Vasantham Pengal Sangam

An image of a woman standing behind a stall with fish.

Activities:

Vending Businesses

Initial Beneficiaries:

24 Women

Seed Funding Date:

2015

The Vasantham Pengal Sangam is funding vending businesses of 3 types: making murrukku (crunchy rice snacks), fruit vending, or fish vending. Vending allows women to not have to work in construction where workplace hazards include harassment. The group making rice snacks was supported by VPS to change their packaging when the Indian Government banned plastics. Currently the women are repaying their loan installments and are all saving 100 Rs. ($1.36 a month).

Beneficiary Stories

An image of a woman standing behind a fruit stall

Mrs. Tailayee

Mrs Tailayee had to sell the assets of her home front vegetable shop to fund the weddings of her children. She joined a women's self-help group and saved Rs.100 a month, but it was not enough to restore her business. She has since applied for and received a loan from VPS of Rs.10,480 ($145) to start a fruit shop. With this loan she has been able to purchase a cart, a scale and startup inventory. Mrs. Tailayee orders fruits from the wholesaler on her mobile phone and it is delivered to her via a transport service. She is currently making Rs.300 ($4.15) a day and says "I am very happy now because I thought that I would be a burden to my children in my older age, but it is not going to happen...God showed me a way through RSWR and VPS for my livelihood. Thanks to all.”