Jaisalmer Program Celebrates Reboot 

In early January, Sambhali Trust celebrated the reopening of two of its four locations in Jaisalmer following the FCRA recertification, bringing the program back to its full strength of four Empowerment Centers and four Primary Education Centers. The video below shows the day’s festivities.  

The video begins with Sambhali Trust founder Govind Rathore walking with women and children who attend programs at Jaisalmer. It is then followed by women from the rural village of Setrawa, who have been involved with Sambhali Trust for over a decade, giving testimony about Sambhali Trust’s Self-Help (microfinance) project and how it has enabled them to start their own businesses and find financial stability.  

The women of Setrawa explain to the women of Jaisalmer how to begin their own Self-Help group. They pay a small monthly amount into the group – 50 to 100 rupees (approximately 60¢ to $1.21). When a member of the group has a need or a business idea, she submits it to the group, and the group decides who receives the loans. The borrower pays the loan back with one percent interest. 

“This process of extending small loans to individual borrowers who have traditionally lacked access to credit has become one of the most popular anti-poverty strategies throughout the world and has proved effective in empowering communities,” states the Sambhali Trust website, which points out that 85 percent of the program’s participants are Dalit women, the most discriminated caste within India. 

Later, the women engaged in typical picnic activities—three-legged races, tasty food, and singing. Reminding them, and us, that all people are entitled to opportunity, dignity, and a chance to have fun.