Case Study Jamuna Devi

Case-client-    Jamuna Devi, a widow woman, 50 years old, Dalit community,

Name of self help group- Vikas SHG, 

Resident- village Gadsara, Cholapur block, Varanasi

Family dependant on her- 2 Sons and 3 daughters and their family

50 years old Jamuna Devi w/o Late Kallu Ram is the resident of village Gadsara, Cholapur block, Varanasi district. Before joining the self help group, the economical condition of her family was very weak and it was not in a great deal to provide the proper survival to all her family member. She had to take loan from the capitalist (Mahajan) to fulfil the basic requirements of her two son and three daughter and had to bear the abuses and irrespective manners of him due to not paying the debt on the time. Meanwhile, she became the member of Vikas Self Help Group in 2005 and used to save Rs.25/month during the monthly saving activity which has been increased up to Rs.50/month. Taking initiative for income generating, she took loan of worth Rs.500/- and started to self vegetables as a vegetable’s vendor. For it, she was inspired by her group members. In this way she brought up her children, providing them facility of education. Gradually, the time passed out and her elder son became 25 years old. Getting inspiration with her mother’s struggle and success through SHG, she joined another self help group named Sant Ravidas and took a loan of worth Rs.10, 000/- for paying the debt of capitalist which was on the interest of 10% per month.   She says, “After the death of my husband, I was very hopeless that how I will drive my younger children alone in the life. But the self help group has been boon for me and my children. I did not get only economical but also moral and social support through my self help group.” Along with her income generating activity, she used to come at women education centre, run by HWA for getting educational benefits. She and other women like her is building up their capacity involving themselves in educational environment. One of her son studied up to graduation. Due to her activeness, she got a house worth Rs.25, 000/- through Indira Awas Scheme under the government planning and under family benefit plan of the state government. She got total Rs.66, 000/- as a government program convergence.