My name is Padminibai Dhondiba Waghmare
and I am 35 years old. I stay at village
Nagzari. My husband deserted me when my
children were small. He fought with me
saying that I cannot manage anything and
hence he wanted a second wife. I have
two sons and a daughter. The eldest son
is 15 years old. The daughter was
married when she was 18 years old. I am
living with my parents and somehow
manage to survive by working as a
labourer.
When there was meeting in the village
regarding formation of a Savings Group,
I liked the way Madam talked. She told
us about the advantages of forming a
Savings Group. But I had a doubt. The
Group in being established in my
village, the person collecting the money
is also from the village. Supposing he
does not tell us anything the what will
happen? I expressed my doubts to Madam.
She said that the money would not be
collected by anyone. It should directly
deposit the money in the bank in the
name of the Svings Group by your group.
So there is no question of anyone
collecting any money from you. We liked
this idea. So we women came together and
formed the Pratiksha Savings Group. It
was now three years since then. I
attended the monthly meetings and the
seminars and training ,workshops. There
I got all the information and felt
better. I started going out of the house
for work. Formerly I worked as a farm
labour and the thought never occurred to
me to ever go beyond my home and the
farm. Now I have two sheep bought out of
a loan of Rs. 3000 taken from the
Savings Group. This improved my life.
Since the establishment of the Savings
Group, my problems started getting
solved and I started taking interest in
my work. In the old days one had to go
to a money lender for a loan of hundred
rupees and he used to take at the rate
of 10 rupees per month per hundred. I
have not gone to a moneylender since the
Saving group was established. I could
provide for my daughters pregnancy and
childbirth. I returned the loan
regularly. My son failed in one subject
in the 10th standard
examinations. I told him that he must
not leave school but study hard and
appear again for the examinations. Since
the Savings Group was established I
never felt that I am alone. My companion
is the Savings Group and I shall never
give it up.
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