Kalanjiam Community Banking Programme

The Kalanjiam Community Banking Programme focuses on women and believes that localised financial institutions owned and controlled by women are an effective strategy to impact on poverty and gender issues.The primary unit of community financial institutions is the Self-Help Group of 15 to 20 poor women and is called the Kalanjiam. They act as a single window at their doorsteps for the savings and credit transactions. The cluster and federation at panchayat and block levels are the nested institutions at next higher levels. They help the Kalanjiams address other social and development needs of the members such as drinking water, health, education, sanitation, access to basic infrastructure, alcoholism gender issues etc. there by enhancing the sustainability of these institutions.

They help create linkages with banks and apex financial institutions to meet the multiple credit needs of members, collaborate with other development agencies such as government to demand and access their entitlements, implement civic programmes such as in health and education for their members, provide insurance services etc. The programme has taken the shape of a movement called the ‘Kalanjia Iyyakam’ working towards bringing more women into the fold of the Kalanjiams. The Kalanjia Movement is implementing a number of innovative programmes for reaching out to more women. The Kalanjiam Foundation has been promoted for upscaling the Kalanjiam nested institutions model.