Self-help groups help three women build businesses in UP's Barabanki

Three Barabanki women used self-help group loans to establish transport, harvesting and grinding businesses. Their ventures now support household expenses, education and greater financial independence.

Through the Shiv Swayam Mahila Self-Help Group, Nisha Yadav borrowed Rs 50,000 to establish a flour and spice grinding mill.

When Sakina Bano's husband left her to raise their three daughters, she faced the daunting task of rebuilding her life with limited financial resources. Her brothers offered support, but Sakina wanted to stand on her own feet and secure a future for her children.

In 2021, she joined the Khwaja Self-Help Group in Noorpur village of Barabanki district and took a loan to purchase an e-rickshaw. What began as a small livelihood venture gradually expanded into a business that now includes two e-rickshaws and a car attached to the Ola ride-hailing platform. Sakina says the vehicles generate a combined monthly income of Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000, helping her meet household expenses and pay for her daughters' education.

Her journey is one of three stories from Barabanki that illustrate how self-help groups are helping rural women establish businesses, earn independent incomes and take greater control of their financial futures.

While Sakina invested in transport, Moni Vishwakarma purchased a crop-harvesting machine, and Nisha Yadav established a flour and spice grinding business. Their experiences highlight how access to credit, combined with determination and work, can create livelihood opportunities for women in rural communities.

SAKINA BANO: FROM ABANDONMENT TO ENTREPRENEURSHIP

A resident of Noorpur village in Barabanki's Banki block, Sakina found herself in a difficult situation when her husband left her and their three daughters. She initially relied on her brothers for support, but she was determined to build an independent source of income.

After learning about the self-help group network, she joined the Khwaja Self-Help Group. In 2021, she took her first loan and purchased an e-rickshaw, beginning her journey as an entrepreneur.

As the business started generating income, she repaid the initial loan and borrowed again to acquire a second e-rickshaw. She subsequently took a loan of Rs 4 lakh through the group and, with additional financial support from her brothers and her own contribution, purchased a car that she attached to Ola.

Today, the three vehicles provide her with a source of income that supports her household and helps her meet her daughters' educational and other needs.

“My husband left me, and I lived at my brothers' house with my three daughters. Then I learnt about the self-help group and took a loan in 2021 to buy an e-rickshaw,” Sakina says.

“After making some profit, I repaid the first loan and took another to purchase a second e-rickshaw. Recently, I took a loan of Rs 4 lakh through the group. My brothers helped me with some money, and I invested my own savings to buy a car, which I attached to Ola.”

Sakina estimates that her three vehicles now earn her between Rs 25,000 and Rs 30,000 a month.

She credits the self-help group with giving her a way to move beyond financial dependence and provide for her children through her own work.

“I thank the Prime Minister and the Chief Minister because today I am able to earn through my own work, manage my expenses and pay my children's school fees,” she says.

For Sakina, the vehicles represent more than business assets. They have helped her establish an independent livelihood while taking responsibility for raising her three daughters.

MONI VISHWAKARMA INVESTS IN AGRICULTURAL MACHINERY

In Daudpur village, also in Banki block, Moni Vishwakarma found another way to improve her family's financial circumstances.

Her family had previously struggled to make ends meet. Her husband worked as a labourer and welder, but his earnings were not always sufficient to cover household expenses.

Moni decided to explore self-employment through a women's self-help group. She formed the Maa Lakshmi Mahila Self-Help Group and borrowed around Rs 1.5 lakh through the group to purchase a crop-harvesting machine.

The machine is now used by her husband to harvest crops in agricultural fields, providing the family with an additional source of income.

According to Moni, the work generates between Rs 30,000 and Rs 35,000 per harvesting season. The additional earnings have helped improve the family's financial position, while her involvement in the enterprise has given her a stronger identity within the community.

“This self-help group has given us a new identity in society. We formed the group and then bought a crop-harvesting machine for around Rs 1.5 lakh, using a loan from the group,” she says.

She also tries to help other women associated with the livelihood mission explore employment opportunities and access means of earning.

For Moni, the change has been about more than improving her own household's finances. She believes women should actively look for ways to become economically independent rather than wait for circumstances to improve on their own.

“Women in the village should start working for themselves. Circumstances may not change in a single day, but one day they will certainly change,” she says.

Her message reflects the gradual nature of building a livelihood: a loan may provide the initial means, but sustaining a business requires effort, patience and a willingness to keep working towards a better future.

NISHA YADAV TURNS A GRINDING MILL INTO A LIVELIHOOD

Nisha Yadav, another resident of Daudpur village, chose a business that serves an everyday need in the local community.

Through the Shiv Swayam Mahila Self-Help Group, she borrowed Rs 50,000 to establish a flour and spice grinding mill.

The business caters to residents of the village and nearby areas who bring wheat and other grains for milling, along with spices such as chilli, turmeric and coriander for grinding.

Nisha operates the machinery herself. She says the business generates monthly savings of around Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000, helping her contribute to household expenses and pay her children's school fees on time.

The loan was scheduled to be repaid over 15 months, and she says a small portion remained outstanding at the time of the interview.

“We took a loan of Rs 50,000 through the group and set up the grinding mill. People from the village come here to get their spices and flour ground. Now, we are able to save around Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000 a month,” Nisha says.

She adds that the business has made it easier to manage her children's educational expenses.

“Because we set up this mill, we can pay our children's school fees on time. I thank the government for this support,” she says.

Unlike a business that depends on customers travelling long distances, Nisha's mill meets a routine local requirement. The steady need for flour and spice grinding gives her an opportunity to earn while remaining in her village and managing her family responsibilities.

Her experience shows how a relatively small loan can help a woman establish a business based on demand within her own community.

HOW SELF-HELP GROUPS SUPPORT RURAL BUSINESSES

The experiences of Sakina, Moni and Nisha highlight the role of self-help groups in connecting rural women with financial resources and opportunities for self-employment.

Under the National Rural Livelihoods Mission, women are organised into groups that encourage savings, financial participation and access to institutional credit. Depending on eligibility and the support available, these groups can help members explore loans to establish or expand small businesses.

The three women from Barabanki have used that support in different ways. Sakina invested in vehicles to provide transport services, Moni purchased agricultural machinery, and Nisha established a grinding mill to serve local households.

Their businesses differ in scale and operation, but each has provided a means of earning beyond the conventional livelihood options available to their families.

According to Sunil Kumar Kaushal, deputy commissioner for self-employment in Barabanki, the wider government-supported livelihood initiative aims to help women become economically stronger through self-help groups and income-generating activities.

“Every year, thousands of women are being helped to become ‘Lakhpati Didis’ through initiatives of the state and central governments. They are organised into groups in their villages and registered,” Kaushal says.

He cites Sakina's transport business and the enterprises established by Moni and Nisha as examples of women using group-based financial support to create their own sources of livelihood.

The experiences also demonstrate that the nature of the enterprise can vary according to local demand and a family's circumstances. Transport services, agricultural machinery and food-processing equipment can each offer different opportunities to generate income in rural areas.

The earnings reported by the women are based on their own accounts and may vary according to operating expenses, customer demand and seasonal conditions.

BEYOND INCOME: BUILDING CONFIDENCE AND INDEPENDENCE

For these three women, the significance of self-employment extends beyond the money they earn.

Sakina's transport business has given her a way to provide for her three daughters after her husband left the family. Moni's agricultural machinery has helped improve her household's financial circumstances, while Nisha's grinding mill has made it easier to meet regular expenses, including her children's school fees.

Their journeys also underline the importance of women's participation in economic decisions and their ability to build livelihoods suited to their circumstances.

Access to credit alone does not guarantee success. Businesses require customers, operating capital, maintenance and the ability to manage repayments. But for women who have limited resources of their own, a self-help group can provide a starting point by making financial support and information more accessible.

The three stories from Barabanki illustrate how that starting point can lead in different directions, depending on the opportunities available and the choices women make.

Sakina, Moni and Nisha are now not only contributing to their families' financial needs but also sharing their experiences with other women in their communities.

Their journeys offer a reminder that economic independence does not always begin with a large enterprise or substantial investment. Sometimes, it starts with a loan, a practical business idea and the determination to keep going.

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