The United Nations ratified 23 June as a day of action to address the "poverty and injustice faced by millions of widows and their dependents in many countries".
This International Widows Day, we speak about the outstanding journey of 33 farmers’ widows from Tirzada village in Maharashtra, and the villagers who helped them.
The Woman at the Helm of This Success Story
Life was not easy for Usha Zite (52) when her husband Vaman Zite ended his life by drinking poison in 2009 due to crop failure and indebtedness. She has one daughter and two sons, one of whom is differently abled. Educating them and making them independent to live further was a challenge.
In Tirzada, 43 farmers ended their lives due to extreme agrarian crisis until 2014, leaving behind 33 widows.
Zite is one of the those 33 widows, who have risen from the depths of despair.
Zite, who is an anganwadi sevika (pre-school teacher in Maharashtra) in the village, not only took this challenge but also helped other widowed women from the village to educate their kids, to pay the debt left behind by their deceased husbands and to lead a life with dignity through their self-help group named Akal Mahila Sanghatan.
NGO’s Helping Hand
Divakar Bhoyar of Institute of Social Awareness and Reform Trust (ISAR) in Yavatmal said, “In Tirzada we created a self-help group of farmers’ widows and also trained them for small-scale businesses, tailoring, organic farming.”
We gave revolving funds of Rs 18,000 to 33 widows of Tirzada to start small-scale businesses through which we have tried to make them independent. Struggle of these widows is an inspiration for many in the village and has somehow created a confidence among villagers and a new hope to lead life further.Divakar Bhoyar
A Library Crowdfunded by Widows
Vinod Aaglave who is police patil (in-charge of a particular village in the quasi-judicial and administrative functions as per the Maharashtra Village Police Act) of the village has started a library in a shade beside his home for the youths of the village. Aaglave’s family has two widows. He donates the Rs 3,000 stipend he gets by the government for the post of police patil.
“The group of 33 widows, through crowdfunding has donated eight to 10 thousand for the library, through which we bought some books and furniture,” he said.
“Almost every fifth house in our village has a farmer’s widow but these widows are our source of positive energy and a new hope for us”, said Aaglave.
Rays of Hope
Zite, while talking about her journey, said, “After my husband ended his life, I felt helpless, but I had to work for my children.”
The struggles of our lives are unending but I just wanted to make it easy for other widows, so I took to the task of economic empowerment of widows with SHG through which we help widows who need financial aid.Usha Zite, Head of Akal Mahila Sanghatan, Yavatmal
Sharda Shende (45) is another widow who is a part of the Akal Mahila Sanghatan. She has bought sheep from the funds she got from the NAM Foundation.
Shende, while talking about her struggle, said, “My husband died after he drank poison in 2013 but I kept my struggle on for my children.”
Shende’s daughter recently got married. She added that she is determined to start a small-scale business with the other widows of the Akal Mahila Sanghatan with the help of ISAR .
Combined Efforts of Widows and Panchayat
Mamta Shinde, the sarpanch of the village panchayat said she banned liquor in 2015 as per the demands of widows. While talking about the work done by the panchayat with the widows, she said, “panchayat members with some widows pay visits to the house of a farmer whom we suspect of suicidal tendencies and counsel him and try to solve his problems.”
Shinde, while talking about the success story of the widows of her village, said positive energy created by these widows has paid off, and there is no case of suicide since 2014.
Words of Gratitude
Nilesh Gonde (25), a youth from the village said, “Our village has come a long way from being the village with highest number of suicides in 2012 to no suicides since 2014, and all the credit goes to the combined efforts of the widows of the village and the panchayat.
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