The Vattikuti India Relief Foundation

The Vattikuti India Relief Foundation (VIRF), a Michigan based non-profit organisation, envisioned a programme ‘The Poverty Alleviation Initiative (PAI)’. The programme was designed to assuage the livelihoods of the poor and enable their growth by financial inclusion. The Initiatives for Development Foundation (IDF), is a non-profit civil society organisation based in Bangalore, which provides services in livelihood development and financial inclusion.

Social mobilisation

We direct Social mobilisation by organizing groups based on self-help culture.

Risk mitigation

Our programs teach Risk mitigation in livelihood activities and facilitation of ‘even cash flows’ at the household level.

Financial Services

We provide access to affordable financial services, including livelihood credit through Business Correspondent / Business Facilitator (BC/BF) services to the groups.

Community based organization

The VF effort establishes Community based organizations (CBO), by forming groups for sustaining the programme. The initiative established two types of groups: (i) Self Help Groups of women (ii) Groups of small / marginal or tenant farmers called as Joint Liability Groups (JLGs).

Social mobilisation

We direct Social mobilisation by organizing groups based on self-help culture.

Risk mitigation

Our programs teach Risk mitigation in livelihood activities and facilitation of ‘even cash flows’ at the household level.

Financial Services

We provide access to affordable financial services, including livelihood credit through Business Correspondent / Business Facilitator (BC/BF) services to the groups.

Community based organization

The VF effort establishes Community based organizations (CBO), by forming groups for sustaining the programme. The initiative established two types of groups: (i) Self Help Groups of women (ii) Groups of small / marginal or tenant farmers called as Joint Liability Groups (JLGs).

Having implemented the programme in Kunigal, the VIRF intends to replicate this programme on a larger scale in other parts of the state and the country. The programme provides multiple services to the community under one roof at the GP level. The services covered data collection, collation of the community members, Self Help Group bookkeeping, advisory on entitlements, self-employment counselling, schemes of government to the community, point of marketing of demand-based services and inputs like mobile recharge, feeds, seeds, financial inclusion service, etc.

Economic Improvement

The financial inclusion services provided were holistic, providing financial literacy to the community through street drama, training groups, enrollment of members to open their savings accounts at banking kiosks, and enabling the groups to access livelihood credit. Financial inclusion was one of the massive interventions that has led to significant economic improvement of the poor community.

To know more about this program, access the full report here