Economic Growth India Project #3907

Make Women in Rural India Financially Secure

by Seva Mandir

Make Women in Rural India Financially Secure

Project Report | Dec 30, 2022
Let the New Year Bring Happiness to Everyone

By Atul Lekhra | Programme Incharge

Happy New Year

Dear Friend,

From all of us here in Seva Mandir we wish you and your family Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! May the New Year bring to you lots of love, laughter, and joy.

Your generosity is bringing cheer and hope to so many. Thank you from Seva Mandir on behalf of 500,000 villagers we work with in Southern Rajasthan.

Meera, 48 years old, is member of Self-Help-Group in her hamlet for last 4 years. Meera, confined to household chorus her entire life, could not manage her bank account by her own.

She relied on banking correspondents for her banking transactions. She has also been receiving multiple training on Financial and Digital Literacy through Seva Mandir. During one of the training sessions, she learned about banks and banking frauds that are very common in villages. After receiving multiple trainings about banking and financial management, she has become more concerned and conscious while using correspondent facility. Not long after receiving training, she went to check her bank balance to a nearby service facility. The E-Mitra instructor (Banking correspondent) checked and informed her about balance of Rs. 24,000 ($290) in her account. To confirm the amount, she immediately went to another service facility. The instructor at the second centre did some transactions without Meera’s permission and told her balance of Rs. 14,000 ($169) in her account. She knew that she is being robbed by the second E-Mitra instructor. She asked her husband to bring bank statement from nearby bank and confronted the banking correspondent. Upon getting caught red-handed, the instructor returned Rs. 10,000 ($121) to Meera. She informed other women in her community about it and asked them to be careful while using the banking correspondent services. The Financial & Digital Literacy training helped Meera to safeguard herself from being robbed and cheated. Meera, now works as Digital Smile Sakhi (Friend) and provides training to women in her community.

“Have I not received the trainings, I would have lost my money without even knowing about it.” says Meera.

This is just one example of the impact of Seva Mandir’s program on women. A big thank you goes to you, our faithful supporters. With your help, we have been able to continue successfully running this program.

This New Year, you can give the gift of life to many more women in need. $15 from you will help train rural tribal women to effectively manage loans, keep saving records, and mobilize financial resources in order to build small businesses. Once again wish you and your family a very HAPPY NEW YEAR.

Best Wishes,

Atul Lekhra & the Seva Mandir Team

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Nov 27, 2022
Nobel Laureate & J-Pal Group visited Seva Mandir

By Atul Lekhra | Programme Incharge

Dear Friend,

Recently, Seva Mandir was elated to welcome 2019 Nobel Laureate Prof. Abhijeet Banerjee, Economist, Director J-Pal (The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab) and Mohammad Abdul Latif Jameel, Chairman and CEO, Abdul Latif Jameel Group and J-Pal team. This visit was a special visit for both parties due to the exciting exchange of thoughts and ideas shared on the mutual interest in the development of rural communities in Rajasthan.

Prof. Banerjee and Seva Mandir have had a longstanding and strong relationship since 1996. The Nobel laureate has worked extensively on studying various development problems and has helped in contributing to their solutions.

The few days of their Udaipur visit were jam-packed with visits and productive discussions. The J-PAL team, along with Seva Mandir’s team, traveled to remote villages Jalpaka and Jhabla; where they were formally introduced to Seva Mandir’s initiatives including natural resources, early childcare and nutrition, women empowerment and education.

A notable highlight of the visit was Prof. Banerjee’s enthusiastic discussion at a women’s Self Help Group (SHG) regarding the growing challenges of poverty and need for climate action in vulnerable regions and communities such as theirs.

During the community discussion, Prof. Banerjee vocalized, “Climate change and water scarcity are global challenges,and it will worsen in future. In India, the rural community has vast knowledge of water related challenges and its solutions. I look forward to understanding community perspectives and suggestions on tackling the future challenges and its solutions. This democratic approach will enable us to find collaborative solutions to the future challenges.”

Thank you so much for all your faith and continuous support to our programme.

Best Wishes,

Atul Lekhra & the Seva Mandir team

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Nov 11, 2022
Creating Opportunities for Women through SHGs

By Atul Lekhra | Programme Incharge

To enable women to come together and voice their concerns, Seva Mandir created an array of platforms available for women. This includes the democratic Self-Help Groups (SHGs). So far, more than 12,000 women are associated with these platforms.

Women’s Self-Help-Groups (SHGs) are integral to our women’s empowerment mission, here at Seva Mandir. By allowing women to unite, SHGs provide women with the opportunity to gain financial freedom, social support and social independence. Having a platform where women compile savings and credit together, ensures a sense of collective responsibility and security which they otherwise might not have. The SHGs also increasingly play an important role in the implementation of many of Seva Mandir’s programmes within communities. Manisha’s story is an example of such success.

Manisha resides with her husband and 2 kids in Alsigarh village of Udaipur district, Rajasthan, India. The SHG in Manisha’s village includes Manisha and 13 other women. It was locally well known that Manisha’s stitching was of outstanding precision so many women used to send their clothes to her for stitching.

So, Manisha had a ‘Eureka’ moment and thought to open up a small multipurpose shop in her village. While this would increase her household income and benefit other women with easy access to items like fabrics, makeup, bangles, she pondered how she could see through with this dream.

After meeting with the SHG, she took a loan of Rs. 18,000 ($223) from her group and bought routine household inventory items to sell in her new shop. Over time, Manisha was able to buy more products like shoes, purses and fabrics. As a result of this intervention, Manisha now earns approximately INR 4,000 ($50) to 5,000 ($62) per month, which increases during festive and marriage season. The SHGs empower women, especially in their lowest times. They help women to stay in control of their own lives, maintain their dignity, and most importantly, to provide for their family.

“I am happy that I am part of SHG group. The initial loan has helped me a lot to set up my shop which now is giving good returns. I have repaid my loan and do not have any other debts on me and my family” – says Manisha.

For only $50, you can help train 3 rural women in financial literacy and basic entrepreneurial skills. Please consider donating once or monthly to this cause through: https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/fueling-micro-finance-opportunities-in-rural-india/

A heartfelt thank you goes out to you for supporting our efforts in empowering women. The empowerment and autonomy of women is essential for achieving sustainable development. Your donation will build a brighter future for these underprivileged women. Thank you once again.

Regards

Atul Lekhra & the Seva Mandir team

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