I was based in Nagpur, Maharashtra for 4 months, capturing stories for a locally based NGO, the Comprehensive Rural Tribal Development Programme (CRTDP).
The CRTDP exists to support rural and marginalised communities that are being left behind by rapid industrialisation.
Having worked for decades at supporting these communities the CRTDP can offer a plethora of services, all dependent on funding initiatives, provided by both international and governmental schemes, which can often be tenuous.
CRTDP has developed a network where they can provide anything from blanket distribution and HIV/AIDS testing to women’s counselling, micro financing and political advocacy.
Khapa (Nipani) is a remote village in rural Maharashtra, whose name literally translates to ‘village with no water’. The 250 villagers who call this home live with severe water shortages during the long dry summers. This problem is exacerbated by government rulings, which restrict them from digging or maintaining their wells or implementing any other water shedding interventions.
With winter coming in and night temperatures dropping, CRTDP delivered blankets here and in Sukli (Kalar) in partnership with CASA India, and took the opportunity to listen to the villagers' needs and challenges.
This is part of a longstanding and ongoing relationship between CRTDP and local villagers.
This is Sona Bai. For most of her life she has struggled with discrimination, unable to find any work. Her peers marginalized her for her leucoderma, which many incorrectly think to be harmful and contagious.
10 years ago CRTDP provided her with one goat as part of the ‘Projekt Indien’ program, and in the same instance an opportunity.
Despite having no previous experience, she would go alone into the field every day to graze her animal. She soon learned how to rear goats, and her herd began to grow. She was then able to start benefiting from her hard work; setting up her own business, selling goats to other villagers and butchers.
Having high ambitions, Sona saw the opportunities start to open up to her. She went to her village central office (Grampanchayat) where she was granted a loan to buy more goats and expand her business. As the years passed her herd grew further, reaching a peak of 500 goats.
Her hard work and success paid off. With the money she made she was able to build her own home, pay for her children’s education and their dowries and earn the respect of her community, of whom she provided an important service.
Now she keeps about 60 goats, more than enough for what she needs. But more than that, she has developed a deep sense of pride and achievement.
“I want to serve the people. I am passionate about uniting families together and every day there are new cases. I am divorced, I have suffered in my life. I do not want others to suffer the same pain that I went through. A child’s best future lies within a united family. That’s why I feel it is so important to keep families together.
I motivate the women by letting them know about their rights and giving self defence advice. Some women are not emotionally strong. In fact, this is an incredibly commonplace issue in India. Women do not stand on their own feet. They have to be dependent on others because they do not have any money. I believe that women should fight for themselves. They should fight to be strong and financially independent.
The centre is here because women are suffering through many problems which stem from their families, especially their husbands. In the entire Khaparkheda area, only our centre provides support.”
Savita Fulzele, Women's counsellor
