Formation and nurturing of Self Help Group

WIN social action team

The WIN team has to function as traders of women during the weekly meetings of the SHGs in all matters and activities which forms part of the empowerment programme of the WIN project.

Weekly meeting

The regularity at which it is held , the level of participation of the SHG members , the procedures adopted in holding the meeting , the variety of topics discussed , the kind of knowledge disseminated and awareness created during the meeting , the quality of the discussions held , the motivation and commitment inculcated , and the kind and quality of decisions taken during these weekly meetings are what make the WIN SHGS the powerful tool for the empowerment of women.

Leadership training

Frequent meetings of the SHG leaders, where all the presidents, secretaries and treasurers of the SHGS come together, are held in different localities of the WIN project area for brainstorming sessions, and discussions and scientific inputs on several social and economic issues.

Subject matter for discussion

Topics are usually taken with the objective of building up the women’s awareness on mental and physical health and hygiene,economic, social, political, legal and environmental issues

Thrift and credit operations

“ A rupee saved is a rupee earned”

Small fisher households typically face two chronic problems - financial security, and a lack of savings to ride through crisis periods. To deal with these problems, WIN has facilitated thrift and credit operations as a care, regular activity in all its SHGs. this has contributed to poverty alleviation by :
Stimulating regular savings habits in the members and asset creation in households
Timely access to low-interest loans for productive purposes like enterprise development, and for basic consumption needs
Developing income generation programs in traditional crafts and tourism
Access to social security schemes like Demise fund

Annual project planning

It is compulsory for all the SHGS to prepare their own annual 'plan of action' with clear objectives, quantitative and qualitative targets for achievement, and specific time frames

Social safety nets

We in the WIN project try to promote social security schemes in three areas. First is the inculcation of saving habits as explained in the programme of thrift and credit operations. The others are the health insurance programme and the demise fund

Food security

WIN Society organised several training programmes, since many of the coastal area women were ignorant of cultivation methods. Along with the training programmes, women were supplied with grow bags, vegetable seeds and seedlings, manure etc. Women themselves organised several vegetable vending stalls to sell the surplus vegetables grown at home.

Income generation programmes

The various income generation activities undertaken by the WIN Self Help Group members are the following

• Garment making

• Coir yarn making

• Catering services

• Duck rearing

• Dairy units

• Small scale business

• Boat building units

• Event management programmes

Community Health :- Healthy bodies nurturing healthy minds

Women play the most important role in monitoring the health of their household members, and therefore we channel most of our health programmes through them. This is done through :

• Medical camps

• Awareness raising on health seeking habits

• Access to safe drinking water and improved sanitation facilities

• Counselling

• Early cancer detection and cataract surgery

• Lifestyle disease awareness programmes Campaign against alcoholism and drug abuse

Infrastructure Development

The infrastructure development programmes started after the 2004 Tsunami disaster with the help of various funding agencies.

• WIN started with 23 coastal area schools which were lacking in basic infrastructure facilities like toilets, benches and desks, black boards, tables and chairs, bay chairs for small children, kitchen utensils for cooking and supplying midday meals, smokeless oven, play park and play things, computers and small classrooms, office rooms for staff etc.

• WIN society constructed about 2500 rain water harvesting systems for the most deserving cases.

• WIN society provided about 3000 septic tank toilets.

• Various methods of waste management were also introduced by WIN society. Biogas plants, composting etc are now used by people in large numbers.

• Several roads and culverts were constructed to solve the problem of water logging and transportation.

Social Development activities

• Capacity building : the gender and political aspects of empowerment

  • Social campaigns and dealing with social issues
    Women of the WIN SHGs have been involved in a number of public social campaigns against alcoholism and drug abuse, use of hans and panparag, the problem of HIV-aids, atrocities against women, and absence of supply of drinking water to the public.

  • Seminars and trainings for personality and skill development
    Specific sessions in leadership training are provided for enhancing the capabilities of the women leaders.

• Seawall reconstruction

• Educating children and youth :- Securing the future of fishing households
  Annual project planning

  • Leaders training

  • Career guidance

  • Vision board

  • Education loans

• Environmental Regeneration :- re-greening kerala shore

• Free legal service

Cultural Empowerment

• Women's day

• WIN day
  Celebration of the Win Day is an annual event held as part of the staff development programme of the WIN Society . It is a get together of the WIN animators and their families in order to express the solidarity and family spirit of the WIN family . This takes place every year on September 8 at the WIN Centre .

• . Annual day
  Annual day is celebrated by each of the WIN SHGS. It is primarily a day of expressing and strengthening the solidarity and sisterhood of the SHG members.

• Important days

• Senior citizens meet