Livelihood for 500 Tribal Women in Gujarat

A lot of progress was made with the Tilakwada savings account. Over the past three years, money was invested so that women BPL (Below Poverty Line) could buy back their land around time of Akatri, of harvest (Feb/March). In the first year, 53 people were given 1 acre of land with an 80% return rate of the money. In the second year, 19 people received land, this time with full return rate. In the third year interest was charged, and one individual was able to pay back the money borrowed plus interest. From these results, the women of SS decided to begin an initiative of lending money with interest to the women members of Mangal, from the 24 villages involved in SS. The women from SS will lend money to various women in the villages who are involved in the Mangal. If one women needs money, her friends must first vouch for her and share in the responsibility of paying back the money received, plus 10% interest. This agreement between women will be recorded and so this way the SS has confidence in both full return of funds and profit. Already in three years, their funds have doubled from 1 lakh 50 thousand to 3 lakh. The women of SS expect their profit to significantly increase from this project. In this way, the women of these communities are able to handle the money themselves, preventing the men from misusing it for things like alcohol. This is effectively altering the power dynamics, empowering the women to take a stronger stance. The money saved by women is more effectively used, putting it into investments such as children’s education, purchasing and effectively growing crops.