The Smell of Transformation
Either you like the smell of phenyl or you don't. Phenyl is a chemical that many Indians use as a cheap cleaning liquid for floors, kitchen counters and other surfaces in the house. The producers of phenyl try to cover up the strong chemical odour with a variety of artificial scents, but ultimately you like the smell, or you don't.
When you enter Jyoti's home, the first thing you notice is the sharp smell of phenyl, even before her warm smile can bid you welcome. But even if you don't like this smell: It's the smell of development, the smell of transformation.
Jyoti is the president of her local self-help group that was established by Lamuel, a project manager with Helping Hands' local partner. "Dada", the members of the self-help group call him: "older brother". A number of years ago he came to their slum, which at that time was still an underdeveloped, hopeless, impoverished place. In the Indian culture, especially in conservative areas, women are expected to remain at home, raise their children and serve their husband. To even think of a self-help group or their own enterprise seemed impossible. But Lamuel's excitement was infectious and thanks to his honest care the women dared to take the first step. And their lives were radically changed.
Today Jyoti and her colleagues earn an additional salary through the production of phenyl. The profit is relatively good and the production fairly easy. A thick brown liquid is poured into a bucket and mixed with water. After adding strong scents in order to cover up the sharp smell of phenyl, the liquid is filled into bottles. And the women are very creative in marketing their product: For instance, they soak the bottle lids in the scented liquid for a while before they fill in the phenyl. These aromatic lids virtually draw the customers to the product!
As the production of phenyl doesn't take a lot of time, the women can also engage in other activities. Jyoti, for example, has always wanted to be a doctor's assistant. With a loan from the self-help group she was able to pay for the diploma course. Today she works full-time in a respected hospital, and in her free-time she's involved in the activities of the self-help group. And of course she has convinced the hospital to buy the required phenyl only from her self-help group!
Each year the members of the self-help group sew themselves new saris in a happy, colourful design: not as a uniform, but in order to express their identity. For the group is not just a place where women like Jyoti can receive a loan or a savings account. It is a place of transformation, where women can learn independence, even in cultures where they are extremely disadvantaged. It is a place of hope, where women can take control over their own lives. And it is a place of friendship, a place where, for women like Jyoti, dreams become reality.
© 2010 NCM India. Please do not publish this story or parts thereof without prior written approval.
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