Sarsawati Budha left school at the age of 15 to get married. Local customs in her village did not allow her to continue her education after her marriage. She now has two children who are at school and she helps provide for her family by running a small retail shop.
In 2013 INF began setting up Self-Help Groups [SHGs] in her village in Jumla, western Nepal. She joined a group, participated in training and saw a significant transformation in her village. The group she was part of began a savings and credit programme and her name was suggested as the accountant to run the programme. She was unsure about taking on the role but eventually did so at the insistence of the group.
Initially, Saraswati found her role as the group’s accountant incredibly challenging having left school at 15 years of age. INF staff provided her with bookkeeping training and supported her as she learnt each of the skills necessary to run the group.
As she grew in skills and self-confidence the savings and credit programme ran effectively, transparently and group members decided to increase their monthly savings deposited. The group has now saved Rs 80,000. Saraswati is thankful to INF for all their support, which has enabled her to be where she is today.
