𝗔𝘆𝗲𝘀𝗵𝗮 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗲𝗻, 52, is a patchwork artisan from Kadi district, in Mehsana, Gujarat. She started perfecting her craft at a young age when she became a member of the local handicrafts cooperative.
Radha Devi is a progressive Goat rearer from the Gulalpur village of Sadar Munger in Bihar. She has been working as a Pashu Sakhi (goat health worker), a concept implemented by SEWA Munger with primary support of ITC Sunehrakal Mission since 2019.
Sonu ben lives in a joint family in the remote areas of Faruknagar. She aimed to become financially independent but did not get a chance despite having studied till class 12 because of her marriage into a conservative family.
Like others who were relocated to the remotely located resettlement colony of Savda Ghevra, Sudhma struggled to build a permanent shelter for her family and seek basic infrastructure services like water, sanitation and electricity.
The colossal drain in Nehru Nagar, Patna was full of garbage and had overflowed on multiple occasions causing a sanitation nuisance as well as accidents, including the death of a child who fell in it.
Improper drainage systems and damaged roads in Mubarakpur lead to perpetual waterlogging, creating adverse conditions for working women. “What will change this time?” was a question, field mobiliser Pushpa was confronted with upon her arrival in Mubarakpur a few years ago.
In November 2020, as the nation suffered from the pandemic and the economic shock, two blocks of Nehru Nagar, Patna received warnings of impending penalties if they continued to access electricity illegally.
“I don’t share personal details with just anybody,” said Gunja Kumari Ben, a resident of Bhagalpur, Bihar, as she was approached for a conversation. But when we came to know that she was being approached by SEWA Bharat, Gunja Ben visibly let go of some of her inhibitions.
Kripa ben was married off at an early age in a conservative family. She stays with her in-laws, husband, and a five-year-old daughter in a rented house on the outskirts of Farukh Nagar, Haryana. As the norms didn’t allow Kripa ben to work outside the home, the entire family was financially dependent on her husband’s earnings, who worked as a driver.
Soniya ben stays with her parents and children in Farukh Nagar after leaving her husband’s home because of domestic violence. Since then, she has wanted to be financially independent and build a secure future for her children. But fewer years of education and lack of information made it difficult for her to pave a path towards it.
