Women are a vital part of the Indian Economy; CAMP GROUP has been strengthening Self-Help Groups (SHGs) with a vision for empowering rural communities. These small groups of CAMP GROUP are as catalysts for social and economic transformation at the grassroots level.

CAMP GROUP has invested in capacity-building initiatives to enhance the skills and knowledge of SHG members. Through targeted training programs covering financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and livelihood skills, members are equipped with the tools necessary for effective decision-making and income generation. The members of SHGs, has been encouraged for establishment of formal structures, regular meetings, and transparent record-keeping within the groups. This institutional foundation serves as a cornerstone for sustained growth and impact. They make one-third of the national labor force. Compared with their menfolk, Indian women contribute a much larger share of their earnings to basic family maintenance with the result that women’s earnings positively and immediately affect the incidence and the security of poverty.

SHGs are groups of 10 to 20 women or men who come together to improve their living conditions by group savings and loans. These groups conduct regular meetings where the savings of the group is collected into a corpus fund, which is used to provide short-term loans to the members. After some time when the credit requirements of the members increase, the Self-Help Group may approach a bank for loan. The main objective of this Programme is to bring the beneficiaries above the poverty line by providing income generating assets to them through bank credit and government subsidies. The Self-Help Groups (SHGs) are the major component of this scheme at the grass-root level, Area Level Federations (ALFs) at the slum / ward level and City-level Federations (CLFs) at the city-level.

We have formed 610 SHGs and 54 CLFs across the old city of Bhopal in the state of Madhya Pradesh. Our 326 SHGs are successfully linked with Bank.