Street vendors training program is ‘uplifting’ women in Nagaland

Since 2017, 4000 women directly trained, informs Entrepreneurs Associates 

Our Correspondent
Kohima | May 22

Martha Humtsoe, a street vendor at Kohima’s Super Market area, is the sole bread winner in her family of nine. In 2002, she took up street vending to support her family. 

In 2018 she was introduced to the ‘Uplifting Women Street Vendors Training Program’ conducted by Entrepreneurs Associates (EA) in partnership with Caring Friends and Capri Global Capital Limited (CGCL).

Since then, she has availed loans three times from EA’s financial wings, and expanded her business and looking after her children.

While the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021 were difficult for her, ‘interest-free loans’ provided by EA has been a life saver, she maintained. 

Likewise, Loni Yalie, a single mother from Kohima has been attending training and taken multiple loans including zero-interest loans supported by Capri. At times, she also sells products which are sourced by EA on credit and repaid after selling it. This year she is receiving a scholarship of Rs 2000 per month from the India Basic Income Network through EA’s connections.

Krosulu Puro is a widowed mother of 7 and additionally supporting her father, who has been paralyzed for the last many years. The 67-year-old is a vendor in Dimapur’s Super Market area and has also availed the interest free loans from EA.
There are many other women with similar narratives.

Since the launch of the ‘Uplifting Women Street Vendors Program’ in 2017, more than 4000 women have been directly trained while some 1000 vendors have been inducted into the program through EA’s network of Community Mobilizers or Field Executives.

As per the EA, the program initially launched in Kohima as a pilot project has now scaled to 12 districts in Nagaland and 2 districts in Manipur, with further plans for expansion this financial year.

Among others, the program works for empowerment of the women through advocacy, training, and hand-holding support.

Nearly 40% of the women trained have received financial support from EA’s linkages and 80% of them have taken up savings for their long-term progress, it said. 

The EA further informed that when it began the work with street vendors in October 2017, the vendors needed to be incentivized to attend.

Initially a daily allowance of Rs 500 was provided to the women, which was gradually lowered as they began to understand the benefits for themselves, it said.  

Currently, however, most women bring their friends to programs and introduce their peers to Field Executives mentoring them, EA maintained.

Impact study 
Recently, the EA conducted an impact study of the program in different locations across the state among the EA members and those who either attended trainings or connected through mobilisers.

The respondents personally interacted with the EA team and effort was made to understand significant developments in their work or absence of it, it said. 

The findings indicated the need for continuing such initiative for marginalized communities, it added. 

As per the study, majority of the women vendor fall between the age of 25-45 years and nearly 25% of them were single mothers, widows, divorcees or unmarried.

EA’s study since 2017 have shown that above 40% of the women engaged in vending have never been to school, which is a surprising finding given the fact that Nagaland’s female literacy rate stands at nearly 80%, it said. 

After associating with the program, 28% of the respondents shared that their businesses expanded, EA said, and termed it “validating.”

Few of the women have also availed vehicle loans, helping them increase their cash flow, it said. 

Another very significant development was been the introduction of the ‘Zero-Interest Loans’ for the women whose businesses were snuffed out by the pandemic and  loans ranging from Rs 10,000 to Rs 25,000 so far has been provided to 27.4% women in Kohima, Dimapur, Pfutsero, Phek, and Mokokchung, it said. 

Key findings 
Meanwhile, the EA further informed that through the connections made at the trainings, many women availed loans from the EA’s financial wing and collaborations with other partners, at low interest.

A total of 36.6% of the women interviewed have availed loans through EA’s networks.

It further claimed that impact of the program is seen in the families of the vendors. Key indicators such as increase in the fees of the children determine whether the women are handling such financial demands well or not, it said.

Another significant finding was that 66% of the vendors are now looking at long-term saving instead of short term, a prominent feature during the early years of the training.

A total of 40.50% of the respondents also informed that they have invested in long term plans such as insurance, fixed deposits and buying land, EA said. 

Accordingly, the EA said that progress of the women as documented through the project indicates great promises for rural Nagaland as they form the backbone of the local farming economy.

They are the link between the farms and the markets, and their progress is directly proportional to the progress of the rural communities, it added. 

However, the EA regretted that there are 'very few who comprehend the importance of this group of people and the role they play.'

Women vendors in Nagaland lack proper places to sell 

Our Correspondent 
Kohima | May 22 

In both Nagaland and Manipur, except for some places in the towns and cities, there are rarely any proper places for the women to sell, highlighted and a impact study on women street vendors conducted by the Entrepreneurs Associates (EA). Accordingly, they are found along city sidewalks, outside shops and roadsides wherever they can find a space to put out their vegetables, added the EA’s study of its ‘Uplifting Women Street Vendors Training Program.’  The study further found that only 29% of the women had permanent shelter, while another 9% had temporary or makeshift shelters.

These are indications about the need for proper policies and systems to benefit them, which the government and civil societies can seriously look into, the EA noted.  Though developments are being undertaken in this regard, the time taken and  processes need to be expedited so that vendors can be uplifted at the earliest, it added.