her small piece of land- her only asset. Once the daily wage labour barely finding any work after agricultural season, now she is not only food secured but also her children go to the nearby village school.
Rosalin Behera, a resident of Brahmans Saoilo Gram Panchayat, who is one among her 8 siblings, hails from a very poor family of Kantapada village. She along with her fellow 3,375 SHGs members formed Mahasakti Jute Product Producers Federation and now she earns more than Rs 6,000 per month.
Namrada Naik, a school dropout and a widow with two children from Rabipidia village of Phulbani block is now seen with her magic box in her village and vicinity areas before even the sun rises and providing animal care services to poor goat and poultry rearers. last season alone she could provide livestock healthcare service to 500 households in 8 villages of her panchayat.
Rajkumari Bhoi and Sushama Bhoi have been exceptional examples of collective actions in Jhilminda village of Attabira Block. With some handholding support in terms of capacity building, revolving fund and bank linkage, the SHG was able to invest in vegetable cultivation in leased land and the profits touching as high as Rs 1,40,000.
Presently, the group has SHG corpus of Rs 1,01,766. These ladies have been instrumental in motivating the women of that area and ingrain the courage and confidence.
Sasmita Bisar, a young lady in her early twenties and the eldest sibling among five daughters from Bijipur Block of Bargarh district, has become a role model for many young girls in her district. Due to poverty struck situations- Sasmita had to stop her education after her middle school, this decision lead her self confidence to deteriorate and she had stopped expecting a self dependent life in her future.
DDU-GKY district level counseling camp was organized and Sasmita enrolled herself to work at Shai export as textile designer. After the successful completion of her training, Sasmita is working at the Bangalore unit of Shai export with a dignified remuneration of Rs 8,500 per month. She is also supporting her family at village.
The Odisha livelihoods Mission has received accolades in both national and international sphere. It has received the award of best performing State under livelihoods segment from the Government India. The consistent and innovative performance in DDUGKY-skill by ORMAS has shown the implementation pathways for other States and also bagged the prestigious Europe India award for excellence.
(The writer is in Team lead (Programme) in Odisha livelihoods Mission through UNDP roll)