Organizing the Left out

Lathahas been dropped from her school when she attained puberty. She got married to her maternal uncle when she was 13 years old. He is 15 years older than her. Her husband is an alcohol addict and a gambler. She has a daughter when she was at 15 and a son when she was 20 years old. So she started working in a pappad company as a laborer. Her husband died when she was 25 years of age.

She works hard to ensure a better education for her children. However, her daughter got herself married at a younger age and got deserted in five years with a kid. With nowhere to go, she got back to her mother. She is a widow and having a destitute daughter take care of her family and made her son to do an under graduation degree, against many financial odds.

It is when her life is getting toiled hard; Kalanjiam associate of Sammattipuram approached her to become a member of an SHG. Though she is aware of microfinance groups and SHGs, no one has ever approached her to be a member of an SHG. She is also very much entangled in her day to day issues, to look at other preferences.

The location team made unrelenting efforts and she also started realizing to have such an institutional support and access to formal credits. Now she is a member of Jayam Kalanjiam.She first wishes to overcome her Rs.60,000/- usurious loan (at 10% interest per month that is 120% in a year) with the support of Kalanjiam gradually. Then desire to have her own pappad making unit.