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| Victorious Strides on an Innovative Development Track -1 |
Sujathas of the Goat-village
There was an unusual crowd in that sleepy village Pookod Palakunnu in Alagapanagar Panchayath. A team of fifty people, most of them were Muslim women wearing the traditional veils, came in a tourist bus. They had come to this little hamlet to observe and study how Sujatha with her three children and a flock of goat was leading her life.
They were Kudumbashree members from Vazhakkad Panchayath near Kondotti in Malappuram District. Under the leadership of C.D.S. Chair-person Ayisha they had come with just one objective: to see the goats and Sujatha; and to learn from her success. Sujatha was one of the most enterprising model in the goat – village project implemented by Kudumbashree. Ayisha and her team wanted to replicate the success of Sujatha at their own native Vazhakkad. They had got Dum-biriyani, a local delicacy in Malappuram, ready for their lunch as they came to meet Sujatha.
Sujatha - A living example to learn from
Kizhakkummury Sujatha was on the verge of suicide. She was totally dampened by the plight of her life. Having lost even the last straw of help, she had for company her three children, heavy debts and lived in a thatched house, deserted by her husband. The light that appeared before her was Kudumbashree and the Goat-rearing project, namely goat – village. There began her survival story.
But for the fact that once she had reared a goat, Sujatha had no other experience in larger scale goat-rearing. Once she became a member in the goat-village project in 2009 it was a venture for her with eight ewes and one ram. She learned the various aspects of goat-rearing by attending the various training programs and classes. With perseverance, order and discipline success was hers.
Today she owns a very good goat farm with forty-two goats. Once she had upto 45. She is looking forward to seven births soon. That means, even with at least two kids each, she would have 14 guests at her goat pen.
What a price for urine!
The pen for the flock is made at a good height so that the urine and the dung can be collected cleanly with special arrangements. The urine collected in big cans is sold to the nearby Ayurvedic medicine manufacturing unit of Oushadhi. It is eight rupees for one litre. Earlier it was up to eleven rupees. Forty-five litres of urine and two cages of dung could be collected per day. One cage of dung fetched forty rupees.
Sujatha is strict in keeping the accounts. When asked about the total sum she got out of the sale of dung and urine, promptly came the answer: Rs. 25000 from dung sale. But today the dung is used as manure for banana plants. More than two lakh rupees came from the sale of urine which is now bought also by farmers Instead of Urea it can be diluted and used for plantain trees.
Sujatha does not sell the milk but lets the goat kids drink and grow. Meat fetches more than milk, is the simple economic theory put forward by Sujatha. Let them drink and grow. Goats are sold at an estimated price of Rs. 300 per kilogram.
Glad is Sujatha!
“I am happy, Sir”, said Sujatha. “Now I have a concrete house; my children go to school; I have become respectable.” As one looks at the unplastered 600 square-feet house with an air of doubt she says: “This is heaven for me, sir. Where did I lie once!”
She has paid off all her debts. Now she owns 65 cents of land and lives happily with Babu who walked into her life later and her three children - Sathyajith, Sathyadev and Suryanandini. Her mother Devayani is also there to help her.
Sujatha assures us that goat breeding is an enterprise which can be made successful provided one is ready to work hard.
115 women in Alagapanagar itself
Sujatha is not alone in the goat-village project in Alagapanagar Panchayath. There are 115 women in 23 groups, each group consisting of five members. All of them earn their living by goat-rearing.
Omana Thankappan, CDS chair-person is the one who flies around and leads all the Kudumbashree activities in the Panchayath, including that of goat-rearing. There are also the veterinary doctors who are ever ready to respond to the calls of the needy.
Once there was a problem of getting good price for the goats when selling. But by creating a meat marketing group under the leadership of Annie, a Kudumbashree member, this was solved. There is much demand for the fresh meat wrapped in teak leaves directly marketed.
Beginning in Kannur
The goat village was a project designed by Kudumbashree to bring back a very common rural occupation, scientifically remodeled. The capital consisted of bank loan, subsidy and the consumer’s share.
The project marked its beginning in Kannur District in 2008. It was a great success. Today there are about fifteen thousand goats being reared by women in Kannur. 3,695 women in 739 groups are active in goat - village. Thirty-four trade-fairs have been conducted for the sale of goats and the amount drawn from them only, is estimated to be around 1.25 crores.
Organic manure, named ‘Ajasree’ is also manufactured from goat-dung here. At Thillankeri, a production unit is functioning under the leadership of Goat-breeders’ Association. Thirteen tons of dung has been used already for producing Ajasree organic manure.
Once the decision to implement this project all through the state, by including the goat- village project in the ‘100 day programme’ of the Kerala Government, many women have taken up goat-rearing as their means of livelihood. The number of home-makers who have prospered by this project in fifty-one panchayaths of various districts, just in the last two years is 3,718. With this the number of the beneficiaries of this project has come to around ten thousand. Apart from this, there are many who have released themselves from their ‘goat life’ of miseries by entering goat-breeding as a means of self-employment.
Following goat- village, the Kudumbashree has begun a buffalo-rearing project in Malappuram district where buffalo-meat is in much demand. 222 women in forty-three groups in Nediyirippu and Edappatta had stepped into the buffalo-village projects. Many other villages also are coming to the project with much enthusiasm.
The goat-village is just one among the success stories of Kudumbashree.
(To be continued…)
Attached Box
To Prosperity Via Kudumbashree
Kudumbashree, in Malayalam meaning family’s prosperity, is a flagship program of the Government of Kerala. Launched in 1998 as a ripple effect of previous community oriented poverty eradication schemes initiated first in Alappuzha in 1993 and later in Malappuram in th mid and late 90s, it is today one of the largest women and social empowerment projects in India. Envisaged not only as a Mission, but also as a process, a project and a delivery mechanism for the poor, Kudumbasree had created sustainable living options to the underprivileged.
The Kudumbasree is engaging women as efficient change agents. It is functioning through chains of women’s groups all over Kerala from the capital city to the remote tribal villages. More than 50% of the families in the state have come under the umbrella of Kudumbashree.
Kudumbasree is also the executive agency for the Central Govt project NRLM (National Rural Livelihood Mission – Ajeevika) in Kerala. Central Govt Projects like Mahila Kissan Empowerment Pariyojana (MKSP) and Rajeev Avas Yojana are implemented with the co-operation of Kudumbasree in Kerala.
Since its inception, Kudumbasree has built itself on three pillars of self sustenance – micro finance, entrepreneaurship and empowerment. It is centred on a unique 3-tier organizational system NHG, ADS and CDS.
Neighbourhood Groups (NHG) is the grassroots of the three level Kudumbashree mission. It is a fellowship of 10 to 20 women of neighbourhood. They hold meetings every week and each member brings a small share. Discussions will be held and the needs of the members will be considered and loans will be granted on nominal interest. Each group will have a name, office-bearers and a bank account.
ADS (Area Development Society) is the ward level fellowship of the representatives from the Neighbourhood Groups.
CDS Community Development Society is the Panchayath level fellowhip of the representatives of ADS. The chair-person elected from them co-ordinates activities of each panchayath. The strength of the CDS is the support of the Panchayath system. The district and state level missions will give the leadership.
Most ventures of Kudumbasree are launched under the joint responsibility of a group (Joint Liability Group - JLG) of five to ten women.
Now there are 2,53,828 NHGs, 19892 ADSs and 1072 CDSs across Kerala with a total membership of 39,66,430 women.
Caption…
Kizhakkummury Sujatha with her flock of goat and mother Devayani in Pookod village road.
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