Meet Abeda Sardar, wife, mother and entrepreneur

It was a bright and sunny morning when my train arrived to the Dakshin Barasat station, which is about 50 kms from Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal.  Winter in India is probably the best time of the year, the mornings are crisp and cool and the days are pleasantly warm.  Coming from Cleveland where it snows about five feet this time of year and being in India during the winter was a nice change.  However for the local people it was deathly cold, many were wearing thick sweaters, shawls, winter hats and I saw one man with gloves on, I on the other hand was wearing a tee shirt and jeans and got a few looks of disbelief. 

I along with a loan officer from DCBS named Sandeep hopped on our bicycles and rode all the way to a small village named Natun Hat, where I was to meet with Abeda Sardar and a few other women that formed a self-help group, where each member supports one another with their finances.  We met up with Abeda before the group meeting started in front of a small convenience store that she and her husband run together.  I noticed you could purchase just about anything one needs for a living in the village from cooking oil to cigarettes to little flower pots.   Abeda was standing with her baby in her arms and was waiting for her husband to arrive with the keys to the shop.  We stood and chatted about the solar lanterns she had received through a joint program with Milaap and DCBS.  She explained that she currently uses her lamp at home all the time, since the sun sets at about 5pm everyday now.  "It helps me get around the neighborhood at night, I have a fear of snakes and other reptiles so the lantern keeps me calm when I'm walking".  She also plans on purchasing another solar lantern that will be placed at her store permanently, in case the power goes out.  She wanted to thank the lenders from Milaap for their generosity.