As part of Microfinancing Project, SIF aims to improve income of farmer women who are in distress because of family situation and lack of financial support. The implementation of project started in March 2020 with partner organization Manaswini/ Manavlok. Here are some stories from our beneficiaries on how we changed their lives.
Girija Babu
Jyoti alias Girija Babu Fad livesin a village called `Murti ` (Tq: Ambajogai, Maharashtra) with her father. Her marriage was short lived and she was abandoned by her husband after few months of tying a knot. She reached out to us through Manaswini and needed help to buy goats.
SIF provided her a loan of 34,500 Rs and with this amount she bought 3 goats. She rears and then sells the goats at Rs. 7000 each which helped her pay back SIF´s micro-loan amount in full. She is able to live independently, is now a member of self-help group and is raising 6 female goats and 5 baby goats.
Shamal Shashikant Mane
Shamal Shashikant Mane,is a widow, living in a village called Murambi (Tq: Ambajogai, Maharashtra) with her teenage son. She got into contact with Manaswini volunteers during their field work. Being a widow, she faced difficulties due to the social taboos in the village . In addition to that, pandemic situation made it more difficult for her to earn livelihood.
Shamal Tai had expressed her interest in buffalo rearing, selling the milk and further milk products. Her own savings of Rs. 20000 combined with SIF loan of Rs. 26,000, she bought a buffalo. The buffalo yields her about 6ltrs of milk every day which she uses to make Khoya. She is able to earn a regular income by converting 6 ltrs of milk to 3 kg of Khoya and selling this khoya at the rate Rs. 250/kg.
Gradually, she was able to save some money out of it. The milk yield from the buffalo increased after calving and hence khoya business picked up. The income helped her cover the educational expenses of her son. Unfortunately the buffalo died due to snake bite in a field. She faced this crisis with a courage. Now the calf of 1st buffalo had grown up fully, pregnant and yielding milk. The losses started to recover. When this buffalo gives a birth to calf, Shamal tai can earn more income. She has also paid back the amount borrowed from SIF in full and now plans to buy another buffalo with her savings.
Vidya Pannalal Lakhera
Vidya Pannalal Lakhera , a survivor of domestic violence lives with her parents in Ambajogai for past 7 years. She got married (in 1997) when she was just 17 years old. She had an abusive, violent husband and was being mentally harassed. She left her in laws house and returned to stay with her parents who are very poor daily wage workers. Socio-economic conditions did not allow them to file a legal case against her husband. She was assisting her mother as a daily wage worker when she was spotted and interviewed by Manaswini volunteers.
Upon receipt of her application through Manaswini to start a small enterprise, SIF decided to support her financially with Rs. 30,000. With this help she purchased bangles and few sarees to sell. In the beginning, she was not familiar with the business tactics and had to depend on others for purchasing of material. She would feel nervous whether she could manage the enterprise successfully. But eventually, she got acquainted with it. Her business skills grew over a period of time.
Since the first investment in the imitation jewellery and other articles, she has managed seven cycles of investment and selling it with making a profit. She pays instalments on a regular basis and wants to grow her business from selling from home to setting up a store.
