Empowering Women Through Collective Action: A Case Study of the Salam Self-Help Group in Gumma, Gajapati, Odisha

This paper discusses the formation, livelihood activities and socio-economic contribution of the Salam Self-Help group (SHG) in Gumma, Gajapati, Odisha. Since 2017, the SHG is the product of the Mission Shakti scheme, a program which ten women joined in an attempt to better their finances. The research is going to entail a qualitative case study of the SHG with the help of interviews, their perceived financial records and engagement with programs of their local governments as a form of analysis highlighting their inner operations. The SHG has also managed to participate in different livelihood practices, namely provision of dry rations, delivering a kirana store, pisciculture and hotel management that has greatly enhanced the financial independency of the members (SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth). The active presence of the group in the cause of community development like sanitation campaign and health awareness programs has promoted a clear morale of social responsibility. Even at the low-level difficulties that the group has been experiencing, the members have cited the need of additional training particularly on the mushroom growing and other advanced methods of aquaculture. This paper finds that Salam SHG has been empowering the members successfully and has been part of the economic and social advancement of the region. The paper also stresses on the importance of offering specialized training and resources to Self-Help Groups (SHGs) in order to realize their growth potentials, where the urge is to extend such efforts in order to have a bigger impact along rural societies.