The Deal Foundation provides training for the independent living of people with disabilities and women, offering various avenues for their development. It helps form self-help societies for physically challenged individuals and women, providing training in areas such as saffron cultivation, candle making, paper bag production, dairy farming, and more. These individuals are also provided with bank loans to support their initiatives. Livelihood Officers are working in every taluk to oversee their financial well-being. As a result, many disabled women in each taluk have recognized and embraced their path to independence.
The Women’s Self-Help Society is an example of how women can achieve anything when given the opportunity. Yes, a Mahila Self-Help Society has been formed in every taluk through the Livelihood Officers, and they have been successfully engaged in employment. One such association is the Adishakti Mahila Swasaha Sangh of Doni village in Mundaragi taluk.
Renuka Kallalli, the Livelihood Officer on behalf of the Deal Foundation in Mundaragi taluk, visited the village of Dhoi and conducted a survey of the disabled there. She visited the homes of disabled individuals with the Village Rehabilitation Worker (VRW) and provided them with information about the Deal Foundation and the self-help societies. The women in the village, after seeing Renuka visit and train groups of differently-abled people every month, expressed their interest in joining a similar self-help group. They conveyed their desire to Renuka, requesting an opportunity to participate as well.
Renuka then included all those women and formed the association in 2022, naming it Adishakti Mahila Swasahay Sangha. A bank account was opened, and the members began saving ₹100 every month. Later, Renuka provided book-keeping training, leadership training, and the 2016 disability awareness training to the association on behalf of the Deal Foundation. After some time, she also provided job training in areas such as saffron cultivation, candle making, paper bag production, and more, along with information about their market opportunities.
After receiving job training, the members decided to engage in the work they were interested in, but they needed capital. To meet this need, all the women decided to apply for a bank loan through the association. They discussed this with Renuka at every monthly meeting and submitted a loan application along with the enrollment of all the members. As a result, the bank sanctioned a loan of ₹60,000 to the association. This loan was provided to support the self-employment ventures of the association’s members. Among them, Shilavva Aavin took a loan of ₹10,000 to start sheep farming. Similarly, Kasthuri Aavin took a loan of ₹20,000 for her children’s education, which will serve as a foundation for their future. Later, Renavva Aavin also took a loan of ₹10,000 to continue her agricultural work, focusing on seed fertilizers. Vijayalakshmi Aavin took a loan of ₹10,000 to start a tailoring business. In this way, all the members are receiving training, becoming self-employed, and serving as role models for other women.
In addition, all the members are taking out loans and doing more work while also saving ₹100 every month. Among them, Annapurna Meti took a loan of ₹10,000, Renavva took ₹10,000 for agriculture, and Kasturi took ₹10,000 for seed fertilizers. Despite these loans, they are ensuring that there are no hindrances to their association, making loan repayments on time without any arrears.Through their efforts, the women of the association are demonstrating that women are no less than anyone else in society. After observing the growth of this association, the Deal Foundation reviewed all the Taluk Self-Help Societies that had developed significantly. As in previous years, this association received the first prize as recognition for their achievements.
The women of the association, who received training from the Deal Foundation and engaged in employment, shared their opinions and experiences about the organization. “We first observed the work of the Deal Foundation, which is focused on empowering people with disabilities. When we saw that the disabled were coming forward, we too decided to use the same opportunity to move forward and formed this association. Renuka madam provided us with all the necessary training and helped us engage in employment. Thanks to the formation of this association, we now have access to loan facilities. They also provide us with all the required information. We are proud of what this association has achieved. We traveled to other places to receive training, but the training we received here, which was previously limited to home-based activities, has greatly expanded our understanding. As a result, we now have more opportunities. On behalf of all the members of our association, we would like to thank the Deal Foundation and Renuka for recognizing us. We hope you will continue to support us and help us grow. In this way, the Deal Foundation is helping women lead self-reliant lives by providing opportunities not only for disabled people but also for women, many of whom have been deprived of such opportunities. All the disabled and women wish for the Deal Foundation to be established further, so they too can be recognized and moved forward financially.
For any specific queries or assistance regarding this blog, please contact info@deal-foundation.com or visit www.deal-foundation.com to learn more about the work we do.
Thank you!