Tabbu, a Digital Sakhi Becomes a Role Model in Her Community

 

  

Tabbu Safain-Nagare comes from a conservative. Muslim family in Yetnal village in Solapur District. Her family got her married after 12th standard, and stereotypically her education stopped However, she had a strong will to make her own mark in her community. Her husband supported her and encouraged her to join the Digital Sakhi program -AFARM’s project to promote digital financial literacy amongst rural  communities, especially women. 

Tabbu joined as a Digital Sakhi and completed all training modules. These covered basic financial literacy, usage of digital mode of payments, government entitlement related to financial inclusion along with soft skills like leadership qualities and communication. 

After training, Tabbu started work on creating awareness on digital modes of payment and other online systems under implementation for financial inclusion. Members from the village availed services and support of Tabbu and were able to use digital services as well as could access schemes and services of government.  She was recognised as a change agent from the local Gram Panchayat. 

After three years of services, new opportunity of entrepreneurship development came Tabbu’s way. The project facilitated computer training to the digital sakhi’s with partial support from project and own contribution by the trainees. Tabbu completed the computer-training course titled MSCIT under Maharashtra Knowledge Support Program. This provided the required skill in computer operations. Along with this, the project supported training on Seva Kendra, inspired Tabbu, to start a Digital Seva Kendra – as a service enterprise at village level.

The Digital Seva Kendra provides services, which require online services support. These include filling and submission of online forms for various government schemes as well as entitlements along with commercial services such as electricity bill payment, railway bookings etc. She has an authorised Identity Card (ID) of Common Service Centre (CSC) issued by the Umed program (Maharashtra State Rural Livelihoods Mission), which provides her commission per service transaction run by the state government.

Recently, Tabbu approached the “Vidarbha Kokan Bank”, and the bank has selected her as “Bank Sakhi”- an authorised services provider. 

Today, Tabbu has a lion’s share in the family income. Tabbu’s monthly contribution in the household income has increased from Rs.3500 to Rs.9000 per month over a period of three years. 

Tabbu happily expressed, “All this is a success due to support provided by my family members. Today, my in-laws are proud of me and acknowledge the efforts taken by me. This Digital Sakhi Project has provided me an opportunity of chartering a path of becoming an entrepreneur from a service provider.” Tabbu giggles with confidence “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”

AFARM has facilitated 77 Digital Seva Kendras in 52 villages through 77 Sakhis and have created a skilled Women  community Cadre who provided community level services moving out of their household work and join the path of development.