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 Women Who Inspired Chetna Gala Sinha

Short biographies of activists from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and India

 South Asian Activists

I want to go to the National Stock Exchange to set up the first fund for rural women entrepreneurs. This fund will give rural women a chance to create their own businesses. As one of my team members said, "My courage is my capital." And I say here, their courage is my capital. And if you want, it can also be yours. On the next page, write your next steps for helping yourself and the people you want to help.

"Never provide poor solutions to poor people. They are smart." -Chetna Gala Sinha

Kerabai was another woman in my life who had challenged me. She needed water and wanted to mortgage gold during a drought. A mortgage is when a bank or a person lends you money so you can buy what you need. In exchange, you give the bank something of yours until the loan is paid back. Kerabai’s ideas came true when my bank, Mann Deshi Bank, began to offer loans based on gold mortgages. She told her story on our community radio show to more than 100,000 listeners. Then, Kerabai wanted to have her own radio show but the radio manager said that she was not able to read and write so she couldn't manage her own show.

We did it! Our banks work with more than 100,000 women and we have more than $20 million dollars in our savings.&nbsp; I think that these numbers are a big deal. This bank is women-made with women's savings. Despite all the rejections, we made something big.

Note to the Youth: Invest back into your community My Thoughts: When you help your community out, you get a lot back. As an activist always think local. Talk to other people and listen to what they need. Sometimes one person can think of an answer that others could not imagine. Activist Workshop: Can you think of one thing your community needs? How can you help create it?

Note to the Youth: Life can get hard sometimes, but you should not stop trying. Instead, be patient and keep working hard. My Thoughts: There were a lot of times when I almost gave up. There were just too many problems and I did not feel I could solve them all. The women I worked with encouraged me and gave me hope. Activist Workshop: If you are losing in a game, how do you keep playing?

I have been lucky to get a lot of awards and recognition. But none of this would have happened if I didn't really listen to the women I worked with. We are a team. Click the link to my foundation and the work me and my community have accomplished. <a href="https://manndeshifoundation.org/">https://manndeshifoundation.org/</a>

We dont need poor solutions for poor people 

Here are some of the TED Talks I have spoke in. You can learn about how and why I continued my work in social activism.

How women in rural India turned courage into capital 

Mann Deshi Bank -- the first bank & B-school for rural women

Can you think of a community without disparity and hierarchy? 

Kantabai, a lady who lives in my village, came to me one day and told me she wanted to open a savings account. “I want to save because I want to buy a plastic sheet before the monsoons arrive.” At first, what went through my head was the fact that she is a blacksmith. How much money could she save? Still, we went to the bank to open a saving account. She was rejected because saving 10 rupees a day is not enough for the bank manager to treat her as a customer. That day I was inspired to open a bank that gives all people, including women like Kantabai, the chance to save money.

Note to Youth: Do not let other people's ideas about your identity limit you from doing what you want to do.&nbsp; My Thoughts: I am a woman. Sometimes in this world, people make it harder for girls to do what we want. It can be harder to do what we dream of, but that does not mean we stop. I opened a bank for poor village women because I believed in their dreams. Activist Workshop: How can you help treat girls fairly so you don't limit them?

That did not stop Kerabai. Kerabai told the manager that it was not necessary for her to read or write because she will only speak. She showcased her talent of wanting her radio show, so I connected her to radio shows and assisted her dreams. I knew my goal was to help rural women, and Kerabai's goal was to be that rural woman who has her own radio show. She is now a famous radio jockey and has been invited on many shows around Mumbai city.

Note to Youth: Learn about what money means to you. My Thoughts: Sometimes money is the only thing someone needs to make their dreams come true. Because my bank caters to rural women, I made sure to listen to what my bank neededs. It is not a traditional bank. I want to cater to and help these women, so I made sure to accept loans that they can exchange with. Activist Workshop: What was the biggest risk you took to help others? Why did you do it?

As a solution, I organized a literary class for the villagers. Everyone was eager to learn and most importantly we were ready to open the first bank for rural women. I went back to the bank after five months with several women from the village as proof that we now have literate citizens.

Note to the Youth: Know your privilege. My Thoughts: A privilege is when you are able to have access to resources that other people may not have. I went to school and college, which is a privilege because a lot of the women in the village do not have that experience. Activist Workshop: Do you think you have privilege? If you do, how will you use your privilege to help others?

I have met many women who helped me learn how to help them. These women did not go to school, but they know more about life than anyone I know. They inspire me to try and solve the problems they face every day.&nbsp; My inspiration also came from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jayaprakash-Narayan">Jayaprakash Narayan</a>, a leader who told young people like me to go to rural areas and help our fellow citizens.&nbsp; So…. I went! Just to let you know, my life could not have worked out any better.&nbsp;

Note to the Youth: Don’t judge a person with how they look, how much money they have, or what they wear. Treat everyone with the same respect. My Thoughts: If I did not listen to the ordinary women I met, I would not have discovered my own strengths and found a way to help so many people. Since I chose to be open-minded, I was able to help a lot of people out. Activist Workshop: Have you every taken advice from someone? Can good advice come from anyone?

Women Who Inspired Chetna Gala Sinha By: Tasnim Chowdhury

After this, I applied for a banking license from the Reserve Bank of India. It was rejected. I was told that the village women are illiterate. Building a bank with investments from unschooled women was not possible. The village women wanted to learn how to read and write so we could open the bank. They learned how to do math and even calculate interest without a calculator. By working together we overcame obstacles and were able to create a community bank.

Note to Youth: Surround yourself with good people. When you do this, you can do more for others. My Thoughts: I was able to have good people around me. Good people are people who help your dreams come true. These people know that if your dreams come true, then their dream also comes true. When you have people like this around you, you can do more to help others. Activist Workshop: How can you support your friends as they try to build something that matters to them?

A Note from the Author: This book was created in a South Asian Politics course at Lehigh University taught by Prof Nandini Deo (<a href="mailto:ndd208@lehigh.edu">ndd208@lehigh.edu</a>). I tried to contact the activist featured here however I was unable to get in touch with her. She does seem to be active on her Twitter which is @chetnavsinha. If you wish to contribute to the cause, you can donate here <a href="https://manndeshifoundation.org/donate/">https://manndeshifoundation.org/donate/</a>

“Ordinary women will do extraordinary things with the greatest of their courage, wisdom, and humility”- Chetna Gala Sinha

Hi. My name is Chetna Gala Sinha and I will be sharing my personal experiences with you all. I want to share these stories to show that Indian women are able to break traditional barriers. Women deserve to be educated. Women deserve to be leaders. Women deserve to be treated equally.

https://www.ted.com/talks/chetna_gala _sinha_how_women_in_rural_india_turned_courage _into_capital/up-next https://worldfellows.yale.edu/person/chetna-gala-sinha/ https://manndeshifoundation.org/ https://www.abbott.in/corpnewsroom/living-fully/banking-on-potential-anything-is-possible-for-chetna-gala-sinha.html https://yourstory.com/video/chetna-sinha-shares-a-story-of-rural-innovation-du/ https://ted2srt.org/talks/chetna_gala_sinha_how _women_in_rural_india_turned_courage_into_capital https://howtoacademy.com/podcasts/chetna-gala-sinha-how-to-fight-global-poverty/ https://wow.outlookbusiness.com/chetna-gala-sinha/ https://www.schwabfound.org/awardees/chetna-sinha https://www.ashoka.org/id/story/great-time-invest-women-entrepreneurs-says-mann-deshi-bank%E2%80%99s-chetna-sinha

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