Before joining SEWA’s Self-Help Group (SHG), Chandrika (42) could barely speak in public. And traveling alone was completely out of question. But now she does both with elan. A member of a saving group called Nari Sewa Sawasai Mahila Sangh in her village Gajanavav not only has she become eloquent but also travels alone to Ahmedabad and Surendranagar every time she has to update the registers on SHGs.

Though each member of her 15-member strong SHG only saves Rs 25 a month, this has not only helped them set up small businesses but also built her reputation in the village and SEWA. “I joined SEWA 12 years back after paying Rs 5. When they (SEWA seniors) saw we save regularly, we got good grading for it and we got a loan of Rs 40,000,” she recalls.

Some time back her village offered to make her Sarpanch unanimously but it did not excite her much. “I am already half Sarpanch. I got dhobi ghat and drinking water pool constructed. SEWA hamare saath hai (SEWA is with us). What else do we need?” she asks. The SHG has helped Chandrika put her daughter in boarding and bought a computer for her son. She herself has learnt computer. “Initially people would laugh on me. But now they respect me. Because I have grown a lot financially and stand on my feet.” In all, Surendranagar has 270 SHGs.