Samaan

I've always had the passion and interest to run Samaan. However, my passion couldn't make up for my lack of knowledge or experience in both, financial and social fields (Working with low-income strata, how to communicate and connect with them). This is why I knew from the beginning that I would have to connect with other people who are experts and in general will be able to provide guidance and help in order for me to run this initiative successfully. Through this post, I will be introducing them to you. 1. Manoj sir- He is an expert in financial literacy as he has conducted sessions for groups of various socioeconomic strata. He helped me in planning the sessions and conducts them along with me too. Through his experience, I am able to plan my interventions out in a more effective and directed manner. 2. Ketaki Didi- She had also worked along with Manoj sir in the field of developing financial literacy and working especially with women, parents and families. Her expertise help...

While conversing with one of the domestic help, I realized that they also need a lot more planning and mindfulness while planning their expenses. Here are a few observations: 1. They receive their salary at the beginning of the month. 2. They have fixed monthly expenses such as rent, electricity bill, water bill etc. Which they pay off. 3. The remaining money they keep inside some container in the kitchen - the favourite being containers of flour or pulses. 4. They manage their sundry expenses through the month using that money, usually towards daily milk, vegetables, snacks for kids, medical expenses.  5. Thus, the expenses are made in an unplanned manner leaving them with practically no money at the end of the month.  I realized what they need is 'DISCIPLINE' in managing their expense which meant they need to keep money aside for each budget head and stick to that budget.  I found this pouch in my mother's dressing table. It's actually a jewellery pouch but I decided...

One of the things, that has been making me anxious since the beginning is how would I manage the logistics part of this whole project; the pandemic is making this worse. Travelling, people gatherings , entering banks or similar closed places - everything is restricted plus there is a serious scare of infection. Here are a few things I and the maushis were struggling about: - The nearest branch of the bank is few kilo meters away, one can visit there only via personal vehicle. So all the three women would need support in depositing monthly cash -   Doubts about bank transactions (since this is a public sector bank, the information on the website is not reliable)          - Which form to fill?     - What is the maximum limit for the balance in a particular account     - What is the monthly / annual interest rate     - What are the supporting documents needed After thinking hard on how to get accurate and reliable information...