Mrs. Vedavalli has a business of dolls and gift items that she started with an ECLOF loan. When she formed a self-help group, she had no knowledge about group management, accounting, banking or savings.
She says : “The Field Officer of ECLOF India asked me to be the coordinator of the group. Though I created the group, I lacked communication and interpersonal skills. I was also not conversant with handling cash and maintaining books. Being women and in a village, we were not exposed to visiting the bank and filling forms for cash or cheque deposits and withdrawals. ECLOF India understood this and trained us on topics such as budgeting, savings, cash books maintenance, bank transactions, interpersonal skills or time management.
Going to the bank and filling forms seemed a mammoth task to us rural women. But ECLOF India staff trained us on how to fill the forms as a game so that we could easily understand and remember when we have to visit a bank. ECLOF India also taught me that the first expense I should budget is my savings. So I am able to save within the budget for the month. Besides maintaining the books of accounts of my group, I am now able to budget our family income, and manage my shop better.
ECLOF India taught us how to relate to our peer group member respecting each one with dignity. We work as a team that allows us to avail loans as a group from ECLOF India. By following the training given by ECLOF India we are able to live in harmony with our family and also our neighbourhood and our peer group.”
