This Kudumbashree Activist Single-Handedly Collects Waste From 550 Homes
We have been amazed several times by stories of women who have shown superhuman strength and lifted massive weight loads when their kids were trapped. This strength is something that makes mothers capable of doing literally anything when it comes to making impossible possible. Well, how does this work when the odds of life are against you? Is it possible for a mother to do what is needed to not just make ends meet, but also to give back to society? I say it is possible.
Meet Raina A from Kasargod, Kerala. Life was never kind to her. At the young age of 16, Raina was married off. While she does agree that she was not forced into it, she also admits that she was too young to decide on her own. With neither the qualification or the life experience, Raina’s life was plagued with misery ever since she got married.
The man she married did not have a job or steady source of income to support the family. Before she could understand what the responsibilities of handling a family were, Raina was already handling them. She began with learning to stitch and found smaller jobs to supports her husband and herself. In addition, she registered herself to the Employment Guarantee Scheme. Since she had only passed out of eighth grade, she was incapable of taking a bigger workload. However, reality hit her hard when she had her first child.
After the first childbirth, she realized that times were only going to get harder and pushed herself to do the right thing. Without looking back, she continued to put the work in. All along, she kept her family as the epicenter of her life. Two kids later, she was accustomed to any kind of work and she was capable of any kind of odd job.
This worked to her advantage. Over time, people in the neighborhood were familiar with Raina, and they began supporting her. Being a part of Kudumbashree, a women self-help organization, she went on to fulfill any odd job that came her way. With different job opportunities, the organizations helped Raina get different jobs that paid. At one point, they asked if she was willing to be part of a waste collection drive. By this time, Raina knew that her mind was the only thing that mattered, and setting it would make anything possible. So, she went on and agreed.
In the beginning, the task implied that she had to collect waste from her ward that has over 550 homes. While it was assigned to two people, the program failed to gain momentum and was shelved. However, by this time, Raina’s will power had proven that she was capable of taking over the work of two people.
Today, Raina collects waste from all the houses in her ward. Once the waste piles up at the houses, the residents reach out to Raina on her personal number. As soon as she gets the call, Raina heads there on her two-wheeler and collects the waste. Time is hardly a matter of concern for her. With calls coming late evenings sometimes, Raina always reaches there with a smile on her face.
That being said, Raina does not know what gives her the energy to make all this possible. All that is running on her mind is that life had to go on. Her determination to not let her family endure the same hardships that she went through. Having seen the worst of life, nothing scares Raina anymore. She believes that life taught her, and difficulty is not a criterion for her anymore.
But was it merely a job?
Raina believes that the waste management service has given her the ability to alter the way she sees the environment. While cleaning the places around her neighborhood, she knows the importance of her job. And, that in itself is a reason for her to never complain about her job. And the outcome of that?
Today, Raina’s neighborhood has reached a “zero-plastic” state.
Raina may be doing what it takes to go from one day to the next. However, from my point of view, she has created a legacy. From her, I realized that education or income is not an obstacle for someone who wants to make a difference in someone’s life. As life gets tougher, all we need to do is adapt, and look at the next steps. And, whatever happens, never keep stagnation as an option.
In a home that is built with her own personal brand of optimism, Raina is sure that her children will never need to live a life as she did. Dedicating a life for them, she feels that nothing else matters now.
And that is what I would like to call “Raina effect”. Nothing is impossible in life and nothing can stop someone with the determination to keep moving.
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