Social Entrepreneurship Through Micro-Entrepreneurs of Self-Help Groups

Abstract

Social entrepreneurship focuses on activities that make the world a better place to live in. They address various social issues. One such issue is rural development and eradication of poverty. One way to achieve this is through self-help groups (SHGs). SHG is a practice mostly studied in Indian context. SHG is a homogeneous group of people who have come together with the intention of increasing their income and improving their standard of living and status in the society. SHG is a tool to eradicate poverty and encourage rural development. This study looks into the journey of two women from two SHGs of West Bengal. One SHG is located in a rural area and another in an urban area. SHGs helped them in developing their enterprise. These two social entrepreneurs, in turn, provided livelihood to many women in their localities. They have been instrumental in providing other women in their localities with a decent income. The study found that these SHGs helped not only in the eradication of poverty but also in the empowerment of women by providing them with income and social recognition.