Training rural women using online tools

Girl Power carried out a baseline study of 5000 women to assess the livelihoods of the 10 districts of Jharkhand. The study also aimed to identify and explore the availability of raw materials, potential for entrepreneurship, current entrepreneurial activities, and market access and environmental sustainability.

With the larger project objective to promote entrepreneurship through a bundle of work packages of network building, capacity building, market connect, skill-building and policy dialogues, over the past year of project implementation, the community resource persons at the ground level have been working rigorously in 10 districts of the state of Jharkhand, gathering information and collecting data of 5000 potential women beneficiaries of the project. The baseline survey studies the potential of rural entrepreneurship among women and the current entrepreneurial activities that add to the larger livelihood generational activities of the household, and their market access for products and services to be sold. Entrepreneurial activities range from women involved in the selling of agricultural and non-agricultural produce, to non-timber forest produce that is richly available in the state of Jharkhand. An assessment was also done to explore not only the current, but also the potential contribution of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) to both livelihoods and biodiversity. It was seen that NTFPs can play a critical role in providing both food and income for the poorest households, notably by creating income and employment opportunities for women. The project focused on identifying the critical gap for successful NTFP initiatives that provide income opportunities by evolving value added products, models and methods, as well as scope of NTFP-based enterprises
Girl Power Project of Jharkhand also got impacted by the surge of COVID-19 as empowerment is a process aimed at changing the reaction and nature of systematic forces. But, keep the objective of skilling women entrepreneurs on top priority, the project team came up with different strategies to ensure things keeping moving at the right pace. In the month of August this year, several online Pilot Testing sessions were conducted for curriculums designed on various potential products identified in the base line survey. These are mushroom, goatry, fishery and organic farming. The aim was to evaluate feasibility and to gather feedback from different stakeholders to modify the curriculum, if needed, prior to field training in order to improve quality and efficacy.
In an online session, a total of 12 to 15 participants were present in each program, along with three trainers and a civil society organisation (CSO) member. The discussion started with a set curriculum developed for each product and how it aims to train women as entrepreneurs. Different stages and technicalities were described, which would lead to achieving the bigger goal of the project. A total of 14 curriculums have been designed out of which, 11 curriculums come under technical category, and three fall in the non-technical category, which involve training sessions on social entrepreneurship, soft skills, and government schemes.
The curriculum developed on each and every product is designed under three categories, namely basic knowledge, semi-skilled, and skilled curriculums. The basic curriculum is designed for those women who do not hold any knowledge or work experience on specific product but are interested in working. Whereas, the semi-skilled curriculum is designed for those women who hold basic knowledge about the product and are involved in some entrepreneurial activity, and a skilled curriculum is designed for women who have already established their enterprise but want to expand their venture.
During the pilot testing, various issues were discussed, including how women can be trained in the different curriculums, focussing majorly on women who are part of the basic knowledge curriculum. The number of days required for training women under the different curriculum were also ascertained. The issues faced by women who have already established their enterprises and how they can overcome these challenges were also discussed. Renu Devi, a potential entrepreneur whose product-of-interest is mushroom and is currently working with a self-help group in Khunti district of Jharkhand, enlightened us to what all challenges she has been facing in mushroom cultivation and the unavailability of market access, which leads to a loss in her business as the product becomes unfit to use after few days. The trainers also suggested several valuable changes in the existing curriculum which will benefit women during the training session. They have asked to focus on the eligibility of trainees, training outcomes, prioritizing the bio input and seed treatment, and how we can build the trainee’s capacity. After conducting the testing, a Google feedback form was also shared with the trainers, CSOs, and the women, in which questions related to specific products, government policies, and training were asked in order to keep a track of their reviews and suggestions on the various points discussed during the testing, and to improve and implement the suggested changes during the training session.

Keeping all the points discussed in mind, the Girl Power team will be organizing three to seven days of training in product-specific areas and will aim to capacitate women and young girls. In total, the survey was carried out in 10 districts of Jharkhand covering 20 blocks in all zones, depending on the availability of raw materials, potential area for entrepreneurship, current entrepreneurial activities, market access, and environmental sustainability. For instance, the districts identified for fishery training are Gumla, Koderma, Dumka, Deoghar, and Saraikela Kharswan. Further, for lac production and value addition training, the districts include Ranchi, Gumla, West Singhbhum, Khunti, and Hazairabagh.
Capacity building will help to strengthen the knowledge, skills, confidence, and resources in individuals and in groups of people that will foster a sense of ownership and empowerment among the 5000 women identified during the baseline survey of the project. Also, training provided on improving their traditional handicrafts, product development, and designing will help women capacitate towards determination and self-reliance. After this, a network building formation will be developed of CSOs, women entrepreneurs, the government, and private stakeholders to support entrepreneurship among women and girls called as Women Network for Social Entrepreneurship Jharkhand (WNSE-J). In this regard, an innovative nodal center called Jharkhand Mahila Social Entrepreneurship Market Connect has been established in Ranchi as a single point of contact for women and CSOs to connect with prospective buyers in the marketplace.
The capacity building is also to support the engagement of decision-makers in support of gender justice issues. The need is to create a favourable atmosphere and active participation in decision-making to increase self-employment for women, which will, as a result, contribute to the overall development of the country. All the measures should be taken to guarantee equal access and full participation in decision-making for women.