Village Profile: The Microfinance Initiative in Juri, Purulia

Women participating in the Microfinance Initiative, gathered in Juri, Purulia.

In Juri, a group of 10 tribal women came together in March 2006 and formed a Self-Help Group with the assistance Village Earth-Purulia. With effective facilitation, the group created a blueprint for their future. Using their own savings of 3000 rupees (US$66), and obtaining a small loan from the Purulia Microfinance Initiative of 2500 rupees (US$55), (provided by Village Earth as seed money for the Initiative) these women bought 10 female goats with kids. By rearing both the goats and the kids they are expecting return after six months' time. The projected income is 12000 rupees. Inspired by this group, all of the other women in Juri together formed 8 more groups (10 women per group).

The staff of Village Earth-Purulia have worked closely with these women, and have listened to them share their aspirations to improve their lives and livelihoods by joining the Purulia Microfinance Initiative. Each group has designed manageable plans for the small loans they will obtain. For example, one group has requested a loan for 5000 rupees (US$111) for a three-month rice making project. As one woman explained the project, “In the month of November we will buy paddy directly from the field, boil them by collecting woods from Ayodhya Hill and will make rice. We will sell rice in the market directly. In this way we can earn more by avoiding middleman. Out of the profit, we will back the loan and save as seed money. O babu, takata de, amra thik sodh kore debo [Sir, give us a loan and we promise to pay it back]”.

A Purulia Microfinance Initiative Success Story: Profiling Shakuntala Hansda

Shakuntala Hansda, a tribal woman from Juri, Purulia, is leading one of Juri's microfinance projects, in which she and other women make biodegrable plates from teak leaves, which they have successfully sold in local markets.


Women gather to make teak leaf plates, a new self-employment project in Juri that promises to increase the women's monthly incomes and improve their living conditions.

Shakuntala Hansda lost her parents and stayed with a distant kin. She struggled to meet even her basic needs and had severe food insecurity. One day, a member of Village Earth-Purulia found her alone under a tree. Through talking with Shakuntala, she found that she had been abandoned. After dialoging with her, the women recognized Shakuntala’s great potential and introduced her to a village women's Self-Help group. Shakuntala has great technical knowledge, particularly in the indigenous technologies of tribal people. With a small loan obtained through the Microfinance Initiative, she instigated a plate making project, using teak leaves collected from Ayodhya Hill, and began selling the plates in local markets. Inspired by the self-employment venture of Shakuntala, the other women in the Self-Help group decided to make a collective venture of leaf plate making. Now Shakuntala is the leader of that group in which she provides technical and marketing support. The group is now making 2000 leaf plates per day and earning 200 rupees per day. Now, Shakuntala has found a place to live in a dignified way in the tribal community of Purulia.


A woman makes plates from teak leaves which she obtains from the surrounding forests of Ayodhya Hill.

Women of Purulia

"Dance with Us for a Collective Voice"

Traditionally, tribal women of Purulia are joyous and united. They express their joy, achievements and integrity through dance, an important aspect of their culture and religion. Through dance they invite beneficial, external resources to improve their well-being. Women are well-recognized in their society and play a significant role in securing their livelihoods. Although they are excluded from various avenues of social life, they are equally responsive to learn new ways to make their lives beautiful and fruitful. They are eager to change their marginalized status with the support of the Purulia Microfinance Initiative, which has made significant contributions to the women groups' involved in the Initiative, with far-rearching effects on the Santhal tribal society of Purulia as a whole, helping to mobilize and unite these people.

Villagers Install New Well in Pithati

With help from Engineers Without Borders and Village Earth-Purulia, villagers in Pithati, using appropriate technology, dug a new well. Their effort to create a new well is one strategy they have employed to address the acute water shortage crisis that affects the area every year.

Six Women's Groups Obtain Goats from the Purulia Microfinance Initiative

Pictured here is one of the women's groups that has purchased goats for rearing, using their own savings and small loans obtained through the Purulia Microfinance Initiative. The women are ecstatic to have the opportunity to obtain small loans for this type of self-employment project. They plan to rear goats in groups and expect a financial return after six months' time. They plan to buy more goats in the future with a portion of the profits that the project creates. Many more women in the region are eager to get involved in the Purulia Microfinance Initiative, which will become possible as Village Earth and Village Earth-Purulia continue to work together to raise more funds.