Stories from the Slums

Over the last three weeks, working with micro-finance institutions and other assorted organisations that serve the poor, I have been fortunate enough to meet some of the people that dwell within India's urban slums. With the help of translators I’ve been able to discuss various things with the many welcoming, kind and gracious faces. Particularly, their socio-economic status quo and what aspirations they hold for the future. Inevitably, some things got lost in translation. Despite this I came across one obvious theme. A desire to improve their lives. Far from stagnating, these people are working their absolute hardest, fighting for more. Interestingly, they don’t necessarily aspire to a quintessentially Western ideal of a middle-class lifestyle with SUVs, plasma screens and a family home with sunrooms, sitting rooms and spa baths. The people I encountered simply want to grow and develop, they want a full education for their children, less cramped housing, full employment. Modesty in the face of poverty. These are their stories....



A fortnightly group meeting to pay instalments on their 8,000 rupee individual micro-finance loans. 

 

The leader of the micro-finance group (see image above), this women used the loan to purchase a machine that produces aluminium cake/tart casings. Before the loan she was a full-time house wife, now she can fulfil that role while earning some extra money in her spare time, without having to leave home. Her sole customer, a large company that retails the casings, provides her with all the raw materials consisting of recycled chip packets. She gets paid based on her output so she can work as little or as often as she pleases. 

 

Here a woman has taken her first loan, from Suryoday micro-finance, in order to raise additional working capital for her family’s stall. The business, in the Yerwada slum area on the outskirts of Pune, sells a mixture of sweets, after-meal breath fresheners called makhwas, and coloured chalk used to festively decorate the entrances to the neighbourhood’s abodes. It is the only source of income for this family of two adults and two children, with everyone helping out in the family business. With extra financial capacity provided by an ability to expand the range of products sold, the business now has a daily turnover of around 500 rupees (AUD$11). Depending on the time of year (particular annual festivals bring additional demand), the business provides profit of between 8,000 and 12,000 rupees (AUD$175 – AUD$263) a month. 



Another story of increased financial capacity thanks to a micro-finance loan. Already owning and operating a small vegetable stand in the slums of Andheri in Bombay, this woman used her loan to start a second business. By selling kites she is able to diversify her business and increase her revenue. Although sold year-round, the majority of business is seasonal, especially around the annual kite flying festival of Markarsancanti in January. Kites sell for between 10 and 20 rupees (AUD$0.22 and AUD$0.44). With the extra money she hopes to pay for her children’s education.

 

This final story is one of a dream realised. This woman spent 15 years working in manufacturing for ceremonial jewellery. This involved receiving the many small sections of each ear piece, with her job to assemble hundreds of pieces per day for a tiny wage paid to her by jewellery wholesalers. This experience taught her the ins and outs of the jewellery manufacturing supply chain. With the help of a micro-finance loan from Ujjivan, she was able to obtain working capital sufficient to set up her own micro-manufacturing factory.  Her business purchases the materials, assembles the earrings and wholesales the finished product to local jewellers. In just 6 months she has been able to grow the business to employ a number of her neighbours from the Andheri slums. With the success of the new business, she hopes to one day upsize out of her family home to an actual factory, producing enough to supply the hundreds jewellers in her area. Her daughter currently studying 12th grade hopes to go to university to study commerce and take up her mother’s business.