Being a third generation voluntary organisation, Asomi has been catering the need of the poor and disadvantaged section through its various development programmes. During this financial year, Asomi has been continuing its development programme and initiated few new activities in the state of Assam:
1. Microfinance: Credit for Holistic Development Programme
Asomi's Microcredit Programme is aimed at providing financial assistance to the poor and needy for taking up income generating activities. However, more than being just a credit programme, this intervention is targeted at bringing about intrinsic attitudinal changes within communities in effective use of credit and thrift in livelihood strengthening. While lack of capital is one of the major deterrents for income generating activities for the poor, it is necessary to bring about a realization that credit is only the means to an end; and there is always the intangible, but critical, input referred to as ENTERPRISE, without which credit can never be transformed into economic self-sufficiency. As a credit delivery vehicle, 1200 Self Help Groups covering 20000 families have been formed to channelise the funds raised in the form of Loan from various apex financial institutions like SIDBI, NEDFi, Apex Bank & RRBs for livelihood strengthening.
| SORBHOG MARKA NOODLES A group of women from village Puthimari are looking for financial assistance to take up income generating activities. They reached Asomi's Sorbhog Branch Office. They were clubbed into Kamrupa Self Help Group and they were taught the rules and regulation of CHDP. A loan was sanctioned. After trained them up, they started manufacturing noodles. Created the brand Sorbhog Marka Noodles and now it is a popular brand at Sorbhog locality. Even they participate in melas and involve at PRI. |
Taking various income generating activities, this programme could be able to bring a positive socio-economic impact on the rural people. The village women borrowers of CHDP are compulsorily taught to be functionally literate. Till date ASOMI has extended its services to 30 locations spreading across 14 districts of Assam viz., Dhubri, Goalpara, Kamrup, Nalbari, Barpeta, Bongaigaon, kokrajhar, Darrang, Sonitpur, Morigaon, Nagaon, North Lakhimpur , Dhemaji & Jorhat.
In the process of empowering the women through micro-credit, the rural women of SHGs had been provided various training on book keeping, skill upgradation even to participate Exhibitions. Moreover, the proper guidance and mentoring had been done to create rural micro-entrepreneurs and attract more rural youth for their self-employment.
It is worth mentioned that the micro-finance operation of Asomi had been assessed by M-CRIL and CRISIL awarding the grade of β and mfR5 respectively.
2. Collaboration with World Bank aided AACP
Asomi has been awarded to execute the activities of nodal NGO for implementation of World Bank aided Assam Agricultural Competitiveness Project(AACP) of Govt of Assam in the districts of Barpeta and Bongaigaon. In the district of Barpeta, the sectors like Agriculture, Fishery, Dairy and PWD roads are included while in the district of Bongaigaon only Agriculture and Fishery are included.
In the sector of Agriculture, irrigation and farm mechanisation got its highest importance while emphasis were given on formation of Common Interest Group in the fishery sector to organize the fish farmers for increasing the production base in a cluster basis.
In Dairy sector, farmers are organized through formation of Dairy Cooperative Society or Self Help Group. Moreover, Asomi has taken a responsibility to procure their milk and market accordingly.
In this project, the entire line department of Govt of Assam, financial institutions, Banks, farmers and Asomi have to work in a collaborative manner for establishing a competitive production base for the primary sectors like Agriculture, Fishery and Dairy for keeping a balance in the economy of the country. Moreover, the market link roads are also covered under this project to have a proper mobility of the produces of farmers. Asomi through its coordinators is helping Govt of Assam specially in the social mobilization part of AACP.
3. Suoni Gaon Programme
The experiment of Suoni Gaon Programme has been continued and six villages have selected to take up six different activities in cluster base approach. The objective of the Suoni Gaon Programme is to revive the traditions, heritage and culture of the target village along with its economic development: self-dependency and self-sufficiency. After collection of secondary data, six micro-plans for Mugdi, Kalahbhanga, Gosarabori, Rabhapara, Bholapara and Nowagaon have been sorted out to make the locality independent in various aspects. The villagers would be trained up in the particular activities and clubbed into SHGs/JLGs for engaging them in those income generating activities and work for the revival of ancient glory of the locality.
4. Social Security
When a poor dies, one leaves his dependants behind with no assets, but probably with some liabilities. To address this issue, Asomi has introduced this Welfare Fund to provide life insurance coverage to all group members at Asomi's cost. A collaboration has been made with LICI to cover the life of borrowers of Asomi under its micro-finance programme.
Another benefit from this Fund is the interest free loan to the group members in case of any emergency need/at the time of distress.
Moreover this fund will undertake activities that will improve the health, skill, education, development of local area etc. Asomi is now planning to initiate a Risk Covering Fund for the spouses of the borrowers as a part of the Welfare Fund Scheme.
5. Dairy Development Programme: a Role Model for Private Public Partnership
This is a follow up action of Asomi's SEVIPP(Sustainable Economically Viable Invest Planning Package) approach. The state of Assam has an acute shortage of milk production and dairy farming isn't expanding due to lack of proper marketing and processing. With the huge infrastructure set up by Govt. has not been able to show the expected result. Having seen another alternative livelihood of Dairy in the locality of Sorbhog, Asomi has proposed the Dairy Development Department of Govt of Assam for upgrading its existing Chilling Plant to a full fledge Dairy Plant to process the fresh liquid milk as technology is the basic requirement to handle huge quantity of milk.
As a matter of policy, the unorganized and interested farmers are organized through Asomi's Milk Producers Group (AMPG) from where milk is collecting for processing in the plant and market accordingly. Moreover, Asomi is providing Veterinary Services along with Cattle Feed to those AMPG so that the milk production of farmers can be channelised and enjoy a better remuneration for their milk. In this process Asomi has been able to created an umbrella brand Raijor ASOMI
6. Axomor Mela
Marketing of products of rural artisans is a biggest challenge to make any development initiative successful. Asomi took an initiative for adding value to the annual mela/haat of rural areas organized by the local people so that artisans can use those MELAs as market of their products. Asomi collaborated with Pragjyotish Gaonlia Bank for organizing one Exhibition cum Sales of products of artisans/SHGs during the Raax Mohatshava at Howly. This effort will be translated to the form of AXOMOR MELA.
