30 Jan 2023  |   06:35am IST

Woman power to the fore

She herself began with virtually nothing, but today, Sarita Warang’s self-help group has uplifted several women and made them self-sufficient

Shriram Chari

MAPUSA: In the quiet village of Camurlim, Bardez, a woman has been making waves. Sarita Warang, the founder of the Shridev Lingeshwar self-help group, has been supporting more than 250 women in eking out a respectable living but setting up their own businesses.

 The group, which began with a government grant of just Rs 24,000, now has a turnover of more than Rs 20 lakh.

Warang knows first-hand what it is like to struggle. She was down in the depths 10 years ago when her husband passed away, but has pulled herself together since. In the spirit of paying it forward, she has been working with 30 self-help groups since 2016 to empower women through the Stree Shakti programme and Goa Rural Development Livelihood Campaign.

Self-help groups nurtured by Warang have expanded operations by taking orders for traditional snacks such as chaklis, fenori and chiwda, mostly placed by government employees. Business has been so good that it has enabled them to offer loans ranging from Rs 40,000 to Rs 1 lakh to other members.

Many of these women entrepreneurs have begun diversifying into other segments too. They have begun food catering, running general stores, making toys, and selling sarees and other textiles.

“If you utilise your time well and are willing to work hard with the help of other women, success is certain,” says Warang.