Amrita SREE – Self-Reliance, Education & Employment

15,000+ SHGs
250,000+ members

The Indian Ocean Tsunami of 2004 not only destroyed thousands of lives and homes, it also had a serious effect upon the fishing industry in India’s coastal communities. At the same time, a farmer suicide crisis was plaguing the nation as crop prices fell and droughts spread. In the face of Mother Nature’s fury, Amma envisioned that at least one member of each family should become skilled in a trade not dependent upon changing weather patterns.

Amma began with the women. To help them gain self-confidence, she initiated the first Amrita SREE Self-Help Groups in Kerala to reach impoverished families in villages. This empowerment soon spread throughout Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and the Andaman Islands.

These are women who have overcome poverty, abusive relationships, and lack of education. Today, there are more than 15,000 SHGs with 250,000 plus members instilled with strength, creativity, and compassion for others.

The collectives form with 10 to 20 members, each one giving a small fee to the group’s bank account every month. Through the gathered funds, they work together to start small businesses and provide microloans to each other for personal needs. We also support the women with vocational training and encourage them to develop an entrepreneurial spirit.

The trades cover a vast array of skills that inspire thinking outside the box—from tailoring, beauty parlours, and menstrual pads to plumbing, electronics repair, and communal farming, just to name a few.

Every year, the SHGs gather in their districts for meetings of thousands of members to build upon their collective power. Groups are given annual seed funding and the women receive support through personal cheques and basic needs kits.

In 2018, an SHG in Kerala expressed their gratitude to Amma in a deeply moving way by giving back to their community. They put aside profits to build houses and provide basic medical treatment for poorer families in their village.

Amma’s care for the women became especially evident as the COVID-19 pandemic gripped the world with fear. To bridge the economic impact, she sent basic supply kits and financial aid that came to support worth more than ₹85 crores ($10 million).

The overall goal is to transform Amrita SREE’s members through self-reliance. According to UN Women, when women work, they invest 90 percent of their income back into their families, compared with 35 percent for men. By focusing on girls and women, innovative businesses and organisations can spur economic progress, expand markets, and improve health and education outcomes for everyone.

As Amma says, “Amrita SREE SHGs have not only made themselves self-reliant, but their entire villages.”