Learning and livelihood
Enterprise and self-help groups
Self-help groups fail far more often at selling than at making. The training ends, the loan is disbursed, and nobody helps with the part that decides whether the enterprise survives.
We stay for the selling. Groups get costing and pricing help, packaging that a shop will stock, GST and book-keeping support, and introductions to buyers who place repeat orders.
We do not lend money at interest and we take no commission on what groups sell. The relationship ends when a group no longer needs us, which is the point.
How the programme works
- Costing, pricing and book-keeping taught before production scales
- Packaging and labelling that meets retail and food-safety norms
- Direct buyer introductions and exhibition space
- No interest charged, no commission taken on sales
What your donation buys
- ₹10,000Book-keeping and costing training for one group
- ₹35,000Packaging and branding for one producer collective
- ₹1,50,000Shared equipment for a village production unit
Questions about this programme
Do you give loans to self-help groups?
We do not lend at interest. We provide grants for equipment and working capital where a group has a viable plan, and we help groups access bank credit and government schemes on better terms.
Can a group of men apply?
Yes, though most of our groups are women's collectives. The criterion is that the group is genuinely collective and the income reaches the members, not a single owner.