Paru

Neemkheda Centre

When Paru’s joint family broke up due to a spat between members, she suddenly found herself without a job. The disagreement led to the loss of her work in the fields, so she began looking for other employment opportunities. Since Paru’s husband works with the Watershed Program, she knew about the work of Samaj Pragati Sahyog and Kumbaya. As the only woman in Keuntepanth who leaves home to go to work, Paru initially faced a lot of taunting and prejudice from other villagers who accused her of performing explicit activities- facing the kind of comments and judgments that would devastate any woman’s self-confidence. Fortunately, Paru has found incredible support from both her in-laws and her Kumbaya family, and she feels extremely happy and independent since joining. Similar to the stories of many women in Kumbaya, Paru has not only gained important skills that help her provide for her family, but an invaluable amount of respect from family and villagers.