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Hand in Hand India organised a capacity building programme for Gram Samanvayaks (village-level coordinators) in Pali, Rajasthan, on self-help group (SHG) formation and processes on 5 July. The one-day workshop was conducted at the organisation’s regional office in Pali and was attended by about 31 Gram Samanvayaks. Hand in Hand India’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dr. Kalpana Sankar participated in the the programme along with several other dignitaries including Shri Bhagirath Chaudhry, Deputy Director, ICDS (Integrated Child Development Services), Mr. Shyam Singh Rajpurohit, CEO – Zila Parishad, Ms. Ranjana Kulshreshtha, District Coordinator, Mission Poorna Shakti, Ms. Sharda Mathur, SHG Programme Leader, ICDS, Ms. Shobha Solanki, Pradhan, Pali Panchayat Samiti, Mr. Mahesh Joshi, Sarpanch (elected head), Mr. Laxman from the District Collector’s Office, Mr. G.L. Nirwan, District Development Manager, NABARD, Pali and Mr. M.D. Parihar, Chief Manager, Lead Bank, Pali.

Later, Dr. Sankar also visited Rupawas Village where she interacted with and addressed members from eight SHGs. About 150 SHG women participated in the discussion. About 12 SHGs have been formed in Rupawas. Encouraging the women, Dr. Sankar spoke about the possibility of launching Hand in Hand’s microfinance by Vijayadashmi (an important Hindu festival usually falling in the month of October). She hoped that this would help the women have their own enterprises. The Sarpanch of the Village expressed his appreciation for the organisation’s initiatives.

The Hand in Hand India initiatives in Rajasthan are in alignment with the Government of India’s ‘Mission Poorna Shakti’, being spearheaded under the Ministry’s National Mission for Empowerment of Women (NMEW). It follows an invitation to the organisation by the Ministry of Women & Child Development, Government of India, to take the organisation’s development initiatives to the region. As on June 2012, 20 SHGs have been formed by Hand in Hand India with 253 women in the villages of Rupawas, Kerala, Khariwa, Dayalpura and Busi.