I am a regular at Aatapi meetings; my life improves with every new thing I learn.

Amarsangh Mangubhai Gohil

Village Samoj

Participating in Aatapi activities since 5 years.

The first Aatapi meeting I attended was an eye-opener; the things I learnt touched my life in a big way. My farming was chila challoo, I used out-dated methods. I started using scientific techniques such as soil testing, mixing kheti – (mixed farming), used cow dung for manure and adopted organic farming techniques. My costs decreased and my production increased. I am a regular at Aatapi meetings; my life improves with every new thing I learn.

 

I save regularly through our bachat mandal

Amarsanghbhai Parbatbhai

Village Kareli

Participating in Aatapi activities since 4 years.

I save money regularly through our bachat mandal, Lalguru Khedut Savings Group. I have benefited in many ways through my association with Aatapi – procurement of seeds, plant protection medicine and manure for my fields…

We unanimously named our society Ujaas, light, enlightenment – a name we all believe in.

Dakshaben Ramanbhai Padhiyar

Village Kareli

Participating in Aatapi activities for more than 10 years.

I began a journey of transformation with a monthly saving of Rs. 20, today I save Rs. 100 a month. The turning point was an inspirational visit to Mahiti organisation at dholera to learn about the Dholera Cooperative Society. We were enthused to form our cooperative society. At that point in time we had a MINiSCULE membership. We worked to increase our membership to 300 women and formed our cooperative society. We unanimously named our society Ujaas, light, enlightenment – a name we all believe in. I attended a 5-day leadership training, training in administrative and legal aspects as also financial management of a bachat mandali. Aatapi has given me a chance to share my knowledge; I have travelled from village to village imparting training to more than 2000 women.

The inspirational trips with Aatapi to see the how women’s groups worked have opened the doors of my world.

Hansaben Himantbhai Jadav

Village Vedach

Participating in Aatapi activities since 7 years.

The inspirational trips with Aatapi to see the how women’s groups worked have opened the doors of my world. I understood the advantage of collective efforts after our visit to a women’s collective in Kutch. Forming a group of widows was my first step; next we formed the Ujaas mandali, a collective of self-help group members. Being a member of Ujaas helped me procure a small loan to start my own business. Through Aatapi, I learnt about farming and animal husbandry. Whenever there is a meeting of the Ujaas at Bharuch we are invited. I am no longer afraid to travel alone, anywhere. Our mandali, Ujaas is functioning efficiently and for this I have received an award as the best woman President of bachat mandalis from Gujarat Rajya Sahakari Sangh in Bharuch district.

We visited a women’s bank on a Prerna Pravas and are dreaming of creating our own Women’s Bank.

Manjulaben Jadhav

Village Vedach

Participating in Aatapi activities since 11 years.

My journey with Aatapi has inspired and motivated me to improve my life. We formed a women’s self-help group and started saving, something I had never done before. We opened an account of our mandali with Bank of Baroda. As our savings grew our enthusiasm to save and venture into new activities increased. We visited a women’s bank on a Prerna Pravas (inspirational trip) and are dreaming of creating our own Women’s Bank. Today we have a membership of 2600 women in our Ujaas Bachat and Dhiran Mandali. The Agriculture Technology Management Agency (ATMA) project enabled us to gain an understanding about animal husbandry and we started growing green fodder.

The FPO has started a tool bank, they bought a big tractor, trailer, rotary machine, power weeder, cutting machine and electric pump to spray ‘medicines’ in the field.”

Bharatbhai Mangalbhai Padhiar

Village Kareli

Participating in Aatapi activities since 6 years.

We have a 16 member bachat mandali in our village. I save Rs. 100 every month. The total saving of our bachat mandali is Rs. 25,000. I have paid a fee of Rs. 1000 and become a member of the Farmers’ Producer Organisation (FPO). The FPO has bought a big tractor, trailer, rotary machine, power weeder, cutting machine, electric pump to spray ‘medicines’ in the field. We can borrow this equipment at a nominal fee, this save time and makes our work easy. The FPO helps us obtain pesticides and seeds.

Being a member of a self-help group, I was able to borrow a small sum of money to start my business.

Jiviben Bhardurbhai Parmar

village UbEr

Participating in Aatapi activities since 8 years

I had no experience about the world beyond my home and no one to guide me about how to improve my life till I ‘joined’ Aatapi. I started attending meetings on various issues and had the opportunity to learn from the training programmes I attended at village Paldi, Karvan, Vaghodiya, Gajera and Kavi. I went for 10 day trip to Bangalore, the farthest I have travelled. During this trip, I visited different organisations and gathered new thoughts and ideas from their work. Aatapi’s leadership training helped me to grow and do things I had never thought I could do. Before, I met the Aatapi team I crawled around, an over grown child, today I ‘fly’ from village to village on my electric powered bicycle. During a visit to Ahmedabad I met two women who had their own business. I decided I wanted to do work and earn. Aatapi encouraged me; I went for 45- days training to learn tailoring at village Vedach. This was followed by additional two-months training in my village. Again I went for three months training programme in Jambusar. Being a member of a self-help group, I was able to borrow a small sum of money to start my business. I left the comfort of my house and ran my business in the village. It is a little far from my home, but I can earn good money here.

Aatapi encouraged and helped us to form a farmers’ collective. I am a committee member of the Vivekanand Khedut Mandali.

Ranjitbhai Ramanbhai Parmar

Village Ubair

Participating in Aatapi activities since 6 years

I joined the activities of Aatapi when Sardarbhai and Sanjaybhai visited my village for a meeting. Today I organised meetings in our villages. Before I joined Aatapi I had very little knowledge about scientific farming. I did not know about the correct planting season for various crops or the right time to spray plant protection ‘medicine’ or when and what kind of khatar– fertiliser to use. Today I am a knowledgeable farmer with a good understanding of scientific practices. I have benefited from the Agriculture Training Management Agency (ATMA) project. Because of Aatapi I was able to learn useful things about farming through a training programme I attended at village Paldi. I also participated in a trip to Gandhinagar to see prakrutik kheti – organic farming. Aatapi encouraged and helped us to form a farmers’ collective. I am a committee member of the Vivekanand Khedut Mandali.

When Aatapi was not working in our villages, there was nobody to guide us about the government schemes designed to help us live as normal a life as possible.

Kamlesh Kumar Harmanbhai Parmar

Village Kareli, Jhila Jambusar, District Bharuch

Participating in Aatapi activities since 8 years

The Aatapi staff visited divyang– disabled persons like me in our homes and urged us to come out of our self-confinement. They gave us hope, inspired us, and made us understand our rights and entitlements. “You can also be a respected contributing member of the community.” When Aatapi was not working in our villages, there was nobody to guide us about the government schemes designed to help us live as normal a life as possible. Today we have learnt how to register online as persons with disability to take advantage of schemes for people like us. We went on a trip to a school for persons with disabilities in Bhavnagar. I realised we can learn many skills; earn a living and dream of a life of dignity. But I feel that the community mindset needs to change and employment opportunities and other facilities such as easy access in public places need to be created to enable persons with disability to be independent. The district administration should provide more jobs for persons with disability.

Through my work with Aatapi, I earned the respect of the community and an olakh-an identity in our village and the villages around.

Saraben Ayubbhai Kadivala

Village Kareli, Jhila: Jambusar, District: Bharuch

Participating in Aatapi activities since 8 years

I went on a 7 day trip to Kutch with other women and saw how a bachat mandali (savings group) and strong women’s collective can change women’s lives. Soon after, we started meeting with women and began our own bachat mandali. We also distributed kitchen garden kits to women and taught them how to grow vegetables in their backyard. We lost our fear of banks after we opened accounts of our bachat mandalis in the bank. We obtained small loans through our savings groups to meet day to day home and social expenses. Being able to draw on ‘our own money’, our confidence grew. With more trips to see how other women were using their collective strength to transform their lives, we gathered the courage to cross the threshold of our homes and work collectively for the common good. Through my work with Aatapi, I earned the respect of the community and an olakh-an identity in our village and the villages around. I served on the school management committee, was nominated president of the Village Health and Sanitation Committee (VHSC) learnt how to conduct meetings with women in the village, was nominated as a member on the Ujaas working committee meeting and also became a member of the Farmers’ Producer Organisation. We improved our knowledge of scientific practices in animal husbandry and agriculture. Because of this exposure through Aatapi, we improved our farming practices. Aatapi helped us procure loans to build farm ponds. Agricultural yields grew; more money flowed into our lives. We earned extra income through the collection of limbodi seeds. The leadership, administrative, legal and financial training groomed us into capable women, who could in turn impart knowledge and help other women. We can go about our work without any obstacles or obstructions from the members of our family and community.

We learnt and took inspiration from the lives of others like us, shared our problems and shared our issues collectively.

Suresh Ganapatbhai Solanki

Village Vedach, Jhila: Jambusar, District: Bharuch

Participating in Aatapi activities since 8 years

The year was 2012; I attended my first Aatapi meeting conducted by Sanjaybhai and Sardarbhai. I learnt about soil testing and how the findings could help us plan our farming activities – which crops were the most suitable for our land and the kind and quantity of khatar and dava (crop protection chemicals and fertilisers) to use. This knowledge helped us increase the returns from our land and we put our trust in Aatapi. They also made us aware of the government schemes for the benefit of persons with disabilities. They helped us to procure a handicap certification which is a must to take advantage of our entitlements. Simple things like a free bus pass made life easier and took us step closer to becoming self-reliant. As we grew, Aatapi also grew and we formed many collectives, a Viklang Parivartan Sanghtan, a Farmers’ Producer Organisation, a collective of women’s bachat mandlis. The Viklang Parivartan Sangathan was a big thing for us. We learnt and took inspiration from the lives of others like us, shared our problems and shared our issues collectively. The relationships I built with other members of the Viklang Sangathan stretched beyond my village and have enriched my life.