This week RIDE carried out a program for a group of 15 women who are all day labourers from the village of Arpakkam in Kanchipuram. They work mainly in agriculture and also in the stone quarries and struggle to get work on a daily basis. The process for labourers to get work on a daily basis is to stand at a collection point first thing in the morning and wait for a land owner to come and offer work. The landowner will chose their workers based on their looks and build alone and if you are not picked you go home.

RIDE first provided the women with half a days paid work to clear the ground of weeds at the RIDE training centre. Two of our volunteers, Emma and Letizia, also took part in the program, which gave them invaluable insight into the daily life of female labour workers.

At the end of the day RIDE held a discussion with the women where they were asked about the problems affecting them and their families. Their main issues were not having a sustainable income. Also, many of the women have husbands who work in the stone quarries and are dependent on alcohol, which is where a lot of their wages go. Some are also beaten by their drunken husbands. One woman told the group that she finds it best not to ask her husband for money or challenge him and instead she makes do with whatever money he gives her plus whatever she can earn. This highlights how important it is for these women to have their own income in order to support themselves and their children, the majority of whom are now in full time education and changing their future paths!

Many of the women we spoke to are members of Self Help Groups (SHG) which they find gives them a support structure for dealing with many of the issues they face day to day. The SHG meetings, which are women only, are usually held once a month and as well as discussing issues including their children, families, money and communities, the women also save a small amount of money each month through the group, which is then loaned back to individual members when they need it.

What is important for RIDE is to have a presence in these women’s lives and for them to know that they have people on their side who they can turn to. Jeyaraj the director of RIDE, gave a talk about human rights so that the women may understand a bit more about their rights. They were also explained about multi-crop farming and the possibility, even with little land, to grow some vegetables in order to feed their families during hard times.  Loving children was also discussed, and the importance of making sure your own children are being taught to be good and honest (things which seem obvious to many).

After the discussion the women were given a free lunch, served by RIDE staff, plus a gift of a sari each, donated by a local doctors surgery – most of the women only have one sari which they wear every day.