The Self Help Groups and The Women

The SHGs (Self Help Groups) have been a tremendous intervention. Apart from giving women control over savings and financial resources, it has also reinforced their confidence tremendously. I will not use the word empower, because the strength has always been theirs.

The 'leaders' are chosen in rotation, and the 'first leader' needs to be literate as she has to do the calculations bi-monthly and present it to the group. The 'second leader' does not need to be literate. All the women stay updated on the transactions. The default on loan repayment in this in our village is NIL. As if a member defaults, the group loses rights to the further interest free loans the government sanctions. The women in the group is stay responsible to the entire group.

The loans give the women decision powers on the domestic expense patterns. The men respect the money as theirs. The men also have no right to step into the meetings, unless someone asks them to come for some small help.

Now when Rani is handling the accounts for the bags, I see the complete clarity and precision in her giving me the details of finances and calcualtions. She has been first leader for her SHG.

She has studied till the fifth.

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Siva Gohila, Smitha Kuttayya Boppanda Share

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Kriti Bhardwaj It had been quite evident in my interactions with various class of women during inspections for SHG loans and inspection for Elite Home loans with women as primary borrowers. Both kind of women are making their own living, yet the former are far more strong and independent in ways the latter never realize.
When I held their meetings and men accompanied them as husbands or sons, thats the extent of it. Women were in charge, in practice and on papers. Men knew that.

Manage

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