Suresh Kunwar’s

Having no assets, the couple faced challenges in securing a bank loan. One of her friends in the village introduced her to Belstar and a staff explained to her on how to procure a loan. In a short while, Suresh Kunwar was the leader of the Suresh Kunwar Dholi Gagari Joint Liability Group (JLG), created by Belstar.

For many rural women like her, to meet daily household expenses on a small income, these loans are lifesavers. An initial sum of INR 30,000 was used towards buying a ‘Pav Bhaji cart’. She and her husband started earning an average income of 500 per day by selling Pav Bhajis and Pani Puris.

Suresh Kunwar has a dream of moving from a small’ Pav Bhaji cart to a full-fledged shop, soon with further financial support from Belstar.

Stories of change

Belstar’s success stories paint the picture of how women have inspired many by beating impossible odds and succeeding on their own for their families, with a little help from microfinance.

Shajeena Shanavas

Biriyani specialist caterer - Kerala

Belstar’s objective is to identify and effectively empower women to build a sustainable livelihood by giving them access to credit and training. Shajeena from Aluva is one such empowered woman and belongs to the Belstar JLG named Ambal. An enthusiastic person, Shajeena loves to spend her time

Hema Prasad

General Store – Uttarakhand

Hema Prasad is 38 years old and lives in Khatima, Uttarakhand with her family. Her husband is a factory worker and earns a very minimal daily income. With a desire to improve the standard of living for both her and her family she started a small general store about 9 months ago.

Gudiya Singh

Tailoring shop – Uttar Pradesh

At Gudiya Singh’s small home in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh the hum of the sewing machine has become the norm. Gudiya runs a tailoring shop from her home, she has two machines and uses them to do embroidery. Gudiya is happy to have become part of the Belstar family.

Seema Taj

Disposable Platemaking – Karnataka

Seema lives in Shimoga with her husband and children. She has been engaged in ‘plate-making’, while her husband is a daily-wage labourer. Their joint income was not enough to keep the family running. While Seema had ideas to start her own business, there was a paucity of funds.

Mariammal

Sells tender coconuts, Sarkar Samakulam - Tamil Nadu

Mariammal is a member of Aalayam SHG in a small village near Coimbatore. Her story is one of perseverance. The 38-year-old has only studied till her grade-12 and got married very young to a toddy-collector from Kerala. Senthil Kumar, her husband climbs coconut and palm trees to make his living.

Jayanthi

Provisions store, Annamalai - Tamil Nadu

Jayanthi from Annamalai village, Coimbatore has a long connection with Belstar. The 35-year-old is married with two children and has been part of the Belstar family for over 7 years now. Jayanthi’s husband has a job as an on-call driver and does not earn a regular income.

Anees Fatima

Mobile store, Tirupur - Tamil Nadu

Anees Fatima has been part of the Belstar family for 5 years now and leads her Self Help Group called Bismi. The 30-year-old living in Kangayam, Tirupur maintains her group savings account. Anees owns a cell phone shop that does sales and services. She also sells accessories for cell phones.

Karthika

Garments Business, Namakkal District - Tamil Nadu

Karthika is an engineering graduate, the owner of a garments shop, leader of her Self Help Group and a happy mother of two children. She lives in Thiruchengode, Nammakal district. Three years ago, Karthika’s life changed when she got introduced to Belstar.

Lakshmi

Toymaker, Namakkal District - Tamil Nadu

Ms Lakshmi, a 48-year-old woman from the Namakkal district, lives with her two children and has had to fend for herself since her husband passed away 15 years ago in an accident. She has been an active member of ‘Sadhuragriyan SHG’ for 10 years. Her journey begins with the opportunity

Bhavya

Poultry farmer, Chikmangalur, Karnataka

Bhavya from Chikmangalur lives with her husband and two children. Her husband’s income from driving vehicles was not sufficient to sustain the family. When Bhavya decided to join Belstar, her idea was to start an animal husbandry unit. She formed a group with four other women and took a loan of INR 20,000.

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