Satya Microcapital: Working Strongly for Artisans of Bamboo Handicraft in West Bengal

Microfinance is working strongly towards supporting the artisans of bamboo handicraft in West Bengal. The success story of Mamoni Das, a 30-year-old woman from Kunda Kashipur, a small village of West Bengal illustrates that hard work and skills can change one’s destiny.

Mamoni Das was a homemaker living with her husband and two daughters. Her husband was an E-Rickshaw driver, and his income was insufficient to fulfil the requirements of the household. Her husband had some experience of making bamboo products, hence, the couple decided to start their own bamboo handicraft shop but lack of capital proved to be a hindrance.

The couple consulted their family in order to start their business. One of their relatives informed them about Satya Microcapital and how it is supporting the underserved families with their collateral-free microloan offerings. The couple went to the nearby branch of Satya Microcapital where they met the Entrepreneurship Development Officer (EDO) of Satya Microcapital who organized the first center meeting of the village at Mamoni’s residence to thoroughly explain them about the loan procedure.

Mamoni applied for her first loan of Rs. 45,000 to start her business. Using the loan amount, Mamoni’s husband brought good quality bamboo and she started making products like Tokris, Supa, Mats, Fans etc. As their product quality improved, so did the demand for their products and they started making profits.

With the growing demand for their products, both decided to expand their business to larger markets. She applied for the second loan of Rs. 45,000 from Satya Microcapital in order to buy more high-quality bamboo for their products.

Today, the couple is successfully running their business and producing a large amount of good quality bamboo handicrafts and selling them at a higher price in a larger market. Their savings have improved significantly from 5-6K to 14-15K per month and they are able to secure the future of their family.

Mamoni Das is proud to be associated with Satya Microcapital and said “I would like to thank Satya Microcapital for helping me during my hour of need. Satya Microcapital has helped me realize my dream and because of the support provided by them I was able to establish my traditional bamboo business to a larger level.”