I
WHAT IS PARIMOCHANA?
The Parimochana Project– A Woman Empowerment and Rural Development Initiative by Parijnan Foundation.
Mission
Our mission is to enhance livelihoods and improve the quality of life for families living below the poverty line (BPL) in villages surrounding Shri Chitrapur Math, Shirali, Karnataka. We are committed to achieving this by fostering sustainable development through management of natural resources.
Objectives
• Woman empowerment
• Economic upliftment and improving the quality of life of rural families.
• Encouraging local environment-friendly initiatives
• Strengthening the human value system and promoting social harmony
II
WHAT WE DO
The Parimochana Process
• Identification of BPL families and potential beneficiaries
• Formulation of Sangha-s / Self-Help Groups (SHGs) of 10-15 women, where every member is an adult, picking one from each family
• Providing Training and guidance to member families to manage personal finances and make small savings
• Assessing the need and eligibility for interest-free loans for undertaking
o income generating activities
o optimizing natural resources
o other developmental activities
• Scrutinizing and approving proposals and requisitions for funds
• Disbursal of loans through the SHGs
• Collaborating with the beneficiary to formulate a sustainable and flexible repayment plan over 3 years
Our Key Principles
• Community mobilization: Establishing Sangha -s/ Self- Help Groups
• Community empowerment: Training for generating livelihood
• Community participation: Developing micro-plans for family-level interventions
• Family support and development assistance: Common fund management to promote sustainability
Key Activities of the Sangha
• Enhancing livelihood through promotion of integrated farming systems which include land and water resource development, rainwater harvesting, planting of forest trees for fodder, biomass production for manure, improved composting techniques, encouraging the use of better agricultural implements
• Providing training and seed capital for
o Horticulture – Jasmine or Vegetable Cultivation
o Non-agricultural rural enterprises
- Skills – Carpentry, Pottery, Tailoring, Pickle Making
- Agri and Floriculture – Dairy, Coconuts, Areca nuts, Vegetables or Flowers
- Enterprises – Eatery, Trading of Cashews, Grocery Shop, Hair-Cutting Salon, Laundry, Garage, Ticket Booking Agency
• Distribution of interest-free loans for
o Solar water heaters
o Construction of toilets, Construction or Repair of houses, Digging / Rejuvenating wells/ borewells
o Vidyanidhi – loans for college/higher education
o Repayment of high-interest private loans
o Weddings and other domestic needs of Sangha members
• Conducting weekly meetings to ensure that each member saves a fixed amount in the ‘Sangha’ to utilize later for self-lending
III
OUR IMPACT
• Successful transformation of rural lives through sustainable initiatives
• Increased participation of women in financial decision-making
• Economic and psychological empowerment of women
• Perceptible decline in vices and family tensions
• Enhanced self-reliance by bypassing middlemen in cultivation and trading
• Decreased dependence on the government’s administrative system for the fulfilment of basic needs of village populations
• Decrease in migration to bigger cities for employment, which had resulted in isolation and weakened familial bonds
A testament to the success of Parimochana is that there has not been a single loan defaulter from the time of its inception!
300+
families with a steady income from Jasmine Cultivation and Trading
700+
Vidyanidhi loans for higher education
1000+
Families Benefited
100+
Solar Water-heaters saving women long walks to collect fuel wood
16
Villages Benefited
550+
Toilets with villages achieving Open Defecation Free (ODF) status
61
Sanghas / self help groups
1800+
Women Empowered
