Stories from the people themselves

“I joined the tailoring batch because I had no way to earn from home. Three months later I had a machine and my first order. Today I stitch for four shops in the block and my daughter's school fee comes from my own hands. That is a different feeling altogether.”

“I could not walk to the block office to get my pension papers done, so for two years I did nothing about it. A volunteer from the Samiti came to my house, filled the forms, and followed it until the pension started. Nobody asked me for a single rupee.”

“We were going to stop my daughter's schooling after class eight. The coaching centre teacher came home and spoke to my husband twice. She is now in class eleven and wants to become a nurse. I am grateful to them for not giving up on us.”

“I have volunteered at many camps. What is different here is the follow-up — patients are tracked after the camp, and referrals are actually accompanied to the district hospital. That is rare, and it is the part that changes outcomes.”

“The tricycle they arranged changed my working life. Earlier I depended on someone to take me to the market; now I go myself and run my shop six days a week. Independence is worth more than assistance.”

“Twelve of us started saving fifty rupees a week. The Samiti trained us in the accounts and helped us open the group's bank account. Last year our group took its first loan and started a papad unit. All twelve of us earn now.”