inspiration
& impact

“If you come to my village and ask my name, everyone knows me. I’m famous in my village. I have made a name for myself”, says Gowri of Andrahalli, beaming with pride. It’s no small feat for a woman of 35, who had to stop her education in 7th class and lost her parents early in life, to build her life in a way that she becomes a role model for others. A few years ago, Gowri was working as a labourer in a local garment factory. “A full day’s hard work gave me just Rs 200. My hu

Buzz Gelathi Prathima of Agrahara Hosahally In the dusty back roads of the Malur villages, the Buzz Gelathis shape a quiet revolution Agrahara Hosahally is not only a mouthful, it’s also a long way off from Malur. We’re going to meet Prathima, the Buzz Gelathi who had impressed the audience so much at the Women’s Day program that the Gelathis had organized and hosted last March. We’re running late. Prathima has called to check if we’re coming. We debate for a few minutes and

Buzz Gelathi Chandrakala of Abbenhalli. In the dusty back roads of the Malur villages, the Buzz Gelathis shape a quiet revolution Chandrakala welcomes us into her spacious, cool hall and spreads a large coir mat. We are in Abbenhalli. “Let me make some coffee,” she says shyly. It’s nearly 1:00 in the afternoon and we politely decline and settle down for a chat. Chandrakala is one of the early Buzz ambassadors. When Buzz India piloted its Buzz Friend concept 2 years ago, Chand

Buzz Gelathi Asha of Madivala, Malur. In the dusty back roads of the Malur villages, the Buzz Gelathis shape a quiet revolution Driving off the Malur main road, we enter the dusty back roads of a small hamlet, Madivala. We’re here to meet Asha, one of the Buzz Gelathis. Asha participated in the Self-Shakti program, the flagship program of Buzz India that combines leadership skills and financial literacy, in 2015. The program targets rural women, encouraging them to challenge

Driving through the washed-out, slush-filled village roads in Malur, I marvel that life still goes on despite the dismal conditions. I watch a little child with plastic covers wrapped around his feet like bandages, his makeshift shoes; he wades expertly through ankle deep slush. I hold my breath: Will he slip? Will he fall? But his feet take him nonchalantly to his destination. He doesn’t seem bothered by the rain, certainly not as much as I am, sitting inside protected from

It was the 19th of March, Malur (India). It would be an unforgettable and impressive day. Please let me share my story with you. At 8.30 am on a sunny morning we left Bangalore for a 2 hour drive to the village Malur. We couldn’t find the exact location we were looking for. Some wrong directions from the villagers didn’t contribute. It is funny to experience they prefer to give a wrong direction than no direction. Twenty minutes later we arrived at our destination. Uthara, Ni

In the last 14 months as a Self-Shakti trainer on the ground for me has not been about just delivering content, It is about delivering a programme which is transformational for the women while empathizing with their situation. There are many transformations in the women that I see, some are immediate and some take their time to come. But what keeps me going to the field every day is the changes in the lives of the women for the better. One woman named Savitha had given up on

Do you remember the feeling you get when you find a 10 rupee/euro/dollar bill in your pocket unexpectedly? Such a thrill, isnt it? Thats exactly the look that Aisha had on her face after we did the ‘financial goals’ session during the second phase of our pilot. We had asked each of the women to articulate what their financial goals were for the next few months or years so as to go into the next step of deciding whether they need a loan or save on their own to reach the goals.