Micro-finance

The SMVS Micro-credit Programme is designed to be a platform on which  a variety of sustainable development initiatives can be founded. It is designed to provide assistance to the rural poor in forming, monitoring   and developing alternative systems of savings and credit delivery (Self Help Group) aimed at empowering and access to credit rooted in values of  justice, equity and mutual support that can ensure their Sustainable Livelihood and Health Care Financing.

The interaction with the rural poor made it clear that they always require access to a line of credit, which will address the consumption needs. Many a time due to lack of this facility the finances provided for the economic activity are diverted and the business is disturbed or dies eventually.

The cash flow of these rural poor are not uniform and goes through severe ups and downs because of flush and flood season of employment and income generation. The local indigenous money lending systems are though responsive to the needs of poor populace but provide credit at very high interest rates. Thus taking away all the incomes accrue by the poor. In order to address this issue and substitute the local moneylenders the need for a local financial system was felt.

Despite the presence of five nationalized banks in the working area of SMVS, access to formal credit for marginal farmers, daily wage-earners and poor women are a distant reality. Hence it was strongly felt that an alternative system of savings and credit delivery by forming Self Help Groups needs to be created in order to give a continuous access to credit.

SMVS has begun her micro-credit activities with the introduction of Health Financing Model to save the poor from Poverty and  Village Money Lenders. After a series of discussion with the Community, the women have arrived to a decision to form groups in which they will start their independent small-scale savings and eventually start credit. This will ultimately bring about the much-needed economic freedom for the impoverished and marginalized women of the targeted area.

Status of Self-help Groups

Small Entrepreneurship Development

SMVS started nurturing SHG members for their own effort  enterprise establishment through Bank on Lending ( Bulk Loan). Likewise this year total 241 SHG members have taken bulk loan and successfully running their settled or mobile enterprises. For example- fruit vending, vegetable vending, grocery shop etc.

Status of Bulk Loan from April 2001 to March 2002:

Status of Bulk Loan from April 2002 to March 2003:

Status of Bulk Loan from April 2003 to March 2004:

Status of Bulk Loan from April 2004 to March 2005:

Status of Bulk Loan from April 2005 to March 2006:

SHG Federation

For Sustaining the SHG programme and bringing all the SHGs under one umbrella, very recently SMVS has taken a nobel effort of forming Federation Council. It consists of a three tier structure ie. Village level Cluster, Zonal Cluster and Federation Council. The Project area have   been divided into 4 Zones. In each zone, Group Members of 10 to 18 nearby SHGs at their village level, first elected their leader and assistant leader and then selected and named their Village cluster.   Then in each Zone, the Leaders & Assistant Leaders of Village Clusters elected one Leader & one Assistant leader for each Zonal  Cluster.  And finally the Leaders and Assistant Leaders of 4 Zonal Cluster have chosen their representative ( one from each zone)  for Federation Council. Total 31 village level clusters have been formed and the federation Council is headed by 4 Representatives  (one from each Zone). SMVS has already framed the Strategic Planning for Strengthening the Federation.  In consultation with the Federation Council members, the memorandum of Community Health Federation had been finalized.  As per the Strategic Planning for Strengthening Federation, at present SMVS started  nurturing the Village Cluster Leaders & Assistant Leaders through meetings and  trainings.

Micro-Finance Institution

For Strengthening SMVS Poverty Alleviation and Livelihood Programme, SMVS is going to develop a Micro-Finance Institution with the help of NABARD, Indian Overseas Bank and Allahabad Bank.

Fostering Rural Enterprises

The Mayapur region has fallen into obscurity owing to a grinding cycle of endemic poverty, unchecked population growth, and overall paucity of development initiatives. Consequently, the human development indicators for the region reveal a stark picture. SMVS is taking a lead role in fostering rural micro enterprises and in building capacities, like reinforcing traditional crafts, training in newer crafts, building entrepreneurships, exposure to markets, and access to markets with its focal point on women’s entrepreneurship development.

Mayapur Textile:

Bipranagar, Swarupganj Gram Panchayat in Nadia District was selected as a cluster to develop Loom Weaver’s Group. The objective of this programme is to uplift the existing weavers by providing them advanced training in handloom weaving, and after completion of the same, the weavers would be given Bank loans to carry out their own home based production.

The Cluster Development programme was launched on March, 2000 at Bipranagar.

A shed has been constructed with 10 looms built in to provide training to the trainees. A trainer has been deputed from Fulia, who has been accommodated by SMVS on full time basis. His responsibility is to oversee the training programme and to help the trained weavers to set up their own looms. He is also responsible to oversee their production and buy the products  which are weaved by the ladies. Initially SMVS provided Two advanced training to 10 men weavers for engaging them as trainer of  group of trainees. Till now they trained 59 women weavers among them 8  have settled their own new looms with bank credit and 38 have upgraded their existing looms with the  help of SHG internal lending and SMVS provided bulk loan, and manufacturing & marketing their products successfully.