| LAMP MFLD FUND for Women |
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The normal banking system in India is yet to develop an effentive credit infrastructure for the rural women,sepecially those belonging to socio -economically backward classes. These poor and illiterate women fail to meet the official formalities of the banks or financial institution. Often the banks charge a high amount of security deposit ,margin money and provide the creditors with complex and absurd conditions in repayment of loan. In an attempt to overcome these hurdles women fall easy prey to the midlemen who sucks out the little resources these women have . Lack of skill upgradation teaining and future planning have debarred these women from approachjing the banks. For the banks , on the other hand , lack of proper monitoring on the utilization of the loan amount leads to misuse of money by the male members of the creditor’s family which consequently results in low repayment. Closure of credit schemes for the rural women is no novel thing in Indian banking scenario. |
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To the women, among whom DISHARI works, bank credit is neither available, nor popular for the above reasons.Women are rather afraid of banks and would prefer to go to local Mahajans (money lenders) in crisis, in spite of their high rate of interests. However, in various profit areas women are engaged in different tyoes of paying jobs, such as fishing,day labour ,food and vegetable vending, running of grocery shops or tea stalls, pottery, manual husking, bidi (country cigerette) binding, tailoring and embroidery etc. , the earning from which is often spent in meeting everyday family needs . Those who only do the household chores cannot engage themselves in any productive job as they have no capital to start with. In spite of hard labour , poverty remains a perennial fact in their lives. |
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However, there are some more entreprenureal women who really want to start some business with the informal skills they have , but here also, lack of professional training stands as a hurdle between bank credit and them . Banks or financial institutes normally do not encourage any unskilled trade financing.And if group financing is a bit easier,individual financing is a hard thing for poor rural women. |
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Therefore, these are needs of both training and credit facilities at the reach of these women. DISHARI identified these needs at the very early hour while became involved with these women’s empowerment process. One of the priority items in DISHARI’s women’s group action is the formatkion of self-help groups which will intiate and encourage small savings and micro-credit among them. Side by side, it arranged skill training on trades according to the women’s groups choice . Thus various trainings on Dairy, Piggery, Poultry, Mushroom cultivation, Nursery raising of medicinal plants and herbs, jute handicrafts making etc. were imparted ,to the rural women. |
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| Women Self-Help Group Meetings |
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Category wise members of target groups, benefitted from the MFLD project as on 31st December 2007: |
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Now, DISHARI’s target is to organise these informal groups so far developed by it into a more formal, and effective way. Involving five poor homogeneous women in skill and capability a small Self Help Group (SHG) is formed.Four or five such SHGs will join to envolve into a Centre. SHGs are then given training on different aspects of thrift, savings and micro-credit by defining group dynamics and building rules which provide the groups with a sound basis . The following Twenty Decisions are at the core of all these rules which the group members always strive to promote. |
| The Twenty Decisions of LAMP-DISHARI Women’s Federation |
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MICRO FINANCE & LIVELIHOOD DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME AT A GLANCE (For details click here) |
| Impact of the Micro Finance and Livelihood Development Programme : |
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The project initiative has strengthened the struggles of poor rural and urban women for establishing their rights to education, health care, livelihood development and development of social status and finally the empowerment process of the oppressed and exploited women have been strengthened. The target women have become organized and empowered with income earning capacity. This has ensured their bargaining power to tackle any social injustices towards them. One SHG group in West Chowbaga has destroyed the illegal country liquor-making infrastructure of vested people near Uttar Garumara. Wife beating by the hands of alcoholic husbands has totally stopped at West Chowbaga and partly in Canning and other areas. Some SHG leaders have also involved in the Panchayati Raj system and put their suggestions in the Gram Sabha meetings. In some areas, SHG members feel to contest in the coming panchayat election for ensuring women’s holistic development and empowerment. The money-lenders have become compelled to stop their exploitative business in the target areas. In fact, the SHG women members are too much vocal today in the target areas against such exploitation and convinced other women not to fall under the clutches of money-lenders. |
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Loan Products of LAMP :
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