Make Women in Rural India Financially Secure

Dear Friend,

One of the major objectives behind the formation of Seva Mandir’s Self-Help Groups (SHGs) is to enable tribal women to achieve economic prosperity through being able to borrow money from within the community.

Laxmi, a resident of Rama village in Udaipur district has taken full advantage of what was available to her.  However, three years ago it was a very different story for Laxmi who had very little because of her poor economic background, and friends or relatives reluctant to support her financially.

After joining one of Seva Mandir’s SHGs her life has been completely turned around.  Initially she was granted a small loan from her SHG to purchase two goats, which she nurtured and some time later she sold for a good profit.  After a couple of similar projects, she successfully paid back her loans and decided to ask for a larger loan of Rs. 15,000 ($233) and bought more goats to sell later for a good profit.  She repaid her loans and even managed to put some money aside for her future.

Then, a year ago Laxmi decided to branch out – she bought a buffalo and two cows and now sells milk and other dairy products as a dairy business.  Her continuous hard work, promptness at repaying her loans and risk-taking have served as an inspiration for all members of her community and it has motivated other women to venture out into new avenues.  She also supported her husband by setting up and opening a small shop selling jewellery and cosmetics and this continues to thrive.

Through clever and careful use of her loans, Laxmi has been able to generate more income and have regular cash-flow through the constant buying and selling of livestock.  She now owns 45 goats, one buffalo and two cows which give her a good return every month.  She has done so well in these last three years that she has also managed to have a house built from a loan and her savings.

Laxmi says: “The SHG helped me a lot due to the low rate of interest on loans, as well as offering me different kinds of loans for my various economic needs – this has helped my family in many ways.  Also, more importantly, I don’t have to go to anyone’s door or any individual to ask to borrow money.”

The entrepreneurial spirit that Laxmi has shown in the past five years has had a tremendous impact on other women in her community, who now look to her for inspiration and guidance.  In the last two years Laxmi has risen to become the head of her village and its Self-Help Group.

Without your support none of this would be possible, so a heartfelt thank you goes out to you for supporting our efforts in empowering women. The empowerment and autonomy of women are essential for the achievement of sustainable development.

I am also happy to share with you that we are participating in GlobalGiving’s 2017 Year-End Campaign. The campaign will run from 29^th November to 31^st December 2017. GlobalGiving will award prizes and special recognition to the organizations throughout the campaign as well at the end of the campaign. Your support for our project will help us win bonus prizes and special recognition.

We would love to hear your feedback and comments on our program. Please reach out to us at atul.lekhra@sevamandir.org 

With great thanks,

Atul Lekhra and the Seva Mandir Team

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Links:

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