Deprioritising health unless you are unwell is a common approach that many follow…
Menu
Deprioritising health unless you are unwell is a common approach that many follow…
“I used to work mechanically without much interest, came to work very late and would take leave often. In order to save money, I would not cook at home, but used to end up spending money on medicines and illness. I never interacted much with the coworkers,” says Lalitha, describing her old self.
“Nowadays, I wake up early and finish my chores at home and go to work on time. I only used to eat rice and tamarind water but have now added vegetables, egg and milk to my diet. I don’t fall ill often and don’t spend unnecessarily on doctor visits,” reports Lalitha.
Lalitha is the head of the family and has taken on this responsibility, delegating appropriately to her son to manage the home and work. Her punctuality at work and efficiency have been noticed and appreciated by her supervisors, only motivating Lalitha more. Being able to perform her duties has increased her self confidence. Her son has noticed the change in her demeanour and also supports her with household chores. Lalitha finds solace in the temple and uses the visits to manage her stress. She realises that everybody has problems and one needs to confront and overcome them. Lalitha works with her son to reduce expenditure and save money. They are now saving Rs. 5000 per month and are setting aside money for future goals. She has promised to conduct her son’s wedding without taking dowry and is confident of leading a happy life.
“The training made me realise the importance of clean water. Now I make sure everyone drinks only filtered water.”
Mala recalls being stressed constantly at work and at home. She lacked the confidence to speak to her co-workers and supervisors and at the same time, became easily irritated with them. She was even scared to pick up her monthly salary. Her lack of confidence was compounded by her lack of knowledge. She did not know the factory’s rules and regulations and was reprimanded for not following them. All this combined, left her unmotivated. Her day at the factory was tense and she brought that tension home, quarrelling with her husband, children and mother-in-law.
Her home life was not stress-free as she did not communicate well with her husband and took all the household chores upon herself. As a result, she often carried the tension from home into the workplace. Mala says the WiF programme helped her change her life–by teaching her how to communicate, manage stress and monitor health and nutrition better. She has started to take care of her family’s health by making sure they eat nutritious food, drink clean water, and keep their house clean. Mala now prepares different varieties of nutritious foods for breakfast, lunch and dinner, which her children love and have complimented her. She also bought a water filter because, “The training made me realise the importance of clean water. Now I make sure everyone drinks only filtered water.” Her husband and children appreciate her efforts in keeping them healthy.
“A woman’s life is not defined by just marriage and motherhood. There is so much more that women can achieve. I want to be able to achieve a lot in life, just like others, and be an example to all.”
Murugalakshmi hails from Tuticorin and works at Siba Flor, a company producing home decor. She is differently abled and would always feel depressed about being different. She would not talk to anyone at her workplace or go out anywhere. She would not eat well or bother much about her health, though she needed to take care of herself. She was plagued by a self-inflicted inferiority complex. Murugalakshmi was selected to attend the Foundational and Advanced training under the Women in Factories programme and it changed her life. The programme helped to build her confidence and self esteem, and she realised that she was no different from others. She began to look after her health and adopted healthy eating habits. She began to eat well, stopped skipping her meals and shared learning about nutritious food with her family members. Her mother has begun to include a lot of green leafy vegetables as part of their diet. Murugalakshmi’s haemoglobin levels were low at 9, and after she began to consume a nutritious diet, it increased to 12.
Murugalakshmi is part of a self-help group in Tuticorin, and she shared information on nutrition with the SHG members. Though the women were reluctant to listen to her initially, one of them made a nutritious meal which her son liked. Slowly, the women began to show interest and started using low-cost ingredients to prepare nutritious meals for their family members. Murugalakshmi conducted a nutrition competition for the members and also gave each of them a prize to motivate them to sustain this practice.
Murugalakshmi’s parents were sad that whenever they looked for a suitable alliance for their daughter, she was rejected because she is differently abled. Murugalakshmi motivated her parents by saying that she can be a single woman and yet achieve a lot. She says, “Disability is only in the mind, it’s not physical. One can achieve whatever they want to, if they just put their mind to it. The Women in Factories programme changed my life. It taught me that I am no different from others, I can do just about anything that others can. I want to aim big, and achieve just like many other women in this world”.
Murugalakshmi found a partner who accepted her for who she is. She began a new chapter in her life as she got married recently, knowing fully well that she is the author of her story and that she can write her life chapters any way that she wants.
