Promoting savings in villages through the Self-Help Group (SHG) When poverty reduces the rural woman to a daily wage earner, spending
everything she earns becomes a habit. Even with a meagre surplus earning,
unnecessary spending is the norm. Lack of knowledge about saving methods
and its accrued benefits coupled with the prevailing consumerist appeal
encourages such unnecessary spending. At times of emergency it leaves
her helpless and weak.
SHG meeting
Seva Pratishtan is making rural women vigilant of
indiscriminate spending and make her realise the importance of savings.
The meagre amount of Rs. 25/- saved out of their little income helps
a lot in case of emergency.
'Sarada Dhanavarshini Scheme' instils administrative capacity
among the rural women. It introduces them to the linkages between banks
and the public. Vocational Training and Entrepreneur Development Programmes
are also conducted for the benefit of rural women.
In the Year 2001 - 2002, the SHG scheme had
become operational in 98 centres involving 1771 beneficiaries. - Many women received loans to raise their standard
of living through income generating activities.
- A member of SHG got loan from the group for Rs. 5000/- for purchasing
Indian Administrative Services (IAS) book materials for her son.
Vocational Training for women Vocational training gives rural women the chance to improve their
family economic condition. Women rendered helpless due to husbands addicted
to alcohol, are empowered through such training to sustain their family.
Free Tailoring Institute
The vocational training programme run by the
Seva Pratishtan has a free tailoring institute providing
tailoring and embroidery courses. Operating from 2 centres, the
tailoring institute last year had 83 trainees.
Other such vocational and capacity building
programmes are also conducted Last year, a total of programmes
385 women were trained through these programmes.
