VSSM’s support helps nomadic families to earn a dignified living …

Ritaben is one of the many women entrepreneurs VSSM supports. 

Rita!!

As a child Rita had always seen her parents sculpt Ganesha idols hence, celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi is a must for her. It is a festival ingrained in her being. Every time she would account for losses after the festival we would advise her to not get into the business of making Ganesha idols during the next season, she too would pay heed to our recommendation. However, the moment the community would start preparing for the festive season her heart would give in!! “We are Bawri, making idols of the deity is our ancestral occupation, it is difficult for me to give up!” Rita would confess. 

 

“We know the environmental implications of POP idols but it is hard to make Ganesha idols with clay. Also, if we are unable to sell these idols it is hard to store them in our small homes. Hence, Plaster of Paris (POP) works better for us. Nonetheless, this year we decided to make only clay idols, this entire lot here is clay Ganesha. They turn out to be expensive, the returns are not much yet people haggle, with the profits are less. Tell me one thing Ben, do you all bargain when you all go and shop in those glitzy malls?? So why haggle with us? If you stop bargaining, we will not mark up their prices, we earn our bread from it, we too have to sell them, all we need is fair returns for all the hard work we pour in!”

 “This year the corona has inflicted a blow on our businesses. We could not invest in the idol-making this year. But you (VSSM) supported so I am sure it will be fruitful. We are reeling through difficult times Lord Ganesha will bring better days!!”

 We are grateful for the support our well-wishers provide, to allow us to be instrumental in enabling such families to earn a dignified living. The families we mention here are the Bawri community residing in Ahmedabad’s Ramdevnangar settlement and Ritaben is one of the many women entrepreneurs VSSM supports. 

નામ રીટા,

નાનપણથી મા-બાપને મૂર્તી બનાવતા જોયેલા. તે ગણેશચતુર્થી તો કરવી જ પડે એવું બરાબર ઠસ્સી ગયેલું. નુકશાન થાય ત્યારે કહીએ કે આવતી ફેરા ચતુર્થી નથી કરવી. પણ ચતુર્થી આવવાના ચાર મહિના પહેલાં તો મન પાછુ પાતળુ થઈ જ જાય. અમે રહ્યા બાવરી મૂર્તી બનાવવાનું કામ તો બાપ દાદાનું એટલે એમ કાંઈ છુટે?

પ્રદુષણની વાત સમજીએ પણ માટીમાંથી ગણેશ બનાવવા સહેલા નથી અને પાછુ વેચાય નહીં તો અમારા નાના છાપરાંમાં એને સાચવવા બહુ અઘરાં. એટલે પ્લાસ્ટર ઓફ પેરીસનો ઉપયોગ કરતા.

પણ આ ફેરા અમે નક્કી કર્યું માટીમાં કામ કરવાનું તે લ્યો માટીમાંથી ગણેશ બનાવ્યા. માટીમાંથી બનાવેલા ગણેશ મોંધા થાય. લોકો ભાવતાલેય ખુબ કરે. ઘણી વખત મળતરેય બહુ ના મળે..

તે હે બેન, તમે બધા પેલા મોલમાં જઈને ખરીદી કરો ત્યાં તમે પાંચ ઓછા લ્યો એમ કો છો? તો અમારી પાસેથી પાંચ ઓછા કેમ? ભાવતાલ ના કરે તો અમારેય ક્યાં વધુ કિંમત કહીને વેચવા છે? બસ મહેનતનું મળી જાય તો ઘણું.

કોરાનાના લીધે આ ફેરા ચતુર્થી કરવી શક્ય નહોતી પણ દર વખતની જેમ તમે (VSSM) મદદ કરી તે ચતુર્થી ફળશે એ આશાયે કામ કરીએ છીએ.બધે તકલીફ છે જાણીએ છીએ પણ વિધનહર્તા બધુ ઠીક કરશે..

અમદાવાદના રામદેવનગરની બાવરી વસાહતમાં ઘણા પરિવારોને સ્વમાનભેર રોજગારી મળી શકે તે માટે VSSMમાં અનુદાન આપનાર પ્રિયજનોની મદદથી મદદરૃપ થઈ રહ્યા છીએ જેનો આનંદ છે...

#MittalPatel #VSSM #Bavari

#livelihood #employment

#ganeshfestival #ganeshidol

#ecofriendly #interestfreeoan

#ganeshchaturthi #nomadiccommunity

#વ્યાજવગરલોન #ગણેશમુર્તિ

#રોજગારી #બાવરીસમુુદાય

VSSM saved Nenuben from being a Defaulter and saved her Prestige

“Sister, If I don’t repay loan, it would be a crime to Nature”: Nenuben

Nenuben Expressing her happiness and gratitude to Mittal Patel  

Nenuben  (Devipujak) belongs to Ramdev Nagar area of Jodhpur, Ahmedabad. Her husband passed away due to an illness. She had been alone with her three children. It was very difficult for Nenuben during that period to raise her children on her own with no income. Her husband had left a hut for her on the land he owned. Hence, there had not been any problem about moving here and there. The main problem she had been facing was to earn in order to bring up her kids. Nenuben knew tailoring work. She started stitching traditional dress for women of her community. She had been stitching with good finishing hence, the ladies had been coming to her to get their dresses stitched. Gradually, now she also started keeping dress material to sell.

She had admitted her children into government school. Her life was not that easy. Her children left school as they were not interested to study. They started helping her to earn. Her son Sanjay also started working as office boy but his job was gone suddenly. Nenuben's leg had been fractured and it had affected her earnings. Her other son Bechar had been grown up and he thought to do their traditional business of making idols of Ganesha and other artefacts. The idea of earning from the business had not been successful as there had been less selling than they presumed. Now this added to their problems as it had become difficult for them to manage the repayment of loan they had borrowed on interest from local money lender. 

Nenuben Showing her business to Mittalben

She came to VSSM office with her son Becher. VSSM decided to help her during her troublesome time, lent her interest free loan of Rs. 70000. Initially it was decided that she can re-pay according to her convenience. After six months of borrowing loan from VSSM her business of stitching and selling the Marwadi dress material ran well, she would re-pay according to VSSM’s mode of re-repaying the loan, on a regular basis, as it had been decided with her. She could expand her business also. She brought material from Jaipur.

The new business startup ran well and she started re-paying instalments to VSSM and other loan from Kalupur bank she had taken of Rs. 1 lakh for idol-making business. She was too much worried of her prestige and that is why she didn’t show her inability to repay Kalupur bank’s loan. She could lose her house against loan, but VSSM’s timely help without saved her from paying high interest as well as to maintain her respect as loan holder of Kalupur bank. She never wanted to be declared defaulter on her loans she took from the bank. 

We owe Nenuben's success to all our well wishers who never fail to appreciate and support us!

LOAN ID: 1407