Livelihood for 500 Tribal Women in Gujarat

Since our last update the group has grown in membership from 500 to 630 and its still growing! With an increase in membership and the generous donations made by the Global Giving community (roughly 30,000 rupees) and the amount added by the women of Sakhi Sangathan (32,000 rupees) and a few other donations from other sources (totaling $25,000 rupees) they have been able to give out more loans to women in their communities as well as purchase more cotton. This has helped Sahki Sangathan to avoid a loss in profit even during the tough economic conditions (it is important to note that we broke even so there was NO profit).

The women of Sakhi Sangathan have now taken over the responsibility of handling the finances and accounting and continue to build on their business management skills. Through their sharper understanding of business they have been able to eliminate most of middle men thus increasing the potential for profit. The women have also taken a stronger leadership role in dictating the direction of Sakhi Sangathan; so this year the women have decided to purchase manure and sell it to the community since the government supply always comes too late to use. We can see the confidence of the women growing with the success and growth of Sakhi Sangathan. With this increase in confidence we hope that the women can have a stronger voice in the decision making process of family finances and household decisions. We look forward to their continued success in the years and months ahead. We would also like to extend our gratitude to those that donated through Global Giving; their continued support greatly impacts the future success of the Sakhi Sangathan.