helpwomen

SHGs For women and girls.

SHG is a group formed by the community women, which has specific number of members like 15 or 20. In such a group the poorest women would come together for emergency, disaster, social reasons, economic support to each other  have ease of conversation, social interaction and economic interactions.

Objectives

• To sensitize women of target area for the need of SHG and its relevance in their empowerment process.
• To create group feeling among women.
• To enhance the confidence and capabilities of women.
• To develop collective decision making among women.
• To encourage habit of saving among women and facilitate the accumulation of their own capital resource base.
• To motivate women taking up social responsibilities particularly related to women development.

Self-help Groups are around the world for several years and it is only now that their true potential is being realized by players in the microfinance sector.

Political Impact of Self-Help Groups

SHGs often interact with local civic leaders to promote their interest in community development though the establishment of roads, ration cards, construction of school buildings, etc., and they also fund the election campaigns of any group members willing to step into politics.

This is an emerging trend in India, where a majority of SHGs are formed by women, hence this trend has implications on women empowerment as well (discussed in another article).

Social Impact

SHGs promote social harmony because they are composed of community members with common interests. As group members from different ethnic group realize they are all aiming for the social and economic betterment of themselves and their families, they may be encouraged to overlook their differences.

However, the informal nature of the groups fails to guarantee total gender and ethnic equality, because certain sub-groups may still be able to dominate minorities.

Self-Help Groups: Strength in Numbers

While the various self-help options available make it possible to achieve significant breakthroughs all by you, some people prefer to find their personal freedom in self-help groups. Although less times is invested dealing with each particular individual, the collective membership will often work together to brainstorm creative and unique strategies, to obtain fresh perspectives on old issues and to increase the accountability factor. While a “Lone Ranger” can fall off the wagon without anyone knowing or caring, in a self-help group, there are others waiting to lift you up when or if you fall. Self-help groups include the traditional “12 Step Programs” that aid in battling addiction of all sorts, as well as support groups for individuals suffering from illnesses or other issues relevant to health.

Furthermore, self-help groups have grown beyond dealing with health “problems” to those that address and assist those with common concerns or circumstances, like women who have decided to breast-feed, those who are single and even parenting groups. Finally, there are family self-help groups that can help the loves ones and relatives of those dealing with serious issues like alcoholism, drug addiction, those dealing with long-term or terminal illnesses, etc.

Not only do self-help groups offer strength in numbers, they have also increasingly come to offer greater convenience than previously imagined. Today, not only do attendees have the option of face-to-face meetings and group events, but some also hold meetings online or over the phone to address the needs of those with busy schedules, those who are virtually bed-ridden, or those who are “shut ins.”

The Benefits of Self-Help Group Meetings

In addition to offering convenience, the other attractive feature of self-help groups and meetings is that they are much more affordable than private counseling or therapies. Some are totally free and others are offered for nominal fees that just about anyone can afford to pay. Many of the most popular self-help programs that are available are so popular that even small, more rural communities offer multiple meetings in various locations all throughout the week and month. Plus, with the advent of online self-help groups, there is even greater anonymity and the relief of other concerns like discrimination, etc. that might arise in traditional face-to-face encounters.

In addition to convenience and cost, other benefits of self-help group situations are that you are imbued with a greater sense of belonging and community. Since many of the maladies that lead people to find help in a self-help group are issues that make you feel isolated and alone, this sense of community can go to great lengths towards helping individuals find freedom and recovery.