WOMEN EMPOWERMENT THROUGH MICRO FINANCE (A CASE STUDY OF N.G.O. IN PRAKASAM DISTRICT OF ANDHRA PRADESH)

Abstract

The present paper refers to women empowerment through Micro finance (A case study of N.G.O. in Prakasam district of Andhra Pradesh state. The main objective of this paper is to portray the profile of voluntary organization under study area. Micro finance and also SHGs are successful in reducing poverty, empowering women and providing awareness which results in development which is sustainable to the nation and also the next generation. Women have been the most deprived and discriminated strata of society not only in our country but all over the world. In spite of all the efforts of Government and Non-Government organizations they have fallen prey to the financial sector and offer themselves to surrender. The origin of the women empowerment movement could be traced back to the nineteenth century during the harsh conditions in which women had to work in and the substantially lower wages they earned in comparison to men. Further, the issues of anti-slavery, restraint, and women’s suffrage, combined with the exploitation of women and children in the Industrial Revolution era further raised the movement. More than 90 per cent women respondents are married who are in need of microfinance and empowerment, so that they can support their families economically through running various small sector units or businesses. The present study can be inferred that nearly 80 per cent of the respondents are in the productive age-group of between (30-40years). This group of people can withhold courage, innovation, creativity and ability to take risk. There is a need to encourage more number of middle aged as well as above 50 years age group women also to form SHGs in order to achieve the objectives of the SHGs. KEY WORDS: Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), Women Empowerment, Self-Help Groups, Micro Financing, Suffrage.