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Micro-Enterprise Development (MED) for Poor Urban Women in
Madurai, Tamil Nadu- AusAID NGO Scheme Sponsored by Oz Child -
Children Australia Inc (1997-1999)
Brief Activity Description:
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The Goodwill
GSWC undertook a ‘Micro-Enterprise Development(MED) for poor
urban women in Madurai, Tamilnadu to establish small business
projects in the following viable activities : tailoring; metal
craft; laundry services; market vending and one additional
activity still to be confirmed. The program was aimed a setting
up a total of 50 viable income generating activities for poor
urban women in Madurai with children over the next year and
provide appropriate vocation training and ancillary skills to
project beneficiaries. Ancillary training was provided in
financial management and marketing and Gender training raised
women’s’ consciousness and understanding of gender issues. As
part of the project, the centre established a counselling and
referral service respond to problems of alcohol and substance
abuse among the spouses of the women. |
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Major Development Objectives:
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1. |
To generate income which will
alleviate poverty in 50 poor, urban households in
Madurai,India |
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2. |
To provide small loans for MED to 50 poor, urban women in
Madurai with children. |
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3. |
To establish a women’s’ credit
cooperative with 5 separate, self-managed, self-help groups
which will promote savings habits among project
participants. |
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4. |
To provide vocational training related to MED |
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5. |
To provide training relating
to financial management, marketing of produce and gender
awareness to 50 poor, women in Madurai through a series of
participatory workshops within the project cycle. |
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6. |
To establish a counselling and
referral service which will mitigate against significant
problems relating to alcohol and substance abuse (which the
GSWC have identified as undermining women’s participation in
MED activities)
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Beneficiaries:
50 poor urban women in Madurai with children.
Major Activity Outputs:
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1. |
Establishment of 50 viable
businesses managed and controlled by female project
beneficiaries. Business activities will include tailoring;
metal craft; laundry services; market vending and one
additional activity still to be confirmed. |
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2. |
A
pool of 50 skilled women who can demonstrate understanding
of MED, marketing and financial management principles. |
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3. |
Demonstrated gender awareness amongst project participants. |
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4. |
Establishment of a fully autonomous women’s credit
cooperative with “core” loan funds of Indian Rupees 125,000. |
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5. |
At project completion, core funds returned to the credit
cooperative were advanced to other poor women in Madurai. |
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6. |
Improved savings habits among project participants. |
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7. |
Alleviation of problems associated with alcohol and
substance abuse in the family.
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Major
Activity Inputs:
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1. |
Vocational training relating
to tailoring; metal craft; laundry services; market vending
organised. Specialist training sessions pertaining to
gender, financial management and marketing of consumer
produce were organised. All training programs promoted
appropriate technologies which were replicated locally and
assisted in rescheduling exorbitant loans from local money
lenders. |
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2. |
Gender training using participatory training techniques. |
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3. |
Provision of small loans
(averaging Indian Rupees 2500) for MED activities was made
available to 50 project participants. |
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4. |
Repayment schedules were worked out in line with
production-sales cycles. |
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5. |
Formation of 5 separate
self-managed self-help credit and savings groups with an
enrolment of at least 10 members in each group. Each
cooperative could correspond to set activities, i.e. a
tailoring cooperative, metal ware cooperative, etc. |
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6. |
Establishment of a counselling
and referral service designed to deal with problems
pertaining to alcohol and substance abuse. |
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7. |
Participatory evaluation was
identified as the major project successes as well as the
lessons learned. |
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