Capacity Building: Empowering Communities

Self-Help Groups (SHGs) or Joint Liability Groups (JLGs)

We promote women's empowerment by forming SHGs and JLGs, enabling women to:

• Discuss critical issues like domestic violence and personal development.
• Learn essential skills, including record-keeping, to manage collective savings and loans.
• Start micro-enterprises like sewing, dairying, and cooperative shops, fostering financial independence.

Impact:

• Women have collectively accessed over ₹2.5 crores in loans over five years, with timely repayments and no defaults.
• Instils a sense of pride and self-worth among the women.
• Illiterate women now efficiently manage finances and records.
• Trust-building activities like bank visits have helped women feel confident about formal banking systems.

Village Development Committees (VDCs)

VDCs act as decentralized institutional bodies managing local development.

• They oversee village resources, selection of beneficiaries, resolve disputes, and implement community-led programs.
• Women's participation in these committees ensures inclusive decision-making.

Village Education Committees (VECs)

Education is a cornerstone of development. VECs are a formal decentralised institutional body in every village to manage village development affairs and to ensure participation of villagers at all stages of the programme.

• VECs actively mobilize community support for children’s education, especially young girls.
• They work to address barriers, such as parental reluctance and socio-economic challenges, to ensure higher school enrollment rates.

Our Commitment to Sustainability

At Karunalaya Social Welfare Foundation, we integrate traditional knowledge with innovative solutions to create sustainable, thriving communities. Together, we can build a resilient future for the Thar Desert.