“When I started, I had only dreams—but no money to grow. My first loan of INR 20,000 from Arohan changed everything for me.” says Pratima Jana.
Pratima Jana is a resident of Mamudpur village in Hingalganj, North 24 Parganas, West Bengal. She belongs to a nuclear family and has studied up to Class VIII. Her husband works as a daily labourer, and together they support their family through her small business.
“Thanks to Arohan, I was able to take a step toward building a better future for my family. With the loan of INR 59,000, I purchased a cow and started a small dairy business alongside our farming.” says Madligere Renuka.
Madligere Renuka is a determined woman from Haranappali, Karnataka. Originally from Madligere, she leads a quiet but hardworking life with her husband and two children—a son and a daughter. Having studied up to Class XII with a background in farming, Renuka balances the responsibilities of a homemaker while managing their landwheretheygrowvegetables,corn,andragi.Alongside, she nurtures a dream—one rooted in dairy farming.
“I am deeply grateful for the support and services provided by VAANI Deaf Children’s Foundation, through Arohan Financial Services’ Corporate Social Responsibility initiative.” says Sunmoni Gogoi.
Sunmoni Gogoi, a resident of Rukminigaon, visited the Newborn Hearing Screening CamporganisedbyArohan,asapartofitsCorporateSocialResponsibilityinitiative, in collaboration with VAANI Deaf Children’s Foundation, to get her baby’s hearing tested. Like many parents, Sunmoni was unaware of the connection between hearing health and speech development, particularly in young children. Arohan’s initiative, which focuses on improving access to hearing care for underserved communities, played a key role in educating and supporting Sunmoni during her visit.
"With the loan from Arohan, I was able to grow my business and support the aspirations of my family. Now my husband also works with me," says Shikha.
Shikha Das is a 4th cycle customer of Arohan’s Jodhpur Park Branch in West Bengal. She has a family of five members, with her husband, and three children. She was a 1st time loan borrower of any financial institution when she took a small credit of INR 10,000 from Arohan, five years ago. She invested the amount in her existing tea shop and used the amount to add products such as small packed food items like biscuits, cakes etc. With the consistent earning, she has been able to successfully raise her three children, and engage her husband into managing the shop as well. In her current cycle, she has taken a loan amount of INR 50,000 to further expand her business.
"With the loan from Arohan, I was able to grow my eatery business and support my daughter in setting-up a mobile recharge shop. Now, I am planning to modify the eatery into a full-time tea stall," says Shefali.
Shefali Das took her first loan of INR 7500 from Arohan, nearly a decade ago, to support an eatery that she used run part-time. Over time and with consistent support from Arohan, she has been able to grow her business into a two-time service which offers breakfast and evening snacks. With her growing income, she has also helped her daughter in setting-up a mobile recharge shop, right next to her eatery. In her current cycle, she has taken a loan of INR 50,000 from Arohan and is planning to enhance the inventory and grow the service of her eatery into full-time.
"I am happy to receive INR 25,000 under the Assam Micro Finance Incentive and Relief Scheme (AMFIRS). I can now repay my EMIs and soon expand my business."
Malaya is a dairy business owner and has been a customer of Arohan for the last six years. She had availed a loan of INR 45,000 in her third cycle which she invested in her business to scale up but then the impact of the pandemic severely affected her business activities which resulted in financial losses. She was then unable to pay her monthly EMIs.
She was eligible for and received the one-time incentive of INR 25,000 under AMFIRS which helped her repay her EMIs. She now plans to expand her business and provide for a better living for her family. Malaya is an inspiration for many in her locality, as she has not only made the right use of the one-time opportunity to repay her EMIs and maintain a healthy Credit Bureau record but also has restored normalcy in her livelihood activities, thus supporting her family.
"When COVID-19 had impacted my business and I was going through a financial crisis, I was able to revive my business with the help of Arohan’s easy credit options. Thank you, Arohan for the timely help," says Rinki.
"Arohan made my life easier, in a way 'Saral'," says Sanju
Sanju is among those entreprenuers who are fulfilling their dreams with Arohan’s flagship financial inclusion product, Saral. She is a 5th cycle loanee at Arohan and has taken her recent loan of INR 60,000 to grow her rice selling business, which she operates at a marketplace in Phulwari Sharif. Today, her business is running steady and not only is she able to provide for the education of her children, but also send them to private tuitions.