Majority of women residing in the villages of Valsad are daily wage earners or domestic workers who spend their entire earnings with no or minimal savings. Atul Foundation has organised these women at the grassroot level into self-help groups (SHGs). Participants of these groups collectively contribute small denominations of money every month and save the entire amount collected in bank accounts to earn interest. A part of the amount can also be borrowed by the participants in times of need, at nominal interest rates mutually decided by the group. SHGs play an important role in women empowerment since they enable women from economically disadvantaged backgrounds to establish social capital and find a voice beyond their domestic spaces.

2023-24 highlights

• 66 new self-help groups were formed with 798 women this year
• saved ₹ 50 lakhs collectively and facilitated ₹ 40 lakhs of internal lending among 98 groups
• conducted 12 micro-entrepreneurship trainings for 209 women
• linked 1,796 women with seven government schemes
• received ₹ 14 lakhs of revolving fund for 47 groups

Savings for independency

‘I did not get scared for my finances when my son was admitted to a hospital due to an emergency. Instead, I approached my group and withdrew a loan from our savings without any tedious paperwork. With my savings, I could help provide a timely treatment for my son,’ shares Pratibha Vishwakarma, a member of the Amli faliya self-help group.