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AUROVILLE VILLAGE ACTION GROUPConcept note:Micro credit corpus expansion
Irumbai, June2011
Ph (0413)267-8871
The implementing organization:
Founded in 1983, Auroville Village Action Group (AVAG) is an NGO committed to grassroots community development in the villages neighboringAuroville– a pioneering socialexperiment in Villipuram district, rural Tamil Nadu, South India, which aims to realizehuman unity. Since its inception, AVAG has developed into a solid and reputableorganisation for positive social change that fosters the integral development of civil society,democracy building and social advocacy, including gender equity and caste equality – thefoundation stones for building a sustainable and healthy co-operative Indian society.AVAG’s activities are all designed to empower the rural communities to organizethemselves for their own personal and communal empowerment.Some examples of AVAG activities:
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Micro projects to improve village infrastructure.
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Inter-caste and inter-gender exchange meetings for caste and gender integration and sensitization.
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Capacity building through trainings and seminarsfor villagers on various topics such as: livelihoodtrainings and social enterprise development;expansion of legal access for women and childrenconfronted with human rights abuses; global
warming and environmental degradationawareness.
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Psychological and physical health initiatives throughcounseling services, health camps and referralsand trainings.
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Environmental initiatives through home andcommunity gardens, tree plantation and making theeco friendly products accessible to thecommunities.
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Mirofinance – see below.In 1995 the first women's SHG was formed and since then,this network of SHGs has expanded steadily. In 2000 afederation for women SHGs and in 2007a federation for men were formed to share responsibility and for collectivedecision-making. They give AVAG feedback andsuggestions pertaining to the planning and implementationof the programs of AVAG. The federations and AVAG havedeveloped a symbiotic relationship with guidance andadvice freely exchanged. AVAG is maintaining a formaloversight over the federations.
The Micro-finance programme:The central aim
of the micro finance programme is:
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To free the poor from the clutches of the money lenders who charge prohibitivelyhigh interest (sometimes as high as 90% per year!)
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To increase livelihood possibilities for SHG members
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To inculcate the habit of savings among the villagers
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To teach villagers the concept of self help
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To give a sense of cooperation and mutual help among the women and men
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To help SHG members to get recognition from their families and from society atlarge.
Udhayam Women Federation Members Progress
Micro Finance Activity
(As of 1st April 2011):
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AVAG works with 3,726 women organised in 197 SHGs, and 701 men organised in42 SHGs.
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Rs. 20,830,771 is the total amount saved collected by SHGs.
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Rs. 55,552,350 is circulating among the groups as loans. Repayment is throughfixed installments.
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Loans are offered for business development, agriculture, education, housing,consumption, family functions, and health, at an annual interest rate of 18%-- whichis far lower than the rates from the usual village sources.
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So far finance has been facilitated from the following sources: savings generated bySHGs, corpus fund of AVAG, Government Funds and Indian and Pallavan GrameenBanks through SHG linkage.
1995-19961997-19981999-20002001-20022003-20042005-20062007-20082009-201005001000150020002500300035004000
Year
Members1995-1996 681996-1997 1881997-1998 3271998-1999 4351999-2000 6142000-2001 11012001-2002 16002002-2003 17412003-2004 18002004-2005 19502005-2006 20002006-2007 23342007-2008 32452008-2009 34662009-2010 34782010-2011 3726
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