Make Women in Rural India Financially Secure

Sheela, a mother of 5, is a homemaker and the primary caregiver for her children. Her husband works as a waiter at marriage functions in Udaipur, and has to stay away from his village for 15 or more days at a stretch. So, the responsibility of taking caring of her children is solely on her, while her husband works away from home. It is very difficult for her to manage all the household chores and also take care of her children all alone. But she is somehow managing everything at once.

Sheela is a member of one of the SHG (Self Help Groups) in her community. At one point of time in the past Sheela’s husband did not receive his paycheck on time and therefore could not come home. This made if very difficult for Sheela to look after her children and buy food for them. The situation got so bad  that she ran out of sundries and food entirely. 

She then went directly to the only option available to her; her SHG group. The group gave her an immediate loan of Rs. 500 ($7) to buy much needed food for her hungry children. For most people, this loan is a very small amount, but it was life-saving for Sheela and her children.

Sheela explains; ‘It’s just a small amount but it saved my children’s lives by providing help when I needed it the most.’

The SHGs empower women, especially in the direst of situations, to stay in control of their own lives, maintain their dignity, and provide for their family.

With your help, we at Seva Mandir were able to bring all these women together, make them aware of the benefits of becoming self-sufficient and help them form these loan groups which can empower them. Without your support none of this would have been possible, so 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.

We are excited to share with you that we are participating in GlobalGiving’s Little by Little Campaign, which will run from 04^th to 08^th April 2022. It is a five-day crowdfunding campaign. All eligible donations of up to $50 will be matched at 50% during the campaign.

We need your support once again to help us get matching funds, which will then help us reach out to more women in need. For only $50, you can help train 3 rural women in financial literacy and basic entrepreneurial skills.

Your donation will build a brighter future for these underprivileged women. Thank you once again.

Regards

Atul Lekhra & the Seva Mandir team

Links:

• Seva Mandir's Website
• Seva Mandir's Facebook Page
• Seva Mandir's Friends Chapter in USA