Microfinance institutions time and again have proven to play a significant role in the upliftment of the lives of rural women in India. Along with helping the underprivileged women by educating and enriching their lives but also empowering them to think beyond their regular possibilities. Thus playing an essential role in improving the livelihood of many aspiring women in Rajasthan by helping them become financially independent. Pushpa Bhutara, is one such woman, living in a small village in Rajasthan. Getting divorced at an incredibly young age, many barriers and challenges came forth for Pushpa, being a single mother and sole bread earner for her two daughters.
As any other Indian women, Pushpa too was expected to follow numerous norms of the society. Being the strong and resourceful woman that she is, Pushpa chose to carve a path of her own and become something no one expected of her to achieve. Along with the support of Hand in Hand India, she trained herself in the art of making perfect Khichiya (a Rajasthani and Gujarati snack). She acquired the skills required for this under the guidance of Hand in Hand India and then advanced to begin a training school for women who had the same aspiration to become independent and self-sufficient.
In this journey of developing new skills and deciding to fulfil her need of self-reliance, Belstar Microfinance- NBFC-MFIwas her financial partner. Due to the constant support and credit disbursement by Belstar Microfinance, Pushpa was able to set up her small-scale business of making and selling Khichiya. She benefitted in multiple ways through Belstar Microfinance’s credit disbursal and the skill development support programs of Hand in Hand India.During the COVID-19 lockdown period, she not only adopted using digital platforms to market her products but also started a system of digital payments for her enterprise. Digital advancement has given Pushpa the confidence
to match with the current trend of doing new age business.
Attributing her success to Belstar Microfinance and Hand in Hand India, Pushpa says, “I thank Belstar and Hand in Hand for supporting me with the right credit support in the challenging times and making my family self-sufficient. I look forward to receiving bigger orders and expanding my business digitally. This was my dream to educate my children but now with this growth, Belstar Micro Finance and Hand in Hand are also an avenue in fulfilling many underprivileged women’s dreams of being self-reliant and financially independent.”
Pushpa, a single parent and a digital entrepreneur, is now financially independent, confident and has been able to break all the barriers that life challenged her with through her determination. Her goal in life is to inspire many such women like her to be self – sufficient and provide better education and future for her two daughters.