The AGMSWT SHG Revolution

Project Name : Sustainable Women's Empowerment through Self-Help Groups.

Location : Sutahata Block, Purba Medinipur District, West Bengal.

Launch Year : 2008 (Foundational Initiative).

Impact Duration : 15+ Years of Continuous Transformation.

Beneficiaries Directly Impacted : 1,700+ Women and Counting.

Indirect Community Impact : 8,500+ Family Members.

In the early days of 2008, when AGMSWT first explored the community improvement activities in the minority-concentrated villages of Sutahata block, we encountered a landscape of untapped potential shrouded in systemic oppression. The women here - bright-eyed but weary, capable yet confined - moved through life as shadows in their own homes. Their hands could work miracles in stitching, yet society denied them the simple dignity of financial autonomy.

It was in this challenging environment that our founder, Mr. Ranjit Ghosh, made a radical decision: "We will not give fish, we will teach fishing - and then build the entire fishery together."

More than Microfinance - A Holistic Empowerment Model

Our SHG initiative was never just about distributing loans. It became:

1. The Classroom of Life :

• Weekly meetings transformed into literacy sessions where women learned to write their names for the first time
• Financial training programs conducted under mango trees became spaces where numerical illiteracy was conquered

2. The Health Revolution SHG circles doubled as health awareness platforms addressing:

• Maternal and child nutrition
• Breastfeeding best practices
• Family planning education
• AIDS prevention awareness

3. The Green Movement SHG members pioneered:

• Community-led sanitation drives
• Solid waste management systems

4. The Economic Renaissance:

• From small livestock rearing to handicraft enterprises
• From grocery shops to tailoring units

Breaking Barriers - Our Toughest Battles, Sweetest Victories The path was never easy. We faced:

• Religious Orthodoxy: Community leaders initially declared our work "against tradition"
• Gender Taboos: Husbands and fathers forbidding participation
• Financial Skepticism: "These women will never repay" - local moneylenders scoffed

Our turning point came through Asma Bibi, our first SHG member who:

• Took a INR 5,000 loan to buy a sewing machine
• Repaid on time while growing her business
• Sent her daughter to high school - a family first
• Became our most vocal advocate, convincing 17 families to join.

The Ripple Effect - Measuring Transformational Impact:

By The Numbers

• INR 1.2 crore in loans disbursed
• 93% repayment rate - shattering stereotypes
• 48 new small businesses created
• 210 children of SHG members in higher education

Beyond Numbers

• The once-silent Hajra Khatun now leads community meetings
• The former daily wage laborer Jamila Momin now employs three others
• The SHG that started with 7 members now mentors 14 new groups
• 210 children of SHG members in higher education

The Road Ahead

As we document these 15 years of transformation, we recognize this is merely the first chapter. Our vision now expands to:

• Digital financial literacy programs
• Green entrepreneurship initiatives
• Inter-generational mentoring systems

Join us in celebrating these extraordinary ordinary women who prove daily that real development happens when we believe in people more than they believe in themselves.