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experienced that many rural and urban
youth have not been able to come up with innovations
due to lack of support. The impact of such innovations
can be tremendous and small amounts of grants, given
for the purpose can make all the difference.
In response to the long felt need for
a body to help the youths in taking up NGO related activities,
RGVN launched its NGO Facilitation Center during June'06
at its Head Office in Guwahati. As there is no organization
to which the youths and budding NGOs can go for discussing
their problems, to take advice on funding, writing proposals
etc, RGVN as a nodal organization in this field taken
this step to start a NGO Facilitation Center (NFC).
RGVN in joint collaboration with NEDFi,
has initiated a pilot project for sericulture activity
in Sipajhar, Assam. The project is being implemented
by SATRA, an NGO active in areas practicing mulberry
sericulture. The Project would demonstrate that scientific
management of sericulture farming would lead to more
leaf output, better quality of cocoons and while upgradation
of machinery better quality and quantity of silk yarn.
The Project benefits 20 poor women farmers. Further,
SATRA has already done a survey and selected 500 women
who are to be involved in a larger project on sericulture
after the pilot project. A proposal is being worked
out with a scientist from Central Silk Board, Karnataka.
New NGOs to be provided Rs 50,000/-
to Rs 100,000/- as Revolving Fund for 2 years to do
micro credit. Capacity Building requirements to be looked
into simultaneously. Book keeping and accounting to
be perfected during this period, with a view to give
them micro finance after 2 years under NGO Micro Finance
Program.
NGOs which have partnered with RGVN
for 5 - 6 years, availed more than two loans from RGVN
and have evolved to handle larger credit, generally
fall under the purview of NGO MF. RGVN plans to work
with these NGOs with borrowed fund and groom them into
sustainable MFIs.
This is intended to meet the short
term contingency requirement of partner NGOs. This fund
is to be created for NGOs not having overdraft (O/D)
facility or some source to fall back upon to meet repayment
deadline, disbursement schedules etc.
Tea tribes have remained marginalized
and out of the mainstream for many decades. With the
passage of time the population of this community has
grown, making it difficult for a large percentage of
adults to seek employment in the tea gardens on a permanent
basis. Being isolated physically and mentally from other
livelihoods, many members of the community are steeped
in dire poverty. Exploited by money lenders and middlemen
through the ages, members of the community have to pay
very high prices for goods and services.
Keeping the above factors in mind, RGVN is keen to start
a microcredit programme targeting the tea tribes residing
in tea gardens. The need for this arises due to the
fact that a vast percentage of the tea tribe population
remains unemployed or under employed. Under the circumstances,
it is envisaged that self employment opportunities for
trading, the opening of grocery shops, vending and keeping
livestock would go a long way in raising the income
levels of the people. This in turn would result in promoting
the status of the community, ultimately helping them
assimilate with the mainstream. It would also induce
credit discipline in the people and make them aware
of money management.
A programme of this nature would also
help RGVN in extending its' services to all sections
of underprivileged people in Assam. RGVN is especially
keen to increase its' outreach in Upper Assam, and is
in a position to do so, having an established Regional
Office in Jorhat.
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