Lessons from a Women-led Livelihood Pilot in a Neglected Tropical Diseases endemic area in Southern India

Purpose: This study was conducted in a Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) endemic location in South India. It aimed to determine whether income-generating opportunities for members of low-income households would help in reducing their vulnerability to NTDs.

Method: Eleven women participated in the ‘Jagruti’ livelihood project. A baseline survey captured their demographic details, economic situation, and perspectives of the future. An end-of-project survey recorded the impact. The marketing strategy used Behaviour Change Communication through product and menstrual hygiene awareness among Self-Help Group (SHG) women, one-on-one peer education for women at home, and counselling for adolescent schoolgirls.

Results: All participating women had changed their own and their daughters’ menstrual hygiene behaviour. They felt that their entrepreneurial and communication skills had improved. The maximum and minimum individual earnings from sanitary napkin sales had been USD 54 and USD 8 per month respectively. This additional income had met pressing household needs, toilet repairs, and medical treatment of family members with COVID-19. In May 2021 the COVID-19 second wave and lockdown, as well as the state government initiative to sell sanitary napkins at subsidised rates to rural women, and free of cost to adolescent school-going girls, led to the termination of the livelihood project earlier than scheduled.

Conclusion and Implications: Sustainable livelihoods for women from low-income households can bring in additional income to be utilised for medical treatment, improving household sanitation and nutrition, etc. This may would reduce household members’ risk of contracting or transmitting NTDs. The government initiative will be routed through selected SHGs with proven efficiency. Four of the trained women entrepreneurs are confident that their SHGs will be selected and look forward to using the knowledge and experience they have gained from the livelihood project. Investment in empowering and developing the business skills of enterprising women is a worthy cause.