Name: Mrs. Mallamma
Village: Vaddanakere
Age: 35

Mrs. Mallamma is a resident of Vaddanakere village. She belongs to a very poor family and holds a BPL (Below Poverty Line) card. She does not own any property. Her family is small, consisting of one daughter and one son. She was married at a very young age and at that time she did not have the knowledge, maturity or understanding required to take responsibility for a family.

Due to family restrictions, she was not allowed to go outside the house. Being extremely poor, life was already difficult. When disputes and conflicts arose, her in-laws separated her from the household and sent her away, causing her tremendous hardship and emotional distress.

During that phase, the field staff from the organization visited the village to form a Self-Help Group (SHG). They gathered the neighbouring women and formed a group while explaining the rules and principles of the SHG. The neighbours included Mallamma as a member of this group. It has now been 18 years since she joined.

After joining the SHG, she slowly started mingling with others, actively participated in meetings, and began attending awareness and skill-training sessions. Although she experienced many struggles and challenges for several years, she continued to learn and grow.

The organization shared information about self-employment opportunities. Inspired by this, she decided to take up a livelihood activity. With the support of her husband and the SHG members, she moved forward. Her husband learned lorry driving and started working. Mallamma took a loan of ₹50,000 from the SHG, added another ₹50,000 from her elder brother, and invested ₹1,00,000 to purchase: • A flour milling machine
• A jowar winnowing machine
• A rice winnowing machine
• Fabric cloth for business

Hers became the first and only place in the village that provided both milling and winnowing services in one spot. Many villagers now come to her for the service. She earns ₹100–₹200 per day, and during the summer season, the income increases to ₹500–₹1,000 per day. Today, instead of sitting at home, she proudly runs her own business, provides good education to her children, and has built a proper house for the family. For the last two years, she has been successfully managing this enterprise.

All this progress became possible due to the motivation, training and support provided by the ORBIT organization through the Women Empowerment Project. Field worker Ms. Amitha especially encouraged women to step forward, develop courage, take up self-employment and become financially independent. Because of this guidance, women like Mallamma have been able to increase their income and improve their standard of living.

Expression of Gratitude
“I wholeheartedly thank the ORBIT organization and the staff for providing knowledge, training and opportunities that helped me takes up self-employment and increase my income. I will forever remain grateful to ORBIT.”