Good Business, Doing Good - Stories of change from the Women in Factories program, India - Swasti

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Good Business, Doing Good - Stories of change from the Women in Factories program, India - Swasti
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    Stories of change from the Women in Factories program, India   Section

Good Business,
Doing Good
Stories of change from the Women in Factories program, India
Good Business, Doing Good - Stories of change from the Women in Factories program, India - Swasti
Good Business,
                                                                                                   Doing Good
                                                                                                   Stories of change from the
ISBN: 982-81-908417-4-0
                                                                                                   Women in Factories program, India
Copyright: This document may be produced in whole or part without the permission of Swasti,
provided full source citation is made available and reproduction is not for commercial purposes.
Suggested citation: Swasti, 2014, Good Business, Doing Good                                        Shama Karkal, Meera Devi
No of Copies: 500
No of pages: 50
Year of Publication: December 2014
Publisher’s address:
Catalyst Management Services
#36, Bhoopsandra Main Road
Bangalore - 560094

Design and layout: The Pen and Mouse, 2014
Photo credits: Julian Joseph K. G.

For more information or additional copies, please contact
Swasti
19, 1st Main, 1st Cross
Ashwathnagar
Bangalore 560094
Ph: +91-80-23419616
Email: contactus@swasti.org
The Women in Factories Program is made possible through funding from the Walmart
Foundation. Walmart and the Walmart Foundation launched the factory training program to
provide training to 60,000 women in 150 factories in India, Bangladesh, El Salvador, Honduras
and China by the end of 2016. The Women in Factories Program is part of the larger Walmart
Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) Initiative which aims to train nearly one million
women, increase sourcing from women, and in doing so improve the lives of underserved women
around the world.
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    Good Business, Doing Good                                                Stories of change from the Women in Factories program, India                       Section

    Table of Contents
    Preface
    Introduction
                                                                        1
                                                                        4
                                                                                      Preface
                   The Women in Factories (WiF) Program                 5
                   About this collection                                5             Having worked with the women, in factories, over three years, we have had
    Section 1 - Personal and Family level changes                       7             the opportunity to be part of their journey and watch their transformation.
                   Catalyzing change                                    9             The process of collecting and telling their stories has been another learning
                   A wave of optimism                                   11            experience for us. It gave us an opportunity to see the ripple effect as a result of
                   Moving on                                            12            the application of the skills. The strength of the women has been truly inspiring;
                   Finding her voice                                    13            not only did they overcome their own challenges, but have been willing to take
                   Angry no more                                        15            on new ones – gender discrimination, violence etc. – within their families or
                   A new chapter                                        16            communities.
                   A turnaround                                         17
                   Re-thinking Health                                   18            There are many people who worked to bring this publication together. Our
                   A role model                                         19            gratitude is due to the management and staff of the fifteen factories who
                   Taking charge                                        20            provided their support and cooperation for implementation of the Program as
                   Standing tall                                        22            well as collection of the stories. The WiF has been possible only because of the
    Section 2 - Professional level changes                              23            team that has worked on it over the past three years. Special thanks to Usha
                   Learning to lead                                     25            Rani, Programme Manager - Karnataka, Meera Devi, Programme Manager
                   Polishing a diamond                                  25            - Tamil Nadu, Ashok Vittal and Shankar A. G., Managers - Training and
                   Breaking the silence                                 27            Development, for their commendable support and coordination. Our gratitude
                   Leading the way                                      27            to all the Capacity Building Officers - S. Thangakani, K. Padmavathi, Sukanya
                   Climbing the ladder                                  28            R., Sushma B. S., Sathish K. N., Arvind Kumar, Hiral Parmar, Arpita Dave,
                   Workers’ Representative                              29
                                                                                      Priyanka R. S., Sandya G. S., and Ranjita P., who interviewed the women and
                   Overcoming disability                                30
                                                                                      documented their stories.
                   Blooming confidence                                  31
                   Sky is the Limit                                     33            This final publication would not have seen the light of day had it not been for
                   Metamorphosis                                        34            Yashika Sukhramani, Sanjana Shelar and Sweta Das who helped with analyzing
                   Manager in waiting                                   34            and editing of all the stories.
                   Carrying it forward                                  35
                   An all-rounder                                       36            Finally, our gratitude to the women themselves. We hope that this collection
                   No barrier for learning                              37            of stories provides others an opportunity to understand and become part of the
                   Rebirth                                              38            journey of change, for women in factories.
    Conclusion                                                          39
    References                                                          41
                                                                                                                                                          Shama Karkal
    Abbreviations and Acronyms                                          42
                                                                                                                                                            Meera Devi
    Glossary                                                            43
    Annexures                                                           44
                   Annex 1 - List of factories in Phase I               44
                   Annex 2 - Tool for collecting case studies           45
                   Annex 3 - Framework for collection of case studies   50
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    Good Business, Doing Good   Stories of change from the Women in Factories program, India   Introduction
                                                                                                Section
Good Business, Doing Good - Stories of change from the Women in Factories program, India - Swasti
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    Good Business, Doing Good                                                                             Stories of change from the Women in Factories program, India                         Introduction

    Introduction                                                                                          The Women in Factories (WiF)
                                                                                                          Program
                                                                                                                                                             Financial and Functional Literacy, Gender
                                                                                                                                                             and Leadership.

                                                                                                          The Women in Factories program aims to help        The Training of Trainers is designed to sustain

    W
                 ith approximately 25 percent of                                                          the women achieve:                                 the ‘Women in Factories’ program and its
                 the population living in poverty,                                                                                                           outcomes, beyond the funding period, and to
                                                                                                          •   Improved knowledge on life skills              facilitate the scale up and replication of the
                 limited participation of women in
                                                                                                              (communication, health, negotiation            model in other units of the factories. For the
    the workforce (rates ranging from 14 percent
                                                                                                              skills, etc.) and improved ability to          Training of Trainers’ sessions, two or three
    in urban to 26 per cent in rural areas) and only
                                                                                                              implement it                                   people are selected from each factory. The
    eight percent of the micro, small and medium-
    enterprises being owned by women (ICRW                                                                •   Improved social and economic standards         Training of Trainers’ session is organized for a
    2012), there is significant potential in India                                                                                                           duration of 17 days spread across 7 months.
                                                                                                          •   Improved ability to convert opportunities
    for increasing women’s economic participation                                                                                                            One of the key systems that have been put
                                                                                                              into actions
    and their contribution to equitable, inclusive                                                                                                           in place to ensure ownership of the Program,
    and sustainable development.                                                                          Phase I of the program in India has been           is the establishment of the Collaborative
                                                                                                          implemented in 15 factories across the             Planning and Implementation Team (CPIT).
    Social factors play a significant role in
                                                                                                          three states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu              CPITs have been set up in all factories within
    reducing women’s labor participation in India.
                                                                                                          and Gujarat, between November 2011 and             the WiF program, to plan and review the
    In many parts of the country, restrictions are
                                                                                                          November 2014. The key components of               intervention on a periodic basis.
    imposed on the mobility of women outside the
                                                                                                          the Women in Factories (WiF) program
    household, thus limiting their opportunities.                                                                                                            About this collection
                                                                                                          developed and implemented by Swasti
    The other factors that prevent female labor
                                                                                                          are: Enablers Orientation, Foundational            Women, their families, colleagues and
    participation in India, include the lack of        Given this context, the Women In Factories
                                                                                                          Training, Advanced Training and Training of        supervisors have reported changes - big and
    education and skills, absence of suitable          program, which is being implemented in
                                                                                                          Trainers (ToT). The Foundational Training is       small - during the course of the Program.
    employment opportunities and male-female           India by Swasti as part of the Global Women’s
                                                                                                          conducted for all men and women workers in         This collection is an attempt to document
    wage disparities.                                  Economic Empowerment Initiative (GWEEI)
                                                                                                          the factory for a duration of 15 hours, covering   the changes that the “Women in Factories”
                                                       of Walmart Foundation, aims to empower
    Gender discrimination is a critical factor that                                                       basic topics like communication, managing          program contributed to, at personal and
                                                       women workers in the manufacturing sector,
    has been detrimental to the development of                                                            work and career, gender, health and workers        professional levels.
                                                       to attain their full potential and enhance their
    women across India. It has not only negatively                                                        role in the supply chain.
                                                       capacities. It does this by providing relevant                                                        Only factories covered in Phase 1 of the
    influenced the growth of women, but has
                                                       life skills, building positive attitudes and       The Advanced Training covers 130 women             program     have    been     included     for
    excluded their productive contribution in
                                                       practices, that contribute towards the holistic    in each factory in two cohorts (65 in each         documentation. (Annex 1 - List of Factories).
    national development. Patriarchal values
                                                       development of an individual, resulting in         cohort). The first cohort is trained exclusively   Women who had completed both the
    and power structures have put women in a
                                                       improved performance and facilitating career       by the Swasti team. The respective factory         Foundational and Advanced Training from
    subordinate position and thus limited their
                                                       growth. This global initiative was designed to     teams train the second cohort, after they          all three regions – Karnataka, Tamil Nadu
    participation in the decision making process,
                                                       address women workers’ needs in the supply         are adequately trained under the Training          and Gujarat – were selected and interviewed
    within their homes and outside. Gender roles
                                                       chain of the production sector and is being        of Trainers program. Participants of the           in October and November 2014.
    and responsibilities not only decide power
                                                       implemented simultaneously in Bangladesh,          Advanced Training are selected on the basis of     A tool was developed to collect
    relations but also leave women with no
                                                       Latin America (Honduras, El Salvador) and          predefined selection criteria. The Advanced        to interview the women and
    access to resources and no authority to make
                                                       China.                                             Training is an 100 hours module that covers        develop case studies based on
    decisions that influence their own lives.
                                                                                                          five major themes – Health, Communication,         the study framework. (Annex 2
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    Good Business, Doing Good                                 Stories of change from the Women in Factories program, India   Section

    - Tool for data collection and Annexure 3 - Case

                                                                Personal and Family level changes
    study framework). Swasti’s Capacity Building
    Officers (CBOs), who are part of the program
    implementation, interviewed the women over a
    two week period and collected information. The
    interviews collected from the women were analyzed
    across the different parameters listed in the study
    framework. Based on the information collected
    from the women, key changes were identified and
    categorized into either personal or professional.

    While most women reported changes in both, each
    story has only been placed in one section based on
    where the most significant change was reported.
    Though the study framework looked at change
    at the factory management level, these were
    not collected systematically and have not been
    included in this document. This is an area that we
    hope to address in another document, at a later
    stage of the program.

    The collection of stories is in two sections - Personal
    and Family level changes and Professional changes.
    Each section begins with a summary, followed by
    individual stories of women. Names of women,
    their colleagues and family members have been
    retained as collected; consent for the same has
    been obtained from the women and the factories.
    While personal information about the women,
    their families and circumstances were collected
    and used for analysis, these have not been retained
    unless specifically relevant to the changes that
    are described. The focus is on narrating changes
    subsequent to their participation in the Women in
    Factories program.
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    Good Business, Doing Good                                                                            Stories of change from the Women in Factories program, India                 Section

    Section 1                                                                                            etc. was also shared with family members and
                                                                                                         neighbors.
                                                                                                                                                          Catalyzing change

    Personal and Family level                                                                            Financial constraints along with the lack of
                                                                                                         knowledge and skills on financial management
                                                                                                                                                          Mala recalls being stressed constantly
                                                                                                                                                          - at work and at home. She lacked the

    changes                                                                                              were a common challenge. Increased
                                                                                                         knowledge on financial planning, budgeting,
                                                                                                                                                          confidence to speak to her co-workers and
                                                                                                                                                          supervisors, and at the same time became

    T
                                                                                                         savings and investments along with a change      easily irritated with them. She was even
           here are many theories on what              them understand their skills, options, rights     in habits has not only allowed them spending     scared to pick up her monthly salary. Her
           factors contribute to individual            and barriers to their goals. Opportunities        flexibility but also provided them means to      lack of confidence was compounded by
           behavioral changes. Attitude, intent        within the program allowed them to express        fulfill their goals. Women reported increased    her lack of knowledge. She did not know
    and motivation, knowledge, skill and the           their thoughts and opinions. The women were       savings and diversification of instruments for   the factory’s rules and regulations and was
    environment are common elements of these           not mere spectators but active participants.      saving and investment.                           reprimanded for not following them.
    theories and attempting behavioral change
                                                       Women reported significant change in their        Finally and most significantly, women reported   All this combined, left her unmotivated.
    often requires addressing all of these elements.
                                                       outlook. Moving from being indifferent,           being able to change power-equations at home     Her day at the factory was tense and she
    Often knowledge and skill can be increased,
                                                       feeling overburdened or frustrated to sharing     and participate in decision-making. With a       brought that tension home, quarreling with
    but improving attitude or motivation is easier
                                                       responsibilities at home and taking interest in   refreshed and pragmatic understanding of         her husband, children and mother-in-law.
    said than done.
                                                       family activities is a common thread across the   gender issues, women reported feeling more       Her home life was not stress-free as she did
    Women we spoke with, reported a range              different stories. Communication techniques       content and satisfied with their lives.          not communicate well with her husband
    of changes - improved self-esteem and              were put into practice and women reported                                                          and took all the household chores upon
    confidence,       assertiveness,       improved    becoming more assertive and being able to                                                          herself. As a result, she often carried the
    communication, enhanced knowledge etc.             negotiate their way, both at home and work.                                                        tension from home into the workplace.
    These are significant not only because change      Women with disabilities were able to use
    is not easy, but because of the circumstances      communication techniques to overcome some                                                          Mala says WiF program helped her
    that these women come from. A majority of          of the challenges they were facing and progress                                                    change her life - by teaching her how to
    the women reported difficult circumstances         professionally. For some, the renewed strength                                                     communicate, manage stress, and monitor
    either during their childhood or in their          and confidence they derived from the program                                                       health and nutrition better. She has started
    marriage - inability to pursue their studies       also helped them to live independently and                                                         to take care of her family’s health by
    due to financial constraints, mental and/or        face unexpected challenges of life. In some                                                        making sure they eat nutritious food, drink
    physical abuse at the hands of an alcoholic        cases, better stress management in turn helped                                                     clean water, and keep their house clean.
    father or husband etc. Financial insecurity        to mend family relationships. Many reported                                                        Mala now prepares different varieties of
    and the double burden of work at home              that heated arguments had reduced and there                                                        nutritious foods for breakfast, lunch, and
    and factory, were often a reason for stress        was increased tolerance with family members                                                        dinner, which her children love and have
    and anxiety. Women recalled being bitter, ill      and colleagues.                                                                                    complimented her for. She also bought a
    tempered, abusive, and unable to handle their                                                                                                         water filter because, “The training made
                                                       Improved knowledge on health and hygiene                                                           me realize the importance of clean water.
    anger. This was expressed at work - fights with
                                                       has allowed women to make significant                                                              Now I make sure everyone drinks only
    the supervisors and difficulties with colleagues
                                                       changes in their habits and health-seeking                                                         filtered water.” Her husband and children
    were not uncommon.
                                                       behavior. Information on women’s health                                                            appreciate her efforts in keeping them
    The WiF program helped to build up their           such as pregnancy, childbirth, family planning                                                     healthy.
    confidence over a period of time, helping          methods, child development, sexual health,
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     Good Business, Doing Good                                                                          Stories of change from the Women in Factories program, India                       Section

      Mala reports that her relationship with her      helped her find a solution to the problem.        A wave of optimism                                Saroja today plans every meal and ensures
      husband has improved. Mala’s husband has         Mala’s neighbors know that they can come                                                            that her mother cooks a balanced diet,
      begun to change his style of communication       to her for accurate knowledge about basic         “I was left with no hope for my life- only        taking on the task of shopping for vegetables
      as he has seen Mala changing her own. He         women’s health issues. They appreciate            despair, and used to think that I would never     every alternate day. “I have shifted to using
      has observed Mala sharing her learning with      her knowledge on issues such as how to            achieve anything in my life”, remembers           sanitary napkins after learning about the life
      others, and how that has brought people          maintain hygiene during menstruation,             Saroja. This feeling permeated everything         threatening infections that one can get from
      close to her. He observes how they come          which is one of the many things Mala has          she did. Saroja was often absent from work,       using cloth that is not cleaned well. I motivate
      and share their problems with Mala and           learned through the training. The respect         completed tasks for the sake of completing        women and young girls in my neighborhood to
      how she tries to give suggestions. He has also   of her neighbors has given Mala greater           them - whether it was instructions from           use sanitary napkins; spending some money
      observed how she speaks confidently at the       self-confidence. “Now I lead my local SHG,”       her supervisor or eating her food. Saroja         today is better than fighting deadly diseases
      factory and at home. The changes in Mala’s       says Mala. “I share my learning with the group    confesses that she had no interest in             later”, says Saroja.
      demeanor have prompted him to change             members. They see and appreciate the changes      anything and did not use safety tools at
                                                                                                                                                           Saroja has understood that women can
      his own. He listens more to Mala, and the        in me. I feel happy and fearless.”                her factory before attending the life-skills
                                                                                                                                                           have their own desires in life and an ideal
      two of them have now discussions about                                                             training sessions.
                                                       At the base of her improved work, family,                                                           life partner should support and motivate
      their children’s future. Mala has spoken to
                                                       and community life, is Mala’s ability to take     Today, Saroja has transformed into a              his wife to fulfill those desires. She says, “I
      him at length about gender equality that
                                                       care of herself. The training has given her       confident and responsible individual, who         would like to join politics if possible and would
      she learned in the trainings. She wants to
                                                       the desire, skills and self-confidence to take    helps her mother with household chores            like to work on issues of domestic violence.”
      make sure that both her daughters and her
                                                       better care of her physical and emotional         and gives due respect to elders in the family
      son are well educated and get the same                                                                                                               Saroja now keeps a proper track of her
                                                       health. Mala says that she no longer skips        and her neighborhood.
      opportunities - an opportunity she had                                                                                                               income and expenditure and regularly saves
                                                       breakfast, takes care to eat nutritious food
      sacrificed so her brothers could study.                                                            “I was addicted to alcohol and drugs since        Rs. 1000 in a bank account. She regularly
                                                       and drink clean water, all of which have
                                                                                                         quite some time, but through her counseling,      prays in order to deal with her anxiety and
      Mala and her husband now prepare the             made her stronger, better able to take care
                                                                                                         I have given up these life threatening habits”,   stress, and feels that helping others helps
      budget together using the financial skills       of her family and work more at the factory.
                                                                                                         says Saroja’s father. Saroja’s father today       her in turn as well. She enjoys the process
      she has learned, and are planning how to
                                                                                                         motivates his many friends to give up alcohol     where family members collectively make a
      save for their children’s education. They
                                                                                                         addiction. Saroja’s father appreciates his        budget and ensure that it is implemented.
      plan to invest in an education policy, which
                                                                                                         daughter publicly, motivating her. Saroja         “I would like to share the learning’s of the life-
      Mala learned about through the training.
                                                                                                         also helped her mother to recover from            skills program in schools and public domains”,
      Mala’s husband has also started to help her
                                                                                                         similar feelings of despair and hopelessness.     concludes Saroja
      in some of the household chores.
                                                                                                         She spends time with her parents and
      Mala has gained the respect of her friends                                                         talks to them about the positive aspects
      and acquaintances because she shares her                                                           of life in general, asks about her parents’
      recently acquired knowledge about health                                                           daily routines, their problems and tries
      and nutrition, especially about women’s                                                            to resolve them. They have also started
      health including pregnancy and family                                                              having healthy discussions on social issues
      planning, with her neighbors. Recently,                                                            and daily events happening in the country.
      one of her friends had a problem related to                                                        Saroja has managed to get her father help
      family planning, and Mala was the one who                                                          with household chores.
      suggested that she consult a doctor. Mala
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     Good Business, Doing Good                                                                            Stories of change from the Women in Factories program, India                    Section

      Moving on                                           has become very sensitive in choosing her        she takes her children for shopping and to        Finding her voice
                                                          words while interacting with others. “I used     the fair”, reports Bhagyalakshmi’s mother.
      Bhagyalakshmi’s troubled childhood and              to use abusive language with people, when        Bhagyalakshmi has used her new knowledge          Netravati was always very quiet and would
      marriage had left her as a frustrated and           I was irritated which was quite often, but       and confidence to seek a share in her             cry if someone spoke loudly or angrily. She
      aggressive individual, at home and work.            after understanding different communication      husband’s property – she has filed a case in      would get angry easily, but was afraid to
      She says, “I was a very self-centered individual,   styles and its impact, I ensure that I use       court in order to protect the interests of her    say anything. She would not mingle with
      who didn’t care about my mother’s health            polite words that do not hurt anybody”, says     two children.                                     others and never participated in festivals or
      and didn’t help her with household chores. I        Bhagyalakshmi.                                                                                     functions – at home or work. Her family was
                                                                                                           Bhagyalakshmi changed the school her
      even beat my children to vent my stress and                                                                                                            exasperated with her and Netravati reports
                                                          She recognizes her mother’s old age issues       children were studying in, from a private
      frustration.” Bhagyalakshmi expressed her                                                                                                              being scared of interacting with others and
                                                          and provides her psychological support           to a government one, and has successfully
      frustration by not eating her meals and                                                                                                                not knowing how to control her emotions.
                                                          apart from helping her in household chores.      reduced her household expenditure. She
      sleeping empty stomach quite often. “I
                                                          Bhagyalakshmi feels very grateful for the        now invests the saving for her children’s         Her personality has changed completely
      had become angry with the entire world for
                                                          knowledge on nutrition; her children often       higher education, has a bank account and          after the two levels of the WiF program.
      the atrocities that were inflicted on me by my
                                                          had dysentery but now she knows how              uses even an ATM machine. “I earlier used to      She now talks with her team members and
      husband and was trying to take revenge every
                                                          to prevent and manage it. She now cuts           spend money on many unnecessary things but        has friends at her factory; she is not afraid
      day in search of peace”, says Bhagyalakshmi.
                                                          her and her children’s nails regularly and       now I spend with a future plan and vision which   to talk even with her supervisors now.
      Bhagyalakshmi’s entire worldview changed            drinks only boiled water. She ensures that       has helped me save money.” Bhagyalakshmi
                                                                                                                                                             Netravati reports that her confidence stems
      after attending the foundational and                her bathroom is always clean and dry. She        has also started a petty jewelry business in
                                                                                                                                                             from the training program, specifically
      advanced training course. She is more               also ensures her family eats vegetables and      order to supplement her income, which she
                                                                                                                                                             the graduation ceremony held at the end
      optimistic now and believes in facing her           fruits, and has added millets to their meals.    thinks has enhanced her marketing skills.
                                                                                                                                                             of the training. She was chosen to be the
      challenges rather than letting the challenges
                                                          Bhagyalakshmi has begun to share her             Bhagyalakshmi is now comfortable sharing          master of ceremonies, and no one, not
      erode her strength and confidence. She
                                                          knowledge on nutrition, importance of rest,      her everyday struggles with her children,         even Netravati thought that she would do
                                                                                  etc. with women          which has brought them closer. They help          a good job. However, she says, the trainers
                                                                                  and girls in her         relieve her stress by dancing and singing         encouraged her, and the things she had
                                                                                  neighborhood.            with her. “I now have a rapport with my           learned helped her to speak confidently. All
                                                                                  She feels that           children and take good care of them. I see        of her co-workers were astonished to see
                                                                                  such constructive        love and concern in their eyes and deeds.         Netravati, who had always been so quiet
                                                                                  dialogues    have        Earlier they were scared of me, but now they      and easily scared, up on stage, anchoring
                                                                                  also    enhanced         respect me and support me in small ways such      the entire ceremony. Netravati says that
                                                                                  her social circle        as cleaning vessels and accompanying me to        the experience made her believe in herself.
                                                                                  and respect in the       the market. Overall a peaceful environment        “I am proud of myself. I was appreciated for
                                                                                  neighborhood.            prevails at home now. I feel confident and know   organizing the graduation ceremony of the
                                                                                                           that as a human being with equal rights, I do     Women in Factories program, especially by the
                                                                                   “My       daughter
                                                                                                           not need to kneel down to anybody”, wraps up      higher management, and they have informed
                                                                                   was earlier scared
                                                                                                           Bhagyalakshmi.                                    me that they will approach me to organize such
                                                                                   to venture out
                                                                                                                                                             events in the future.” She says that
                                                                                   with her children
                                                                                                                                                             her husband, too, is proud of
                                                                                   alone, but now,
                                                                                                                                                             her, and shares the story of her
                                                                                   after the training,
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     Good Business, Doing Good                                                                         Stories of change from the Women in Factories program, India                      Section

      success with all their relatives and friends.    husband now discuss all expenses and             Angry no more                                      Nagaveni is also taking care of her financial
      Netravati has discovered that she likes          budget together, so that they never have to                                                         health. While she previously left it all to her
      anchoring programs a lot, and is considering     face their earlier difficulties.                 Nagaveni was easily angered. She could             husband, she now sits down with him to
      taking up a part-time anchor’s job on a local                                                     not stand to be corrected by her supervisors       plan the budget every month. She says that
                                                       Netravati has gained the confidence and
      news channel to further her interest. She                                                         at work and quarreled constantly with her          this is one of the things that have drawn
                                                       the knowledge to ask for a more equal
      says that the job interests her also because                                                      husband at home. When she was angry, she           her and her husband together. Nagaveni
                                                       relationship with her husband. He now
      the training has given her the awareness to                                                       could not control herself – being rude to          feels that she has become more responsible
                                                       shares the household work with her and
      critique what she watches on TV, and not                                                          her supervisors, shouting at her husband or        with her money these days, cutting down
                                                       consults her in all major decisions. Her
      blindly accept what is being shared on TV.                                                        beating her children.                              on unnecessary expenses such as junk
                                                       husband says, “Netravati is more confident
      Netravati is assertive with her children and     now and is capable of solving her own and                                                           food and fancy clothes. She used to buy
                                                                                                        Nagaveni has managed to transform
      husband. She takes a greater interest in         others’ problems.” She has made sure to                                                             expensive saris without considering if she
                                                                                                        herself. She now stops herself from reacting
      her children’s studies and makes sure that       teach, not just her daughters but also all                                                          could afford them, when she went shopping
                                                                                                        instinctively and controls her anger. She
      they are studying as they should. She has        the girls in her neighbourhood about sexual                                                         with her mother. She no longer does that,
      also been able to convince her husband           harassment and about “good touch” and            uses the simple techniques taught to her
                                                                                                                                                           choosing cheaper clothes in order to fit into
      to control his anger. “He used to get angry      “bad touch”. She also proactively went to        in the training, such as drinking a glass of
                                                                                                                                                           the budget she has. Nagaveni’s reduction
      and shout at me and others but since the time    her daughters’ school and asked the teacher      water, or keeping quiet when someone is
                                                                                                                                                           in spending has not, however, made her a
      I advised him that by shouting nothing would     to allow her to conduct a session for the        shouting at her.
                                                                                                                                                           complete home buddy. She still loves to go
      work out, only his health would get spoilt, he   girls on “good touch” and “bad touch”.                                                              out, and makes sure that her husband and
                                                                                                        Nagaveni has also learned how to
      has reduced shouting and controls his anger      Netravati says that the training has made                                                           children do too. She persuades them to go
                                                                                                        communicate better with others around
      better”, she says. Netravati now has the         her determined to support the women in
                                                                                                        her. She speaks much more kindly to her            out of the house on sundays, something
      courage to stand up even to her mother-in-       her neighborhood. When she noticed that
                                                                                                        family, which has been noticed, leading her        that makes her happy and manage stress.
      law.                                             her landlady faced a lot of violence at the
                                                                                                        brother to say, “Thank god you have changed
                                                       hands of her drunkard husband, she went                                                             Not only has she managed to share household
      At home, Netravati has put into practice                                                          your style of talking. Now you handle situations
                                                       to her home, consoled her, and advised                                                              chores with her husband and children, she
      the knowledge she has gained on health                                                            well!.” While she previously stayed away
                                                       her to take her husband to a de-addiction                                                           also remembered the “Bell Bajao” campaign
      and financial literacy. She now goes for a                                                        from her neighbors, she now shares her
                                                       center. She also helped a widowed woman                                                             to help her neighbor. When she heard her
      walk every day, eats more nutritious food                                                         knowledge about health and other matters,
                                                       in her neighborhood whose in-laws were                                                              neighbor abusing his wife, she sent her son
      and prepares a variety of dishes for her
                                                       trying to drive her out of her house. The        and listens to them when they come to her
      spouse and children. She has talked to                                                                                                               to knock on the door to ask for help with
                                                       woman had two young children and was             with their problems. As a result, many of
      her daughters about menstruation and                                                                                                                 mathematics homework! This stopped the
                                                       very scared. Netravati brought the incident      her neighbors come to her for advice.
      reproductive health issues, as much as                                                                                                               abuse at that time.
                                                       to the attention of the Swasti team, who
      they can understand at their age. With her                                                        Nagaveni recalls eating out with her
                                                       is working to find a legal solution to the
      husband, she has started to plan for their                                                        children regularly. This has now changed,
                                                       woman’s problem.
      daughters’ future education. She says that                                                        with Nagaveni cooking the majority of her
      they are both much more cautious with            Netravati says that her perception of herself    family’s meals at home and ensuring that
      their money now. “We have bought a new           and what she can do has changed. She feels       she and her children drink two glasses of
      book to maintain accounts. Expense of even a     more confident and focused, and enjoys           milk a day. She has also started to go to
      single rupee is recorded, so that we can track   her work and home life more. Netravati’s         the doctor when someone is ill, rather
      our expenses. This way, we can maintain a        greatest joy is in teaching her daughters all    than approaching the local chemist’s shop
      better relationship with my husband’s family     that she has learned as she wants them to        directly without a prescription.
      as well”, reports Netravati. She and her         have a bright future.
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     Good Business, Doing Good                                                                         Stories of change from the Women in Factories program, India                     Section

      A new chapter                                     The training also gave Manjula the skills       A turnaround                                     opened recurring and fixed deposits in
                                                        to manage her finances better. She has                                                           the bank, to save money for emergencies.
      Manjula believes that the Women in Factories      begun saving regularly in a bank account by     Manisha used to hold herself aloof from the      She is also planning to buy jewelry for
      (WiF) program helped her discover her inner       budgeting her expenses prudently. She has       family, locking her things so no one could       her daughters, a little at a time, that can
      strength and to realize the importance of life.   also taken an educational insurance policy      use them and eating alone rather than            eventually be used for their wedding.
                                                        for her son. She aspires for him to study       sharing her meals with the family. She did       Manisha aspires to buy her own vehicle and
      Manjula was able to confide her emotional
                                                        much more than she herself could and            not have a very cordial relationship with        home, and has started saving and planning
      trauma with the WiF trainer and felt much
                                                        hopes that he becomes a doctor.                 her husband or her in-laws.                      for those too. She also speaks to the women
      lighter after sharing. She realized the
                                                                                                                                                         in her neighborhood regularly about
      importance of communication and that              In the long term, Manjula hopes that after      Now, she makes an effort to become
                                                                                                                                                         saving and other issues related to financial
      bottling up her feelings was only aggravating     working for another five years or so she can    involved with her family. She has started to
                                                                                                                                                         planning.
      her problems.                                     return to her native village and live with      spend more time at home, to eat her meals
                                                        her husband and son again. She believes         with her family, and to communicate more         Manisha used to believe that women were
      Manjula is using her new communication skills
                                                        that recalling the key points of the WiF        amicably with them. She has also started to      inferior to men and incapable of achieving
      to rebuild her relationships with her husband
                                                        training in difficult situations has helped     take part in the decisions about problems        as much as them. This belief has been
      and her mother-in-law. She believes they
                                                        her successfully face many challenges in        at home, rather than leaving them to             reversed and she now treats her daughters
      have developed an understanding between
                                                        her life. By applying what she has learned      her husband. She expresses her views on          the same as she did her son, giving them
      themselves that has led to a better marriage.
                                                        in the training, Manjula has gained the         important matters as necessary and in an         equal attention. She has convinced her
      She has learned to keep her composure when
                                                        respect and appreciation of people in her       appropriate way. Her husband and children        husband to do the same, and to share some
      her mother-in-law tries to needle her; as a
                                                        family. She looks towards the future with       are very happy with this change. Her             of the household chores with her.
      result, the issues they have do not result in
                                                        confidence and a sense of peace.                pleased mother-in-law says, “Now she takes
      fights any longer. Even her neighbors, who                                                                                                         Manisha believes that the training has
                                                                                                        care of me more than ever.”
      earlier disparaged her, have noticed and                                                                                                           changed her attitude towards others
      commented upon the change in her attitude                                                         Manisha says that the training made her          completely. It has taught her to listen to
      and behavior.                                                                                     more conscientious about keeping her             others, be considerate of them, to try to
                                                                                                        home neat and clean. She also makes others       find amicable solutions to problems, and
      Manjula’s improved knowledge of sexual
                                                                                                        in her neighborhood aware about health           to keep calm in times of crisis. This has
      health and safer sex practices has given her
                                                                                                        and hygiene issues including common              greatly influenced her relationships at
      the confidence and the desire to tentatively
                                                                                                        misconceptions about women’s health.             work, at home and in her neighborhood.
      rebuild her physical relationship with her
                                                                                                        Recently, she was able to use the things she     She feels that what she has learned in the
      husband. This is one of the things that have
                                                                                                        learned in the training to help a pregnant       training has helped her gain the respect
      helped bridge the gap between husband and
                                                                                                        neighbor to take care of herself and have a      and affection of the people around her.
      wife and has led to a better marriage. Through
                                                                                                        safe delivery. She encouraged the woman to       A grateful Manisha says, “I thank Swasti,
      the training, Manjula also learned about family
                                                                                                        go to the hospital, eat properly, and to write   Welspun and the Walmart Foundation for
      planning methods, which motivated her to go
                                                                                                        down numbers of various emergency health         giving me an opportunity to attend this training.
      and have a tubectomy. She has begun to eat
                                                                                                        services so that if any complications arose,     It has totally changed my life.”
      better, consuming more fruits and vegetables
                                                                                                        she would be safe.
      because she now knows how important good
      nutrition is for maintaining good health and                                                      Putting new knowledge on financial
      warding off diseases.                                                                             planning to use, Manisha has started
                                                                                                        budgeting her household expenses and
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     Good Business, Doing Good                                                                             Stories of change from the Women in Factories program, India                   Section

      Re-thinking Health                                 her new perspectives and efforts towards           A role model                                      health. Padma says that she can see the
                                                         cooking. Her sister in- law has also been                                                            results, as all three of them are healthier
      When Renuka initially joined the life skills       keen to learn about balanced meals and             Padma was middle-aged; not in very good           and more energetic now. The training has
      training program, managing time for the            Renuka feels that teaching her has boosted         health and was quite known among her              given Padma a good understanding of basic
      foundational course was a challenge. She is        her confidence even further.                       colleagues for being rude. She was frequently     health and hygiene measures as well as
      elated to report that over a period of time,                                                          absent from work without permission and           what health resources are available in the
                                                         Renuka has saved money on a regular basis
      with intense counseling and discussions                                                               would get aggressive when questioned.             local area. Padma found the courage to
                                                         in the last year and recently bought and
      undertaken with her family members, they                                                              During peak production times; when she            speak with her mother-in-law and convince
                                                         installed a water filter with her savings.
      understood the significance of the trainings                                                          was asked to do extra work, she would get         her that giving birth to daughters is not a
                                                         She feels grateful to WalMart Foundation,
      and supported her , allowing her to manage                                                            angry and refuse. Padma remembers that            mistake. Her daughters are not less than
                                                         Swasti and her factory management for
      time effectively. “It was my husband who                                                              she struggled to deal with stress at work and     boys and she has instilled this attitude into
                                                         the opportunity to set goals for her family
      was able to see many positive changes in me,                                                          would be irritable at home. She would speak       her daughters as well. She has also talked
                                                         and the support to achieve them. She
      motivated me to join the advanced training                                                            angrily with her daughters and sometimes          to her husband about gender equality; as
                                                         feels that the sessions on health, finances
      course and peer educator’s training”, says                                                            beat them. She argued with her husband            a result, he now lends her a hand in the
                                                         etc. would have been incomplete without
      Renuka.                                                                                               and resented having the sole responsibility       household chores, as do her daughters.
                                                         the negotiation and communication skills.
                                                                                                            for all the household chores. She also had
      The sessions on sexual and reproductive            These skills are essential to bring on-board                                                         Padma put her new knowledge about health,
                                                                                                            an unhappy relationship with her mother-
      health allowed Renuka to make some                 the family members and make important                                                                gender issues, and social security to good
                                                                                                            in-law, who blamed her for not bearing any
      important changes. She earlier used cloth          changes.                                                                                             use by helping one of her supervisors obtain
                                                                                                            sons.
      during her menstruation, but after learning                                                                                                             a ration-card. A co-worker’s husband was
                                                         Renuka is enthusiastic about being a peer
      about the negative effects of improperly                                                              Padma says that before the training, “I           diagnosed with cancer and Padma used her
                                                         educator and looks forward to sharing her
      cleaned cloth, she has shifted to using                                                               used to be confused and struggled to arrive       knowledge to obtain benefits under the ESI
                                                         life skills with her colleagues at the factory.
      sanitary pads, which she changes every                                                                at solutions for the problems I faced.” The       scheme, helping them with admission to
      6 hours. “As a result of the communication                                                            training taught Padma how to deal with            an ESI hospital. When further treatment
      sessions during the training, I am confident                                                          day to day situations, using simple skills like   proved necessary, Padma helped them to
      and not reluctant to share my problems                                                                communication, financial management,              get Rs. 1,60,000 through the ESI scheme
      related to reproductive health with the doctor”,                                                      working with other people. “Post training         and obtain further treatment at Narayana
      shares Renuka. Today she educates and                                                                 my communication style has changed. I now         Hrudayalaya hospital in Bangalore.
      motivates her family members, neighbors                                                               practice assertive communication techniques
                                                                                                                                                              “For the first time in the 18 years that we
      and many young girls to not to shy away                                                               with my daughters. I listen to them and have
                                                                                                                                                              have been married, my husband and I have
      from consulting a doctor for reproductive                                                             stopped scolding and beating them. Now my
                                                                                                                                                              started to make a budget together,” Padma
      health issues as it can be life threatening,                                                          children and other family members respect
                                                                                                                                                              states proudly. They have started a savings
      if ignored.                                                                                           me and the relationships within my family
                                                                                                                                                              account at the post office and save Rs.700
                                                                                                            have strengthened. We are much happier than
      The meaning of ‘Health is Wealth’ has                                                                                                                   every month. “We now practice collective
                                                                                                            before.”, says Padma
      finally dawn on Renuka. By successfully                                                                                                                 decision making and have started planning for
      following a nutritious diet, she has                                                                  Padma also talks with her daughters about         our daughters’ future,” Padma says. After
      increased her hemoglobin levels from 10 g/                                                            personal and menstrual hygiene, the value         the training, for the first time in her
      dL to 12.5 g/dL in the past year. She feels                                                           of nutritious food etc. She and the girls         life, Padma set financial goals for
      thrilled when her husband appreciates                                                                 have started to take better care of their         herself – to buy a two-wheeler
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     Good Business, Doing Good                                                                       Stories of change from the Women in Factories program, India                   Section

      and to build a house. She purchased the         Taking charge                                   that her daughter gets all the opportunities     is wrong in her neighborhood. Recently,
      two-wheeler using her savings six months                                                        which she herself was deprived of. She           when the streetlights in her neighborhood
      ago; she is now planning to take a loan to      Soumya was in the middle of a divorce,          makes enough time to spend with her              were left on for three consecutive days, she
      build the house. “I am confident I will repay   but was scared to appear in court. She          daughter and follows up on her education         went to the electricity board to complain
      the loan with proper planning,” she asserts.    was depressed and had considered suicide        with her and her teachers.                       about it, along with the other people in her
                                                      at one time. She did not make plans for                                                          vicinity. When the public dustbin in her
      Padma wants to help the women in her                                                            Soumya’s knowledge on nutrition and
                                                      herself or her daughter’s future because she                                                     area was not cleared for more than a week,
      community to stand on their own feet                                                            hygiene has helped in managing her
                                                      thought there was none. Observing a happy                                                        she approached the municipality and got
      and has brought them together to form a                                                         daughter’s allergies. She now makes sure to
                                                      couple angered her. At work, she behaved                                                         them to clean it out.
      self-help group; she has been elected the                                                       buy and cook a variety of nutritious foods
                                                      very aggressively with her co-workers and
      president. The women meet regularly, share                                                      for herself and her daughter, including leafy    Soumya has grown confident about her
                                                      at home, she was very quiet and meek.
      their concerns and their knowledge; they                                                        greens, vegetables and fruits. She makes         abilities. She has taken charge of her
                                                      Soumya’s daughter had many allergies and
      save and lend money to each other. She                                                          sure that they both eat all their meals on       own life and she is not afraid to take the
                                                      this was another cause for concern. Being
      has been able to help many of the women                                                         time. Soumya never misses breakfast now,         responsibility for the well-being of people
                                                      pre-occupied led to mistakes at work, for
      to access ration cards and to open bank                                                         which was a common occurrence before the         around her. She may have contemplated
                                                      which she received warnings, making her
      accounts under the Pradhan Mantri Jan                                                           training. Soumya reports that her daughter’s     suicide once, but irrespective of her divorce,
                                                      more anxious.
      Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) in order to ensure                                                          health has improved significantly since she      she has much to look forward and will not
      access to financial services such as savings    Today, Soumya’s communication skills have       put into practice what she learned in the        give up on life.
      & deposit accounts, remittance, credit,         made her more confident in her personal         training.
      insurance, pensions, etc. in an affordable      life. She speaks assertively at home and
                                                                                                      Soumya says that the things she has learned
      manner. The self-help group has a joint         testified in court in her divorce case. She
                                                                                                      about gender have also helped her to have
      account a bank and Padma has delegated          told the judge that she would not divorce
                                                                                                      a better relationship with her brother. She
      the responsibility of maintaining the           her husband for 2 reasons - the first being
                                                                                                      taught her brother what she learned in the
      account to one of the other members in the      that she knew he wanted to remarry and
                                                                                                      training, and now he helps her out more
      group because she does not get the time to      did not want another woman to suffer the
                                                                                                      in the house and respects her opinions
      do so due to her work at the factory.           same fate that she did, and the second being
                                                                                                      and decisions more. Soumya says that her
                                                      that her husband had not supported her or
      In the recent national elections that                                                           brother helps her out in the kitchen now.
                                                      her daughter till date, and did not offer
      took place, she made it a point to vote                                                         “Sometimes in the evenings he prepares tea for
                                                      any alimony even after the divorce. She no
      and encouraged other women in her                                                               me even without me asking him, which I could
                                                      longer gets upset when people ask about
      neighborhood to vote, as well. “I want to be                                                    only dream about before,” she chuckles. He
                                                      her marriage convinces them that she can
      a role model to the other women,” says Padma.                                                   and Soumya are working together now to
                                                      take care of herself and her daughter.
                                                                                                      save enough money to build a house of their
                                                      Soumya’s new financial skills have helped       own.
                                                      her to budget and plan for her daughter’s
                                                                                                      Soumya is also more involved with her
                                                      future. She still gives her income to her
                                                                                                      neighborhood now. She says that as part of
                                                      mother to manage; she now works together
                                                                                                      the training she learned how to interact with
                                                      with her to budget and save. She has begun
                                                                                                      government services and departments; as a
                                                      investing in gold and is planning to build
                                                                                                      result, and so she has taken it upon herself
                                                      her own house. Soumya wants to ensure
                                                                                                      to approach them whenever something
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     Good Business, Doing Good                                                                            Stories of change from the Women in Factories program, India   Section

      Standing tall                                       efficiency has been noticed and appreciated
                                                          by her supervisors, only motivating Lalitha       Professional Level Changes
      “I used to work mechanically without much           more. Being able to perform her duties has
      interest, came to work very late and would take     increased her self confidence. Her son has
      leave often. In order to save money, I would not    noticed the change in her demeanor and
      cook at home but ended up spending money on         also supports her with household chores.
      medicines and illness. I never interacted much
                                                          Lalitha finds solace in the temple and uses
      with the coworkers.”, says Lalitha describing
                                                          the visits to manage her stress. She realizes
      her old self. “Nowadays, I wake up early
                                                          that everybody has problems and one needs
      and finish my chores at home and attend work
                                                          to confront and overcome them. Lalitha
      on time. I only used to eat rice and tamarind
                                                          works with her son to reduce expenditure
      water but have added vegetables, egg and
                                                          and save money. They are now saving
      milk to my diet. I don’t fall ill often and don’t
                                                          Rs. 5000 per month and are setting aside
      spend unnecessarily on doctor visits”, reports
                                                          money for future goals. She has promised to
      Lalitha.
                                                          conduct her son’s wedding without taking
      Lalitha is the head of the family and has           dowry and is confident about leading a
      taken on this responsibility, delegating            happy life.
      appropriately to her son to manage home
      and work. Her punctuality at work and
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     Good Business, Doing Good                                                                              Stories of change from the Women in Factories program, India                     Section

     Section 2
                                                                                                             Learning to lead                                  supervisors and has stopped taking leave
                                                                                                                                                               without asking for it. She comes to work on
     Professional level changes                                                                              Nagarathna says, “I used to be very aggressive
                                                                                                             when speaking with others. The training taught
                                                                                                                                                               time now and meets the production targets
                                                                                                                                                               within the specified timelines. She says
                                                                                                             me different styles of communication. Now, I
                                                                                                                                                               that she uses the different communication
     Many women choose to take up work in the            workplace. As a result, professional qualities      think about what style of communication will
                                                                                                                                                               techniques she has learned in the training
     manufacturing sector because of financial           like; punctuality, adherence to office rules and    be most effective when I speak to a particular
                                                                                                                                                               in different situations, and that helps her
     constraints. They often do not have role            regulations, working in teams to complete           person and use that.” She also says that the
                                                                                                                                                               to work better with her colleagues. Her
     models at home and do not know what it              tasks within assigned deadlines, following          training has helped her to manage her
                                                                                                                                                               improved performance at work has also
     means to work for a full day, with colleagues,      safety precautions etc. have been reported by       temper. Now, when someone scolds her,
                                                                                                                                                               been a boost to her self-confidence. Mr.
     in a structured environment. While they learn       the women and their supervisors.                    she does not immediately answer back, but
                                                                                                                                                               Pampapathy, her manager, says, “She is very
     the technical requirements, there are other                                                             waits until her initial reaction passes, and
                                                         Improved communication and interaction                                                                disciplined at work. She never takes leave
     factors that prevent them from excelling and                                                            then clarifies the matter with them calmly.
                                                         with co-workers has helped them create a                                                              without informing the management.”
     doing their best. While individual changes                                                              Her improved communication skills have
                                                         better work environment. These improved
     described in the previous section play a role,                                                          helped Nagarathna to bond with her team
     there are specific skills that must be learnt and
                                                         relationships and the accrued benefits such as
                                                                                                             and be noticed by her supervisors.
                                                                                                                                                               Polishing a diamond
                                                         recognition and promotion at work, inculcate
     applied in the work context as well.                                                                                                                      “I would give my monthly salary to my mother
                                                         a sense of ownership towards the factory and        Nagarathna’s supervisor, Mr. Pampapathy,
                                                                                                                                                               and think that my responsibility towards my
     For many of the semi-literate women, there          lead to conservation of factory resources.          Assistant Manager of Compliance, says,
                                                                                                                                                               household was over without being bothered
     is limited understanding of their role in the                                                           “I have observed that since the training six
                                                         Finally, many women’s ambitions have been                                                             about whether it was enough to cover our
     entire production process. Most of them work                                                            months ago, Nagarathna’s communication
                                                         stirred to achieve more at the workplace.                                                             household expenditure or not. I had a very
     with “blinkers on”, limiting themselves to                                                              has improved; she mingles with the team
                                                                                                                                                               indifferent attitude towards various aspects of
     their assigned tasks. Fostering leadership skills                                                       and communicates assertively. She takes her
                                                                                                                                                               my life; I would only do what my mother or
     and developing a sense of ownership are key                                                             role as a member of the health and safety
                                                                                                                                                               my supervisor asked me to do, like a machine,
     aspects of the program, although challenging.                                                           committee seriously. She comes and talks to the
                                                                                                                                                               without being bothered about the end result
     Combining this with                                                                                     management about health and safety issues in
                                                                                                                                                               of the task”, recollects Santhoshkani. She
     communication skills                                                                                    the factory and resolves them. She is no longer
                                                                                                                                                               had also been very impulsive since her
     and team-work has                                                                                       aggressive with her co-workers.” This is also
                                                                                                                                                               childhood and would react in situations
     meant that women                                                                                        the reason for Nagarathna’s promotion
                                                                                                                                                               without thinking, often leading to fights
     who complete the                                                                                        as the person in-charge in the quality
                                                                                                                                                               with her family and co-workers.
     program are able to                                                                                     checking department; previously she was
     perform better as                                                                                       one among the quality checkers. Being part        Today, Santhoshkani feels there has
     individuals and teams.                                                                                  of the health and safety committee at the         been a tremendous improvement in
                                                                                                             factory, she takes pride in looking after the     her communication and she handles
     The       Foundational
                                                                                                             welfare of her co-workers in both these           multitasking at her work with a cool
     and          Advanced
                                                                                                             positions of responsibility. She ensures that     temperament. Recently, Santhoshkani
     Trainings         have
                                                                                                             she follows all the necessary health and          took additional responsibility of the welfare
     allowed women to get
                                                                                                             safety precautions, and tells her co-workers      of employees when the HR
     a better understanding
                                                                                                             why it is important to do so.                     Manager was on maternity
     of their roles and
                                                                                                                                                               leave. She was appreciated for
     responsibility in the                                                                                   At work, she is more respectful towards her
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     Good Business, Doing Good                                                                          Stories of change from the Women in Factories program, India                       Section

                                                                awareness programs for young             Breaking the silence                               Leading the way
                                                                adolescent girls where she shared
                                                                                                         Reeta believes that she has always been a          Just 2 weeks after starting work, Avni had the
                                                                with them information on hygiene
                                                                                                         very careless individual, with no vision for       opportunity to be part of the foundational
                                                                practices during menstruation,
                                                                                                         her life. She had a casual attitude towards        training of the WiF program. Due to her
                                                                different communication styles,
                                                                                                         her health, time management and expenses,          active participation, she was selected for the
                                                                active listening and significance
                                                                                                         ready to do only the minimum required. The         advanced training. In light of the potential
                                                                of budgeting. Santhoshkani also
                                                                                                         WiF program changed her through - from a           that she showed in the advanced training,
                                                                recently convinced the management
                                                                                                         quiet person to an assertive individual.           the head of her department recommended
                                                                of the Federation to provide sessions
                                                                                                                                                            her participation in the Training of Trainers
                                                                on sexuality to adolescent girls         Reeta is now very punctual and follows
                                                                                                                                                            (ToT) as well.
                                                                and she herself undertook these          a time table for the day to achieve her
                                                                sessions which included knowledge        targets in time. Recently, Reeta brought           When Avni joined the factory she was
                                                                on gender socialization and family       issues of harassment to the notice of the          very new to the working environment.
                                                                planning.                                management; she had experienced them               She lacked confidence and did not believe
                                                                                                         over a period of time but had been silent.         she could do much. “My world was like
                                                                Santhoshkani has emerged as a more
                                                                                                                                                            that of a frog in a well, full of limitations and
      the initiatives that she took during this                 socially sensitive, confident and        Her supervisor reports that earlier Reeta
                                                                                                                                                            boundaries.” she recalls. The training gave
      period.                                           assertive woman who now takes initiative         did not speak much and was a reserved
                                                                                                                                                            her the skills to communicate effectively
                                                        not only for welfare of family and workplace     employee, but over the last one year she has
      “Santhoshkani’s planning skills have evolved                                                                                                          with people in her workplace and her family.
                                                        but also the society at large. Santhoshkani’s    emerged as a key propagator of the use of
      over the last year which can be attributed to                                                                                                         It taught her how to behave with people
                                                        teammates feel quite obliged to her as she       Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) and
      the life-skills training. She now checks the                                                                                                          at work. Rather than being aggressive,
                                                        helps many of them, who are illiterate, to       informs her colleagues about the various
      current stock status before giving an estimate                                                                                                        she learned how to be assertive and how
                                                        learn basic language and maths.                  facilities available in the factory such as
      for purchase of production material. She has                                                                                                          to get people to work with each other. At
                                                                                                         masks etc., which are essential to use in
      also developed a habit of checking with me        Santhoshkani’s unit manger feels that she is                                                        the graduation ceremony of the advanced
                                                                                                         order to avoid accidents.
      about any work that needs to be completed,        a diamond who has been polished by the WiF                                                          training program, Avni convinced some of
      before she leaves for home every day” says her    program. Santhoshkani dreams of climbing         “I am now able to balance work and home            her male team members to play the roles of
      supervisor. Her Unit Manager says, “I see a       up the corporate ladder, for which she has       related stress much better and try to resolve it   women in the play that they put up. “I think
      lot of improvement in her work. She now makes     bought an English dictionary to enhance her      coolly. This training has fixed many unresolved    of that as a very big achievement”, she laughs.
      efforts to understand the work and completes it   language skills.                                 issues in my life whether it was health, or my
                                                                                                                                                            Avni believes that the leadership training
      on time. If she makes any mistakes she does not                                                    communication skills which were due to my
                                                                                                                                                            she received has given her a positive
      hesitate to accept it.”                                                                            under confidence. I would recommend this
                                                                                                                                                            attitude. The training has also given her
                                                                                                         training to every woman from rural India who
      From being a mere follower of instructions                                                                                                            knowledge about health, finances and
                                                                                                         has been forced to be a part of the culture of
      to being the leader of the young women’s                                                                                                              budgeting that she has used to make better
                                                                                                         silence” says Reeta.
      wing of a women’s federation (Vembu                                                                                                                   decisions for herself. She has shared this
      Makkal Sakthi Iyakkam), Santhoshkani                                                                                                                  knowledge with her family, with the result
      attributes the transformation to the                                                                                                                  that they now ask for her opinion and
      WiF program. As part the Federation’s                                                                                                                 consult her on major decisions.
      activities, Santhoshkani recently organized                                                                                                           She used what she has learned
                                                                                                                                                            through the training on gender
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