EA launches ‘Uplifting Women Streets Vendors’ project in Mokokchung

[caption id="attachment_197715" align="alignnone" width="550"] Resource person Neikule Doulo addressing the women street vendor at Ongpangkong Salang, Mokokchung on July 27. (EM Images)[/caption] Our Correspondent Mokokchung, July 27 (EMN): In a bid to uplift the women street vendor in Mokokchung District, the Entrepreneur Associates (EA) today launched "Uplifting Women Streets  Vendors: Mokokchung Chapter,"  A project of EA at Ongpangkong Salang, Mokokchung. The launching programme was attended by more than 100 women street vendors from nine villages under Mokokchung District. Neikule Doulo,  Master Franchisee, Aloha Mental Arithmetic was the resource person at the gathering. She observed that after post-Indian Independence, the economy of the Nagaland experienced rapid transformation with a large percentage of the population in the Urban centres employed by the Government. However, Doulo maintained that the story remains pretty much the same for many people in the rural villages and among those who not engaged in the government sector. The resource person traced that with the rapid increase in the cost of living had led to the ostensible increase in the number of women stepping out from their homes to take up livelihood activities in the urban centres. Doulo also added that the livelihood activities taken up by women has led to the starting of the door to door business thriving this unorganized sector into a more organized sector where some of the women started dealing entirely in retailing produce sources from different villages. She also enlightened that gathering many of the women do so out of sheer compulsion and due to lack of other opportunities but today there is a large group of these womenfolk who began taking up the mantle of ensuring income in their families as a desperate measures-being windowed, married substance abused husband or destitution. Doulo also shared the struggles and grievances face this section of women. She pointed out that as these women vendors sit by the sidewalks of almost every town in Nagaland, there are subjected to harassment from the many factors including human and nature. They are compelled to remain in their 'spots'  whether it is raining, sunny or windy; these women have to be constantly relocated due to reason related to administrative directives or being refused to be given the space by other private landowners,  she observed. She further said that absence of public toilets subject these women are to very real health threats and the mushrooming of non-local business people has hampered their daily business. In this connection, Doulo asserted that lack of know-how of business among this section of society is the common observation why these women do not climb up the economic ladder. "A lot of them unaware about how to plan financially for their future besides stock management, bookkeeping etc," she said while challenging the streets vendors to know something during their technical session. Doulo also spoke on the topic: Possibilities and potentials of  this business with an emphasis on alternative  business while  Neichute Doulo, CEO Coordinator, EA spoke on the topic Role of women vendor in taking  society forward and Lanuangla Tsudir spoke on the topic "In the life  of a women vendor."