Micro financing a boon for women weavers in Orissa

Nayagarh (Orissa), Sep 23(ANI): Micro financing by a voluntary organisation, 'Adhikar', is helping women weavers in Golabai village in Orissa's Nayagarh district to become self-reliant and weave their own destiny away from the clutches of moneylenders.

Earlier, these women weavers had to take loans from the moneylenders to buy raw material, and they also used to work on a daily wage basis.

The village, which comprises of 70 families, has been benefited by 'Adhikar', which started a micro-financing scheme in which an initial loan of Rs. 10, 000 is given to a group of women to buy raw material and establish looms.

"I was working as a weaver since I was 12 years old. Earlier, we used to work for the Sahukar (moneylender) and we used to get daily wages. But, thanks to Adhikar's micro financing programme, it has made us self reliant, we are now the owners of our own product," said a weaver.

Following the finance scheme, the earnings of these women have also increased from a meagre Rs. 80 to Rs 1000 to 1200 per day, making it easy to have a better standard of living and also to repay their loans.

The scheme falls under the poverty elimination programme of the organisation and the results, as seen in Golabai village, have been encouraging.

"The motto of this micro finance scheme is poverty elimination. So, as per that we build an association in the village and then give loans to the weavers and they weave saris, " said Aniudh Bera, an official with 'Adhikar'. (ANI)