Artisan cards increase access to state-funded benefits and help build confidence

Thanks to the work of the Bareilly Homeworker Group, over 3,700 homeworkers now have official artisan cards. These cards act as a gateway for accessing state benefits as well as helping homewokers build a new sense of identity.

In 2007, members of the Bareilly Homeworker Group started to promote a government scheme whereby homeworkers are entitled to register as artisans. These cards act as a gateway for accessing various state-funded benefits, including major discounts on health insurance schemes as well as access to credit at preferential rates.

So far the Bareilly Homeworker Group has helped over 3,700 homeworkers access artisan cards. The Department of Health and Handicrafts has now authorized the Group to certify artisan card applications. This is a major achievement as it indicates a formal recognition of the Group by local authorities.

Homeworkers with artisan cards report increased confidence as well as better treatment by Government officials. For example, Praveen, a Homeworker based in the village of Faridapur says:

"Now I have an artisan card I can go to the better hospitals for treatment... And what's more, the cards have given us recognition. I have learned that I am a worker and that I have rights as a worker - I have an identity."

Ahmed Israr, aged 32, a homeworker from Bandiya village, was able to have his appendix removed, an operation he could not have afforded without health insurance.

He says: "I feel very lucky. Another homeworker lost his leg because he didn't have medical insurance. This was before we had the Artisan card scheme, and due to lack of money the only option left was to amputate the leg."

Homeworkers organize themselves

This increased sense of confidence and professional status among homeworkers has prompted homeworkers in the village of Faridapur to form their own self-help group, called ‘Hands.' The group meets every month to discuss common issues, for example, their children's education, how to increase their wages, and to how to apply for artisan cards.

Even more impressively, members of Hands have started to visit groups of homeworkers in other villages to educate them about what their rights are, and in the village of Richola they have helped set up an informal education centre for children, providing some funding and volunteers to help run the centre.

Nusra, a former teacher, has given up her time to manage Hands' new office, and is a key point of contact for homeworkers to come with their concerns.

"Time management is one of the biggest issues for homeworkers", she says. "Women working at home don't just have to take care of their paid work, they also have to look after their husbands and children. Sometimes they have to drop their work to deal with family problems, which can sometimes mean that product quality suffers."

"If my small contribution can make some change to women's lives, then it's worth it", she says.