In 2001, there were 11 PRASAD Chikitsa Self-Help Groups (SHGs) in the Tansa Valley. Today, there are about 300, with nearly 3,000 members among them. The success of these SHGs is inspiring more and more people in Tansa to form their own groups.
SHGs help their members tackle the innumerable problems they face, including indebtedness, alcoholism and illiteracy. When individuals come together to form a Self-Help Group, they each agree to contribute a nominal sum of money every month to a common pool. PRASAD Chikitsa volunteers then help the group to set up systems and processes to manage their finances, decision-making, and planning, and to help them maintain discipline.
SHGs are involved in a range of projects, including making and selling papad (a kind of savory flat bread), improving the condition of roads and schools, organizing village cleanups, promoting HIV/AIDS awareness, and accomplishing environmental initiatives.
