She is just 26-year-old but outspoken and dynamic. She walks through miles across the hilly terrains of her area and holds door to door campaigns for women emancipation. Meet Shameema, a simple graduate but a born leader.
“When I decided to step into this field, I felt a bit scared and uneasy given the conservative society around. Over the time I passed through all this and today behind me is a queue of women who lead from the front to support their families socioeconomically,” she said
Shameema began with a small Self-Help Group along with some local girls following the intervention from some government officials.
A Self-Help Group is a government sponsored scheme to build community based economic zones where women are encouraged to set up their own small businesses. The government is offering highly liberal and low interest loans to these women.
“It is initially a big problem to convince these women to join the group. Once they understand its benefits, my journey becomes easy to continue with them,” said Shameema.
Shameema is, personally, highly convinced with the scheme. She said the liberal loan policy and low interest rate is bailing out hundreds of women and families in critical situations.
“Sometimes when they are critically in need of finances, we at SHG help them out and repayment mode is also depending on her. We won’t question her and allow her with full liberty to return funds,” she said.
She said these women, if not supported by the SHG, may be forced to sell something at home which they later can’t afford to buy. “So, it is their social security policy.”
Shameema chooses agriculture herself and is earning enough to meet the family requirements. She began with a small mushroom centre with the help of the agriculture department. She received proper technical training and finances with substantial subsidy and that is how she began with.
“Initially, I was reluctant but the concerned officials helped me with proper guidance and counselling. Now I own a high tech eco garden and this year I am planning for a seedling unit.
“It will fetch me two crops a year and I can easily earn some 4 to 5 lakh rupees from it. The land requirement for it is even very less,” she said.
As cluster head Shameema is supporting 80 groups with each group having around 10 members. She uses technology to disseminate information and coordinate with them. They have a whatsapp group under the name of Bismillah Self Help Group and whenever she has to speak to them, she drops a message in it.
Daljit Singh, the Sub Division Agriculture Officer Uri is highly impressed with the working style of Shameema.
“She has come a long way and is quickly picking up. She is ready for changes. With her help our department has reached out to hundreds of women in the area and tried to empower them.”
He, however, has a different strategy to catch them and they are making proper assessment for the counselling to these women before giving them any project.“First when we meet them, we try to see whatever assets they have back home. As per their land holding, we provide them projects so that they can succeed in the endeavor. Some women have no land holding and we try to train them for mushroom centres which need very less land or can be developed in a simple room. That is why we have got successful,” he said.
