1. Self Help Groups Women Empowerment

2. What is a Self Help Group? A self-help group (SHG) is a village-based financial intermediary usually composed of 1520 local women. Most self-help groups are located in India, though SHGs can also be found in other countries, especially in South Asia and Southeast Asia. Members make small regular savings contributions over a few months until there is enough capital in the group to begin lending. Funds may then be lent back to the members or to others in the village for any purpose. In India, many SHGs are 'linked' to banks for the delivery of microcredit. 3. Why SHGs ? To Organize Women Enhance Participation Level To inculcate saving habits Based on Principles of Coop. Suitable Platform for women Enhance capacities of Women Successful base 4. Objectives of SHGs To create an appropriate & sensitive forum for addressing the need of people To inculcate saving habits in the community To generate the sense of collective action To improve socio-economic status To access the outside resources 5. Some More Definitions Microcredit :- Microcredit is the extension of very small loans (microloans) to impoverished borrowers who typically lack collateral, steady employment and a verifiable credit history. Microfinance :- Microfinance is a form of financial services for entrepreneurs and small businesses lacking access to banking and related services. 6. Stages of SHGs Thrift & CreditSocial OrientedMicro-enterprises 7. Benefits of Self Help Programmes Two types of claims are made about the benefits of self help programmes : First, it is suggested that self-help empowers its participants more so than other externally directed or implemented programmes. The second less vocal claim is the compatibility of self-help with cost-reduction strategies: both in terms of material costs and costs to the prevailing social and economic structure. 8. Case Study-Gujarat The SHG-driven micro-finance movement has flourished in Gujarat also. Besides the Government and other Public sector organizations like NABARD, a large number of NGOs, including few nationally recognized ones like Self Employed Womens Association (SEWA) Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP) and many other NGOs have formed womens SHGs with the support from various government programmes. 9. Self Employed Womens Association The Self-Employed Women's Association of India (SEWA) is a trade union for poor, self-employed women workers in India. It was founded in 1972 by the noted Gandhian and civil rights leader Dr Ela Bhatt. It's main office is located in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, and it works in several states of India. SEWA members are women who earn a living through their own labour or small business. They do not obtain regular salaried employment with welfare benefits like workers in the organized sector. They are the unprotected labour force of India and are workers of the unorganized sector. 10. Aga Khan Rural Support Programme The Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP) was founded in the early 1980s in what is now GilgitBaltistan, Pakistan. Created by the Aga Khan Foundation, it worked on agricultural productivity, natural resource management, small-scale infrastructure and forestation. Its purpose was to improve agricultural productivity and raise incomes in a very poor, remote and mountainous part of Pakistan. The first GM of AKRSP was Shoaib Sultan Khan who later on founded several Rural Support Programmes in different geographical locations of Pakistan and similar initiatives in several South Asian Countries such as India, Bangladesh, and others. 11. Advantages of SHGs Initiative Responsibility Ownership Capacity Building Self confidence $ self esteem Mutual help Access to larger pool of resources Channel of functioning