Morung Express News
Dimapur | July 29
The cooperative wing of Entrepreneurs Associates (EA)—Entrepreneurs Associates Thrift And Credit Cooperative Federation Ltd (EATACOL)—on Monday organized a workshop with women street vendors from Dimapur and other neighbouring areas, informing the latter on schemes available for them.
The programme was held at Tenyiphe Village Council Hall and attended by more than 230 women street vendors.
Presenting an introduction to ‘Uplifting Women Street Vendors’ project, Advisor, EA, Neikule Duolo highlighted the activities of the EATACOL, adding that the main objective was to capacitate women street vendors in the state and to provide them basic business skills and understanding on how the market works. EATACOL also aims to facilitate financial empowerment through savings, stock and finance and its management. Another objective is to sensitize vendors on health and hygiene related issues besides educating them about their basic legal rights.
Neikule said that the project was first launched in October 2017 in Kohima and since then EATACOL has covered more than 1500 women street vendors throughout the state. Monday’s programme was the third of its kind in Dimapur.
Branch Manager, EATACOL, Temsurenla Ao meanwhile, spoke on ‘Importance of savings and introduction to Eatacol.’ She said EATACOL has a savings scheme for women street vendors, wherein those who save more than Rs 10,000 with the EA are given a bonus of Rs 2000. She informed that vendors registered with EA could save any amount as per their convenience and hand it over to volunteers who visit the markets or that the vendors themselves could visit EA office for deposits.
Registration fee for women street vendors is Rs 200 while for others it is Rs 500. She also highlighted on child savings schemes available with the EA.
On Monday, 18 women street vendors were given bonuses for saving more than Rs 10, 000. Stating that EA was collaborating with Nagaland State Cooperative Bank Ltd for various financial schemes, Temsurenla informed women street vendors that their savings were safe.
Street vending reasons
Based on feedbacks during interactions with women street vendors in Kohima, Dimapur, Phek and Mokokchung over a period of two years, EATACOL found that many women were compelled to street vending due to lack of other opportunities. Some of the women during these interactions saw street vending as a means to supplement an already existing family income. However, most women street vendors were found to be sole earners, being widowed, under circumstances of abuse from spouses or destitution.
The data collected showed that 79.7% of women street vendors were married, 9.8% were single while the remaining comprised of widowed and divorced women.
Most of the women vendors were mothers of at least 1 – 5 children and this category comprised 65.7%, while 16.7% had 6-10 children of their own.
Years of vending
Around 35.9 % of the respondents worked for 2 – 5 years followed by 31.6% who have worked for a year. Only 13.2 % had worked for more than 11 years. However, this category of women despite having worked for more than 11 years saw no positive effect on their income earning capacity.
Further, those who worked for 4 – 9 hours comprised of 59% while 20.4% of them work for 10 hours. Many of them had no proper shelter and had to spend a good part of the day working under grueling circumstances with no protection from the heat and rain.
Education
The feedbacks also showed that 40.5% women street vendors had no formal education, while 38.7% belonged had studied from Class 6 – 10. Those who attended nursery to Class 5 comprised of 17.7% and a meager 2.85% had studied Class 11 and 12.
Income
A majority of the women vendors, 39.8% were found to earn a daily income below Rs 500 while 25% earned between the range of Rs 600- Rs 1000. Those who earned Rs 2,100 and above in a day comprised of 16.5%. The study found that ‘savings’ to women vendors meant setting aside small amount for occasions like Christmas or children admissions. As such, there was no long term savings and they begin the next year with zero balance starting the process all over again.
Work hazards in Dimapur
Lack of proper toilets around their work place was a serious issue raised by many women vendors in the course of their discussion. They pointed to absence of basic facilities to sell their wares even as they pay regular taxes to the municipal or local governing bodies. This is compounded by the short shelf life of their wares as there is no cold storage facility in town.
They also expressed concern about the tendency of most people and governing bodies to support non-local traders over women vendors.
