Interaction with some Self Help Groups (SHGs).....a field visit.

Recently in October, 2012, I along with my team was on an official visit to Tehri in Uttarankhand. Our lodging was done in Sri Bhuvneshwari Mahila Ashram (SBMA), an NGO with its head office in Tehri. You can visit it HERE This NGO was set up by Swami Manmathan, who came from Kerala and settled there. SBMA mainly works in the field of women empowerment and child education. Simultaneously, it also do work in areas like bio-farming, poultry, seed farming etc. throughout Uttrakhand. It is also helping many SHGs in that area.

I also visited many villages, during which I had healthy interaction with 4-5 SHGs. During such a visit to one village, we were welcomed by the members of these SHGs.  The group included the leaders, treasurers and other members of the groups. They put a tilak on our forehead and sang the song ' itni shakti hume dena data...'. During our discussion with them, they told us that most of them were formed few years back around 2008-09. Each SHG was composed of 10-12 lady members of same villages. To begin with they had deposited around 5,000-10,000 rupee each and now the bank balance of their SHGs is ranging in few lakhs. They have also opened bank account in nearby State Bank of India. This shows that the savings of these SHGs were quite impressive and they were profitable in their functioning. The treasurer informed us about the exact details of investments, terms and conditions, savings and profits etc.

With increasing savings, they are becoming more self-reliant, as they are doing many works like making biscuits, pickles, sauces, selling of eggs etc. When I asked them whether they have to seek the permission of their husbands before doing any financial transaction, one lady from Gajraj SHG quickly replied, "who cares about them now...." and everyone burst out into laughter. The SHGs lend money to members at time of requirement at nominal interests. This helps in financially empowering them and this money can be used not only for fulfilling personal requirements but also expanding their business as a group. Hence such mechanism is helpful to both individuals and whole group. They also got certain incentives from the government like a fixed number of hens or chickens, so that they can rear them and generate some revenue.

It was really good to see the success stories of these SHGs. The overall socio-economic conditions also changes in the long term as the women are able to do business during lean cropping seasons, they are sending their children, including girls, to the schools, they know the importance of family planning etc. They are self dependent and highly empowered now. This is in stark difference to what the situation was about 5 years back.