Strengthening Self Help Groups through interaction and trainings @Umariya

Self Help Groups are our primary unit of social mobilization at the grassroots. Over the long term, we expect these SHGs to provide an enabling and supportive environment in which women from marginalised communities are able to dream, plan and their situation. In our understanding, these long term gains are only possible when women meet regularly over the long term, and have some experience making small practicable improvement in their lives around the economic and social realm.

We therefore invest significant time and energy to develop robust, high performing groups. This process starts with joint development, acceptance and internalization of SHG rules and norms. An early focuses also on savings and credit, which is an everyday need for most poor families. A Self Help Group is an informal association of women, built around microfinance, and acts as support group to enhance the, being, sense for the members. The SHG carries out microfinance through savings and credits supplemented by bank loans, which help reduce financial vulnerability and also provide funds for enhancing livelihoods. The group facilitates the members to develop a vision, explore and analyse their realities and extend mutual help in issues concerning their lives and livelihoods.

Training on Documentation was organised for SHGs at Barhai village in Mudaria cluster. Mr. Anoop Singh from PRADAN Mandla was the Resource Person of this Documentation Training program. The concept of SHG was shared with the community and finally they make SHG and Jeevika team is leading the roll of capacitating them.

By JEEVIKA JDSSS-Jabalpur team ( Based at Umariya)