The Micro Finance Ladies

I was lucky to be in the office today when a meeting was held for a group of women who are participating in the micro financing program. This group of women have already taken out two loans and paid them back in full and are now in tea process of taking out their 3^rd loan. So the meeting was to go over their small business plans for expanding their business as well as go 0ver all the rules and regulations and make clear the new loan recovery date and place. It was also just a good time for EDLT to congratulate the women on their success so far and for the women to get together for a good chat and to cheer each other on. The women are from Bodhgaya and surrounding villages. The group of women I talk with told me they were very happy with the program and that were glad that they could now earn their own and not be so dependent on male family members. They were defiantly groups of stoic women and very, very proud of their accomplishments who had defiantly created a strong bond with each other. I would have liked to have met these women before they started the program to see if and by how much their self confidence had grown. The business the ladies owned are chai stalls and small lunch stalls selling veg. curry, rice and chapatti; small shops selling flour, sugar, tea and rice; selling the vegetables they have grown and selling very fashionable ladies accessories such as brightly colored, gold and diamante studded plastic bangles, rings and hair clips. It was a real pleasure to met the women especially because they were so confident, happy and positive about their future business venture