In 2012 our mothers self-help groups, which were started some years ago by Tony Barron really took off. As on January 2019 we have 225 groups and we have more than 4000 mothers into the groups.

If we can educate the mothers and provide them with income generation projects, their health and head of their children will improve and it will be able to keep their children in education, which is the primary objective of CAT. In some respects by supporting these mothers self-help groups we are providing the fishing rod rather than the fish.

Each mothers group has a president, secretary and treasurer and the monthly meetings are attended by one of the staff members from CAT.  They keep detailed records and minutes of their meetings and these are regularly audited by our staff.

The mothers become great friends and look after each other. Every mother is a mother to every child in the group.

The mothers group typically consist of between 10 and 20 mothers. Each mother saves Rs.100. They pay a subscription fee of five rupees per month. Each mother’s group will have between R.s 1000 and Rs.50,000 of savings and this money is relent each month within the group.

All applications for a loan are discussed by all of the mothers. In practice, 99% of the money is on loan to the group. Whatever money is repaid in any month is generally relent that month.

In 2012. We also started our income generation program. The basic idea is that the mother receives a loan to purchase a cow and she can repay the loan within 15 months. The mothers who have these loans will bring their repayment to the mothers group. If any mother is short a few hundred rupees. The mothers will ensure that the loan repayment is made to ensure a good credit rating of the group.

We run training courses for all the leaders of the mothers groups in how to keep proper records and minutes of their meetings.

Subject to funding. We have great plans to improve the well-being of the mothers and their children through the development of our already successful mothers self-help groups. Already some of the money we receive from our sponsors. Each month is allocated towards the mothers self-help groups.

These plans include

Training courses:

a. Sanitation and health
b. Child welfare
c. Women’s rights and child rights
d. Business
e. Cow rearing
f. Vegetable growing
g. Verimiculture

Loans for:

a. life assurance
b. provision of toilets in their homes
c. provision of clean water

Group Business Projects:

a. from supplies stores
b. poultry production
c. brick making

Individual Business Projects:

a. goats
b. sheep
c. cows
d. petty shop
e. flour milling