Self Help Groups: Disrupting Hierarchies

27% of India’s Infant 60 Million

Mortality happens in people in UP are
UP below the poverty
line
Adult Fertility Rate
Maternal Mortality Rate
35 32
400 359
30
300 25
19.4
20
200 15 Gender Inequality
Sex ratio is 912/1000 100
10
Index of Uttar
5
one of the worst in the 0 0 Pradesh (0.605) is
country Uttar Pradesh Kerala Uttar Pradesh Kerala
one of the worst in
Comparison Uttar Pradesh and Kerala
60.00%
56.8%
Uttar Pradesh Kerala
the country (Kerala
40.00%
38.3% 0.45)
24.8%
16.3%
20.00%

0.00%
Attainment of Secondary Education Labour Market Participation Rate

Traditional models of development have failed in enabling

and empowering communities in Uttar Pradesh
Dr. C.B.Singh & Ankita Jasmine Lall, Comparative Study of Gender Inequality in India with special reference to Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Kerala:

Village Shikharpur, Gosaiganj: A village with no self help groups

The Problem
Our findings: The inherent and incumbent
social hierarchy is the primary reason
The Root Cause
Self help groups were used as a tool for
financial inclusion (a reactive receiver)

Traditional SHG model

Disrupting gender and
caste hierarchies

Community owned and

driven

Auto Catalytic social

movement and social
capital

RGMVP modified and expanded the scope of SHG model

transforming them as as active and adaptive social platforms to
address the source of the problem
RGMVP’s expanded SHG Model
1,600,000 110,000 78,000 11,000
Women Groups Linked Groups Trained Young Women's
Mobilised in the with Bank on Reproductive, Groups trained
Most Accounts to Maternal & on Menstruation
Underdeveloped Improve Incomes Neonatal Health Hygiene
Districts of Uttar & Livelihoods Management
Pradesh

Impact: Overview
 WASH AVAILABILITY USE OF WASH FACILITIES
20 10
9
18 17 9
p<0.05 p<0.05 8 p<0.05 p<0.05
16
14
7

PERCENTAGE
14 13
PERCENTAGE

12 12 6
12 5 5
10 10 5
10 4 4 4
4
8
3
6 5 2
2
4 1
1
2 0
0 Layered SHG Simultaneous Traditional IEC Government
Layered SHG Simultaneous SHG Traditional IEC Government Agency Intervention SHG Intervention Approach Agency Based
Intervention Intervention Approach Based Approach Approach
Before After Before After

p<0.05 is significant. All SHG based interventions were significant while traditional approaches were not.
Impact: Building and Use of WASH facilities
 EARLY BREASTFEEDING DELAYED BATHING AFTER BIRTH
100 100
90 90
p<0.05 p<0.05 p<0.05 p<0.05 p<0.05 p<0.05
80 80
70
70 65 70
PERCENTAGE

PERCENTAGE
57 60 60
60 52 60
50 49 50 52
50 45 50 45
40 40
30 30
20 20
10 10
0 0
SHG with Specific Health Simple SHG Women in villages with SHG with Specific Health Simple SHG Women in villages with
Intervention SHG but not enrolled in Intervention SHG but not enrolled in
SHG SHG
Before After Before After

Women who are simply exposed to SHGs but are not in SHG also show a carry
over effect in behaviour change Impact: Neonatal Health
 KANGAROO MOTHER CARE (SKIN TO SKIN)
SHGs reinvented 100
90

and redefined 80
70
p<0.05 p<0.05 p<0.05

PERCENTAGE
60

kangaroo mother 50
40 35
30

care as an 20
10 3 3
11
3
11

empathy tool 0
SHG with Specific
Health Intervention
Simple SHG Women in villages with
SHG but not enrolled in
SHG
Before After

Phenomena: Co-creation
SHGs more
PERCENTAGE OF WOMEN WHO ATTRIBUTED

effective than 100

KNOWLEDGE TO THE SOURCE

90

family or 80
70
71.5

PERCENTAGE
healthcare 60
50
40
43.7

professionals in 30
20
18.3
14.2
10 5.1

enabling 0
SHG Family Government
IEC
IEC Healthcare
professionals

knowledge Professionals
SOURCE

Phenomena: Social Capital

SHGs create SHG EMPOWERMENT
100

lasting 90

METRIC SCORE (OUT OF 100)

80

empowerment 70
60
63.5
52.6 51.7
61.8
57
47.1
50
40.2 37.8
40 35.5 36.7
31.6
30 24.2
20
10
0
Self-expression Mobility composite Decision making Control over Self -esteem Overall
composite index index composite index resources composite index empowerment
composite index status
EMPOWERMENT METRICS

SHG non-SHG

Phenomena: Empowerment
SHG Women are PERCENTAGE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CONTROL AND
TREATED GROUP
p<0.01 p<0.01 p<0.01
Happier having 16 14.29 14.3

PERCENT POINT DIFFERENCE

14

more agency, self 12

10 9.39
8
confidence and 6
4

freedom of 2
0
Agency Self-confidence Freedom of expression

expression Impact

Phenomena: Happiness
 SOCIAL SCHEMES
Develop Youth SHGs 14
12.7

and start 12

PERCENTAGE DIFFERENCE
10

empowerment early
8

2 1.3

0
Awareness of Social Schemes Utilization of Financial Schemes

Difference in YSHG and non-YSHG

EMPOWERMENT AND AGENCY ANAEMIA

25
PERCENTAGE DIFFFERENCE

PERCENTAGE DIFFERENCE
14
20
20 18 12
10
15 7.5 7.8
8

10 6
6
5 4
5
2

0 0
Financial Literacy Collective Action Mobility Decision Making Anaemia Treatment (IFA) Received Anaemia Treatment (IFA) Consumed

Difference in YSHG and non-YSHG Difference in YSHG and non-YSHG

Future Work: Intergenerational and symbiotic

support through Youth SHGs
Focus on leveraging
SHG platforms for
integrated delivery of
development programs
for both empowerment
and poverty reduction
Future Work: Integrated Delivery through SHGs
for rapid poverty reduction
 Magic Carpet: A
Empowerment Computer:
collaborative tool to
A low cost MIS at SHG
increase community
level
empowerment

Technologies to support
research on SHGs.
Developing systems to allow
SHGs to self monitor and
develop solutions Inspiration Book: A system
themselves. combining book and tablet with
Public Announcement System
for community training

Future Work: Technology Mediated Social Change

RGMVP has an active and growing network of research collaborators to
further develop the SHG model and take it internationally to other
communities
Research Partners
 RGMVP SHG Growth – Creation of sensitive support and
demand generation system across UP
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50000

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Thank you