Chetna Mahila Samiti

Of all the borrowers we met in the village of Shivaji Nagar, Sarita Singh came across as the most confident and outgoing. She could articulate her thoughts without hesitation and seemed happy to talk about the activities that keep her busy at home. A graduate, Sarita conducts coaching classes and also offers tailoring services. She learnt how to sew clothes at a training institute in her hometown before she got married and thereafter decided to use her skills for gainful employment. The only setback that she faced at the time was raising the capital needed to buy a sewing machine, tailoring related tools and supplies.

Fortunately, Rang De was able to step in and lend her hand by giving her a crowd-sourced microloan. The funds paid for a new sewing machine, tools like a pair of scissors and a seam ripper as well as a collection of threads, bobbins, buttons etc.

Sarita’s tailoring shop is off to a good start and is bringing in Rs.1500 per month. She accepts only a limited number of orders as most of her time is dedicated to the coaching classes that form the bulk of her income. She plans to continue tailoring but is undecided on whether to increase orders or maintain the status quo. By actively contributing to her family, Sarita is able to make decisions independently and voices her opinions.

In rural areas, many women have a knack for running micro-enterprises but cannot afford the capital necessary to start one up or find it difficult to avail credit from reliable sources. Through our financial inclusion programme, we hope to support them in new and existing livelihoods so that they can discover their potential and grow as entrepreneurs.

Thank you for contributing towards Sarita’s loan and helping her start a new livelihood.

If you would like to help other borrowers from Uttar Pradesh, please click on the link.

At 55, Ram Devi is content with her life in Kodhwa village in UP. A widow, she raised her son Rakesh to the best of her abilities and instilled him with a keen sense of responsibility even though she could not afford to put him through school. Rakesh now works in Delhi and sends money to his mother as often as he can. Ram Devi does not worry when he cannot send anything. Her disposition towards life, in general, is one of great calm. Although widowhood brought her much sorrow and difficulty, she does not see it as something to complain about.

During our audit at Kodhwa, she explained how her SHG is a good support system where members are encouraged to share their problems and concerns. In this way, she has been able to maintain a good level of social participation and finds companionship among fellow SHG members.

Being among other women actively discussing livelihood options and income enhancement struck a chord with her as she had frequently thought of doing more with her time but did not have the means to put her plans into action.

Her application for widow’s pension has been pending for a very long time and she reported that no progress had been made thus far. Without the pension, she only had the money that Rakesh sent to rely on which was sufficient for daily expenses but would certainly not be enough to support a livelihood. Local MFIs were unwilling to give her loan as she had no regular income that would promise them repayment.

It was only through Rang De that she finally found willing assistance to help start a goat-rearing business. On receiving the loan amount, she bought four goats and now spends a few hours every day tending to the animals. Being able to look after them gives her something to look forward to every day.

She is regular with repayment of instalments and appears to be quite comfortable despite not having any monthly income at the moment. “It is not difficult for me to repay since I have only to look after myself,” Ram Devi told us during a brief conversation with her.

Since the goats are still too young to be sold, Ram Devi has not started earning a living nor does she have any savings. We hope that in time her small herd grows in size and provides good profits at the time of their sale so that she can be economically active.

Thank you for contributing to Ram Devi’s loan. If you would like to help other women from Uttar Pradesh, please click on the link.