ARULMANI AND SELVARANI

Daring to dream

Six years ago, Arulmani and Selvarani were ordinary housewives from poor families. Today, they are both successful entrepreneurs. From housewives to businesswomen the change has come about in the six years they have been with Hand in Hand’s Thirupura Sundari self-help group. After taking Hand in Hand’s three-module training and enterprise development programme, the two women became eligible for micro-loans, which they used to start up a popcorn production unit at Selvarani’s house. Since, there has been no looking back.

When Arulmani, 36, and Selvarani, 40, joined the self-help group, they had not dreamt that it could make such a difference to their lives. After the training and the initial period of internal lending, they learnt that they could now apply for bank microfinance. Their proposal for an INR 5,000 loan was soon approved, and they set up a popcorn unit at Selvarani’s house. This was quickly successful, and their husbands decided to join them.

Over the years, they have expanded their business using multiple loans, and have always paid back in full. They work hard and keep a tight schedule for each day of the week. Starting with just popcorn, they now produce five to six different varieties of snacks. The two women are proud of what they have achieved, and no wonder, considering they earn a monthly profit of INR 10,000.

The focus of Hand in Hand’s self-help group programme is to alleviate rural poverty by empowering women. Hand in Hand believes that when loans are given to women, the money is used for income-generation and to improve the status of the whole family. When enterprise and financial training is added to microfinance, it becomes a powerful tool.

It has been a long road up for Arulmani and Selvarani. With eight to nine years of schooling, they did not think it was possible to dream big. “Our social standing has changed,” they say. Their husbands work full time and their children are able to go to good schools. The two women now plan to brand their products and make the business even more successful.