Struggling Member Program

Grameen Bank has developed a program for beggars: Struggling Member Program. Every center at GB is responsible for recruiting beggars from villages to give them the chance of becoming borrowers of Grameen. They have a very different treatment. They are given a loan with no interest at all. They have no deadline to return the money. The idea is to encourage them to start some activity that generates money. They usually take the loan to grow something if they own a piece of land or they buy small items to sell door-to-door service. The proposal is for them not to beg anymore but it isn’t a mandatory request. Some of them quit begging and some do it one or two days a week.
I was lucky to meet many members of this project. Their life story is very tough but their spirit and strength is unbelievable. I truly admire them.
Most of them are women who lost their husbands many years ago. Their kids are poor too and they cannot support them economically so they are abandoned. Poor women that become divorced or are widows in this society become, most of the times, homeless. They begin to beg. Everyone in the community knows them.
Once they get into the program, they are adopted by a “guardian”: someone who takes care of them, not for charity (Grammen does not support charity), but to be aware of their needs.
In my trip to Solonga I met a successful case: Ravier Katun. This woman entered the program and after 3 years she became a borrower from the bank. She quit begging and now she has her small business of selling poultry. She has been a member of Grameen Bank for 5 years now, for the last 2 as a basic borrower. Her husband died in the 70’ leaving her with 4 daughters. She used to live at the same place where she keeps her birds now. She wants to buy a cow because she says she has got bored with chicken business. The manager has promised that she will receive the loan to buy it. The whole community is very proud of her achievement. She is a great model.
I met another program member: Giolimon. A 70-year-old woman who is still a member of the program, but her life has improved considerably. She was very sweet with us; she was moved as she shared her story with people from other countries. She wished us a long life in a very affectionate way as elderly people frequently do here.
I believe this is a very good and valuable program. Many beggars are leaving streets to be able to undertake their own project. It is a huge step, very hard, but they rely on the support of the community. It is so great to see these people so united. They are always helping each other with a great community feeling.
Here are some pictures of program members. I believe they are great fighters.