Scooter and Rural Ladies

<Scooter and Rural Ladies>

One of the difficulties, for rural ladies, in access to social service and job opportunities is lack of a mode of transportation from village to cities. Public transportation such as auto rikshaw is quite limited in number, and it is always crowded with men, hence, not comfortable for rural ladies to ride. This puts the ladies at a disadvantage in obtaining information and knowledge, and earning money in order to improve their own life.

COATA decided to allow the milk lady group members to ride a scooter other than daily milk delivery. First, the group members were asked to discuss and decide their rules for riding scooter; who is permitted to ride for what purpose, where to travel, when and how long to use, how to approve by the other members, etc. The most important rule is that the lady using a scooter must pay tariff to recover fuel and maintenance costs, and the group must keep a book to record such revenue and expenditure. This is indispensable aspect in rural development through group activity. The rural ladies will be able to get practical knowledge in accounting, and develop sense of business in themselves.

According to their record, in July, the first month when it was started, only two ladies rode the scooter to go a hospital outside village. Then, in August, six members used and traveled to 4 places such as a bank, market, school in other town, and Kashipur, of which total number of using scooter was 10. It becomes 9 times in September, and increased to 19 times, in which 4 members traveled outside village. It includes the travels that members were asked to ride other village lady to a train station, using the scooter like a local taxi. This also implies there is possibility for the group to develop income source other than milk business.

From the facts above, COATA thinks, once rural ladies get a mode of transportation; like a scooter, they will be more active, and have more access to social and economic opportunities, which facilitate empowerment of themselves. COATA believes the Milk Lady Project can generate more impacts for rural development through the empowerment of rural ladies.