RGCT: Empowering Rural Women of Uttar Pradesh

India is a country where women have always been respected and worshiped as goddesses. But with the influence of the invaders and foreign rulers, this respect diminished and today, even when goddesses are duly worshiped, the real women in the society are looked down upon. Their exploitation in the family and society is evident and the crime against women rate is at all-time high. Although people are getting more education than ever, but in this male chauvinistic society, the women are not able to get enough rights to survive fearlessly, let alone the equal rights. Especially in the rural scenario, they aren’t respected, they are not allowed to get education or vocational training and in the scarcity of money, they have to go out to others’ homes to do cleaning and washing, for which they are paid peanuts. And it doesn’t end here, being completely dependent on their husbands’ mercy, they are often at the receiving end of domestic violence. 

There are many women's empowerment organizations in India that promise women to save them from adversities, and sometimes they do too, but the problem is not a short term trouble, it is a suffering they have been tolerating for generations, and why not? After all they have no one to seek help from on a permanent basis, and being financially dependent on their husbands, they have nowhere else to go, and even if they leave, the society won’t let them live in peace.

This is a whole circle of corruption that arises from poverty and illiteracy, and the permanent solution also lies in solving these problems. RGCT is a NGO working for women empowerment in rural areas, and instead of offering them some money for relief, which is a momentary help, RGCT stresses upon unity and capacity building of these women. Taking a step forward from helping women by giving them vocational training, RGCT also organised these women into self-help groups (SHGs) and with teamwork, helps them to have mass production which has some value in the mainstream market, and can earn them enough for their financial freedom.

Not only this, these women are encouraged to save a portion of their earnings and collaborate it to build a working capital. By doing this, women join the mainstream economy of the country and lead life of a working woman who earns enough to fulfil the needs and save some. This also brings them respect in the family and society, for being the breadwinner of the household. This respect rejuvenates long lost confidence in them, helping them live like the queens of their own lives. And if any problem arises for any of them, the sisterhood in SHGs helps solving their problems by the help of other women, and this unity gives them strength to seek justice in the society.

RGCT, being a prudent NGO, has built the most resilient and sustainable self helpgroups in Uttar Pradesh, and also joined them with the main stream economy so that they can seek financial help from the government and banks as and when necessary and live respectfully and happily in their households and society.