When Jaba applied for the loan, she was determined to show that a woman could do better in business than men. And bring good luck to the family!

Microfinance has not only been an economic tool to overcome poverty and economic instability. It is also a social tool to encourage gender equality. Village Financial Services lends only to women, and I have seen the hurdles they overcome to achieve financial independence and their entrepreneurial dreams.

Poverty and social stigma around female education made Jaba’s family take her out of school after she completed Class 8. Most girls in her village were married off early and watched their potential die in some dark corner of their homes. Jaba was married into a family of flower growers. Her in-laws owned a garden that bloomed with marigolds, hibiscus and butterfly pea. Her mother had warned her to keep herself confined to the kitchen and be mindful of her words and actions.

Jaba heeded her mother’s words and confined her talent to the kitchen. But whenever she looked out of the kitchen window, she could see the large field of marigold owned by her in-laws. The flowers bloomed as her dreams of doing something useful withered. She saw herself, chained and caged amidst a garden full of flowers. But she continued to hope for better days, especially when her daughter was born.

Then came the first setback. Just when the garden was in full bloom, the government announced the lockdown to check the spread of COVID-19. The flowers were ready to be transported from her village, Gohamikocha, to the city of Jamshedpur. But the lockdown took all but essential transport off the roads and the crop withered.

The income of her husband’s family took a hit. Her brother-in-law, who was a migrant worker, was trapped in a distant state by the lockdown. Her aged in-laws said Jaba’s infant daughter had brought bad luck to the family.

Jaba was enraged. The mother in her revolted against the way her daughter was being blamed. Her anger gave way to action. As soon as the government relaxed the lockdown, Jaba stepped out of her house. With her infant daughter cradled in her arms, she headed for the nearest branch of VFS. Her sister, who was married into a family near the city, had opened a grocery store with a loan from VFS. Jaba followed in her sister’s footsteps and applied for a loan to rescue their family business.

In this journey, she found the most unlikely support. Her husband accompanied her. He yearned to get the family out of poverty and social regression. But, while the lockdown had eased, transport was still a problem.

Jaya and her husband began to work in the fields. The VFS loan helped them buy a motorcycle. Now they could deliver flowers to the traders in Jamshedpur, travel to a bigger village for fertilisers, seeds and tools. The motorcycle became a boon for the family.

Soon, traders in the market began depending on the couple for their timely supplies of fresh flowers, and the couple had a steady income. The new financial freedom helped Jaba and her family survive the onslaught of the second wave and the subsequent lockdown without a tinge of worry.

As they spoke to VFS’s executives, Jaba said her success has prompted her to expand the area under flowers and maybe even open a stall in the market with another loan.