I : Fancy Store Revathi, Authur

Revathi, a resident of Athur village in Sholavaram block is a member of SHG named ‘Dakshinamurthy’ in her village since 2010. With her husband running a barber shop, earning a modest income of 8000/- per month, Revathi realized the need to augment the family's finances. In 2018, she took a bold step by setting up a fancy store, investing Rs.50,000/- of her savings. Initially promising, the venture faced stagnation, prompting Revathi to look for more resources for expanding the Business.

With coordinated efforts, her SHG secured a loan amounting to Rs. 17 lakh from the local bank. Revathi received her portion of 1 lakh to expand her shop. She securedan additional loan of Rs. 1 lakh from TNRTP(Tamil Nadu Rural Transformation Project) with a subsidy of Rs. 20,000.Armed with newfound resources. Revathi expanded her shop, diversifying the business. The impact was transformative: her monthly earnings soared from a meagre Rs.6000/- to Rs.15,000/-.

She now manages her children's school fees and covers her shop's rent without relying on her husband's income. Beyond personal triumphs, Revathi's enterprise has reshaped the dynamics of her village. Her establishment's expanded inventory and accessibility have garnered praise from villagers, who no longer need to travel to distant markets for essentials .Revathi has not only achieved financial autonomy but has also become a beacon of inspiration for her community, symbolizing the transformative potential of collective empowerment initiative.

The federation PPI has given a loan of Rs. 50,000 which the members have used for various purposes. Vijaya started building her own house availing the loan from the group. Unfortunately, her husband passed away due to health complication after she started construction. To complete plastering, painting, etc., she availed a loan of Rs. 50,000 from ARH (Action Rural Housing) promoted by CRUSADE and completed the construction and finishing works. She paid back the entire loan amount of ARH.

III : Indira, Kulathumedu village, Minjur

Indira (34) is a member of Deepam (Flame) SHG started in the village in 2015 with 16 members. The monthly savings was Rs.200/each when the group started which increased to Rs.500/month now. The group has an accumulated savings and the Common fund (generated mostly from the interest charged from internal lending of pooled savings)of Rs.1,62,000.

Indira is managing a tailoring shop for the past 4 years. She has invested Rs.80,000 taking a loan of Rs.50,000 from PLF (Panchayat Level Federation) and Rs. 30,000 from the group. She used the money for purchase of sewing machines, table for cuttingcloths,other equipment and for rent advance for the shop.

Indira has employed a male to assist in the shop. Both of them run the shop on an average 4 days a week and earn monthly net income of Rs. 12,000/ each after paying for rent and for electricity.

Her husband is a truck driver and they have 2 daughters (11 & 8 years) Photo showing Indira and her assistant in the unit.

Bhuvana, a resilient widow without access to education from Indujanagar, found hope in her entrepreneurial spirit. With the ambition to secure a livelihood for herself and her 26-year-old son, she embarked on a journey to create and sell plates made of arecanut palm. However, financial difficulties posed a significant obstacle to realizing her dreams.

Bhuvana had previously invested in a second-hand machine to make the plates. However, lacking funds prevented her from procuring the necessary raw materials. She found support through CRUSADE’s self-help group. With the help of this group, Bhuvana successfully obtained a loan of Rs. 28,500 from ICICI Bank. This financial assistance proved to be the turning point for her.

With the loan, Bhuvana could finally purchase the essential raw materials needed to craft her arecanut palm plates. She dedicated her time and effort to perfecting her craft, ensuring that each plate was exceptional.

Bhuvana is thankful to CRUSADE for the timely help procuring the raw materials.

"Even the windows are new," she adds with a sense of accomplishment. She takes great pride in her family's progress in their love bird business.

Until recently, Pavithra carefully considered every expenditure, meticulously calculating and recalculating. Her husband worked as a driver, with an income that needed to be more stable.

Pavithra is a member of self-help groups facilitated by CRUSADE, where she initially obtained a loan of Rs.10,000. She repaid this loan and utilized it to expand their stagnant love bird business, which their financial difficulties had hindered. When the business began generating substantial income, she took another loan of Rs.10,000 and also obtained a total of Rs.90,000 through ICICI Bank.

With the investment, the variety of love birds expanded, and Pavithra's husband and daughter also developed a keen interest in love birds. Her daughter dedicated her free time to nurturing and caring for them, ensuring their well-being.

The family's diligent efforts soon bore fruit as the love birds began breeding successfully, rapidly multiplying their numbers. With an expanding collection of love birds, the family started venturing to Chennai every Sunday to sell their feathered companions. They set up a small stall in the local market, showcasing their beautiful creatures to potential buyers. Word quickly spread about the family's love birds, and they soon developed a devoted customer base.

As the months passed, the love bird business thrived, enabling the family to refurbish their house with new tiles and windows: Pavithra thanks CRUSADE and the self-help group for their unwavering support.