Rural women entrepreneurs deserve so much more credit that we give them. For them, it is not just the struggles of starting a business. Family dynamics makes entrepreneurship an almost impossible prospect. But women like Jamuna still find the courage to see through these struggles.
There were tensions between Jamuna and her husband for a considerable amount of time, but when she wanted to create an income source for herself, they aggravated. The fights inflamed fights to such an extent that Jamuna walked out of her husband, went back to her mother’s house with her six-year-old son and filed for divorce. More agonies like visiting the lawyer and appearing at the court arose. But Jamuna could no longer spend her time at home. She had to become independent.
It was while these tensions were brewing that Jamuna attended the Buzz Vyapar programme. The training gave her a sense of relief, a hope that she could create a breakthrough in her life. She decided to start a small petty shop that sold items for daily necessities and pooja items for the nearby temple. She was confident that there was a need for such a shop in the village.
Though separated, her husband opposed this idea. But Jamuna didn’t give up. She took a loan for Rs. 1 lakh from her Help Group and set up the shop. It’s been a year since she started the shop now and she is saving at least Rs 300 every day. The shop brought some sort of stability to her otherwise rocky life. And pleasantly, her independence seems to have brought back some peace in her marriage too. Jamuna and her husband have ironed out some differences. Jamuna has returned to her husband’s house, and she hopes to rebuild her marriage.
It is rather heartening that Jamuna, even as she faced the toughest of problems in life, is an active Anchor Woman (Gelathi) with Buzz. She supports other women in solving their problems and working towards their life goals. She also came forward to become a trainer for other women in her village for Buzz’s Self Shakti by Gelathi programme. This programme is aimed at empowering the Buzz Anchor Women to become trainers to other rural women. Women who have undergone the Self-Shakti training and have achieved change in their lives are encouraged to become trainers for other women in the village whom we have not been able to reach. Jamuna has already trained 20 women from her village and is an inspiration for other women to take charge of their lives.