February 2025
Namaste to all my readers.
I hope all my readers are doing well. I am doing well with my pig farming business, and today I want to share my insights and experiences from our savings meetings, as well as how group loans have supported us during challenging times.
Our savings meetings are held every second week of the month. At the beginning of our training, Sunita guided us on how to attend and host these meetings. Slowly, month by month, we began participating more actively and started doing all the calculations ourselves. Sunita encouraged everyone to increase optional and child savings because it would help us utilize group loans more effectively when needed.
This month, I requested a group loan for some personal needs. After calculating all the savings and disbursing loans for previous applications, there were only 3,000 rupees left. Although it was a small amount, it came at the perfect time for me. I felt so happy and blessed that my group members understood my situation and supported me during a difficult moment. This experience showed me how much we support one another in our group. I’m deeply grateful and thank everyone for their kindness.
Reflecting on our savings meetings, I remember how challenging it was at the start. After the 7-day training, many members didn’t contribute to optional or child savings. Now, nearly everyone is consistently saving for child education and adding to optional savings, which is a wonderful improvement.
During the first three to four months, we struggled with calculations and hosting the meetings smoothly. But over time, Sunita taught us about the importance of saving and helped us understand how to do all the necessary calculations. Now, we group members can confidently host meetings and manage the calculations ourselves. Sunita now mostly observes, while we take full responsibility for running the meetings.
The group loan system has been a game-changer for all of us. It has helped us overcome difficulties without having to rely on high-interest loans from cooperatives or relatives. Knowing that we have our group savings to fall back on gives us a sense of security and empowerment.
I feel incredibly lucky and blessed to be part of the WAWCAS Program. I am so thankful to Sunita and the WAWCAS Program for including me in this group.
Thank you for reading my story, and I hope it inspires others to understand the power of savings and group support.