TRIBAL CREDIT COOPERATIVE
In 2017, Asia Initiatives worked in conjunction with Shramjivi Janata Sahayyak Mandal to assist 540 members of rural poor communities in 10 hamlets of Maharastra, India. Our joint effort is promoting childcare and education as well as supporting the livelihoods of Katkari women and youth.
The Katkari people are a scattered Indian tribe that collectively comprises 123 hamlets of Poladpur in Maharashtra, India. Traditionally, the Katkari people use the forest as a source of food and livelihood. In the past, community members struggled to survive within their communities due to the lack of infrastructure, connectivity and opportunities.
Community members here earn SoCCs for activities such as increased school attendance, immunization of children, and maintaining neighborhood cleanliness. SoCCs are redeemed for fishing net thread (1.5kg of thread per woman) and poultry (10 chicks per woman), which raise nutritional and financial status. Within their respective communities, the use of SoCCs has been influential in facilitating community-building activities while providing provisions that support livelihood, skill empowerment and healthcare.
Since the launch of the project in April 2017, 85% women/men SHG members attended SHG training and meetings. 65% of women checked hygiene of school going children. Almost 90% of parents attended parent teachers meetings, 30% hamlets showed improved environmental hygiene. Women, especially leaders began participating in social activities – helping sick to reach hospital and support the needy.
INITIATIVES
Community
Micro Credit
LOCATION: Maharashtra, India
LOCAL PARTNERS: Shramjivi
PROJECT FEATURES:
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Participants organized in to tribal micro-credit union, first of it's kind with majority female leadership
This is a multiyear project, to learn more select year program:
This project contributes to 7 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
YEAR 1
PROJECT FEATURES, YEAR 1:
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The project covers 10 tribal hamlets located around 10 villages and 9 Gram Panchayats.
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85% of women and men from our project areas showed up to our SHG training
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65% of women checked the hygiene of school going children
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Almost 90% parents attended parents teachers meetings
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30% of hamlets showed improved environmental hygiene
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16 men specifically youth from TOL Adivasi hamlet took to wearing of holy tulsi beads around neck to prevent alcoholism
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28 families in the Ambivali Village secured housing schemes sanction under Shabari Awas Yojana, 6 houses are under completion.
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85% of beneficiaries responding positively to trainings, awareness drives, and camps.
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356 Chicks for poultry were given to female members
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184 fishing nets for male members
In 2017, AI started a new project with Shramjivi Janata Sahayak Mandal to promote childcare and education for 540 members of low-income rural communities in ten hamlets of Maharashtra, India. This year, the SoCCs program in tribal villages has increased government agencies' responsiveness to local needs. The village of Tol sanctioned a drinking water pipeline and a concrete approach-road after repeated petitions by our members. These members earned SoCCs for their petitions and ultimately changed the lives of villagers who previously had to commute along a dirt road linking Tol to a local town. In the village of Nandgaon, 18 families received small kitchen-gardens and housing plots from government schemes and 38 families received housing. Program participants in Dasgaon attended their first gram panchayat (local village governance) meeting for which they earned SoCCs and presented a written formal demand, requesting mats for children to be used in the village hall. 114 more families successfully petitioned the government for basic rights and our local partner ran an awareness campaign to reduce the incidence of child marriage.
YEAR 2
AI has worked to empower tribal women through micro-poultry farming, making fishing nets, and health initiatives. Through our SoCCs program, the project ensured income opportunities and better health for people. Our project includes 1,060 members from 45 tribal self-help groups in 12 village hamlets. After the community gained sufficient confidence, it prepared to form a cooperative registered with the government. This required the community to also pool in funds. AI provided the funding to help form the first cooperative created by the tribals in this area.
PROJECT FEATURES, YEAR 2:
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1193 participants were included in this phase
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179 members from 84 SHGs –divided in two training sessions
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101 Children in the Gondhale region are going to school, and 25 students received yearly scholarships
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80 members attended 7 of our SHG meetings
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Every 6 months, Asha and government workers conducted health camps
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4 families received goats
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In the Kolose region 39 children are going to school and 9 students received yearly scholarships
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72 members of the Kolose community attended 5 SHG meetings
YEAR 3
AI has launched a program to support 1000+ Tribal members in Maharashtra through low interest loans. Community members successfully raised enough capital , micro poultry farms and fishing nets and started the first ever tribal microcredit society in Maharashtra, named Savitri, after a river nearby. SoCCs are earned through regular school attendance, attending microcredit meetings, and making contributions towards shared capital. SoCCs are redeemed for low interest loans which can be used for income generating assets, education, healthcare and smokeless stoves that decrease a woman’s risk of respiratory disease, which is common in the area.
PROJECT FEATURES, YEAR 3:
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1196 members participated in our Tribal SHGs, 70% were women
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Operated in 13 hamlets.
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1392 SoCCs earned for Children’s hygiene
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2401 SoCCs earned for Education
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669 SoCCs earned for Women and Girls Health and hygiene camps.
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3382 SoCCs earned for financial training and knowledge enhancement lessons.
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100% attendance by 11 women and 7 men of executive team in the third phase
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747 women and children attended the organized health camps and free distribution of 99 smokeless ‘chulas’ and string for making fishing nets
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