Swayamshree

As a progressive institution SMSSL considers microfinance as a potential program for both social and financial inclusion of poor and vulnerable groups of people. As such the co-operative in order to attain greater impact on the poor incorporated social performance focus in its overall mission and develop need based products for different vulnerable groups including women, destitute, and female headed households. Since inception SMSSL has been undertaking various social and developmental programs for its members along with providing the financial services. Over the years, SMSSL has, indeed, been able to create positive impact in the lives of the poor people especially among women who experience greater social, economic and political empowerment due to their enhanced knowledge, communication skills, confidence building and leadership quality, A sense of improved quality of life and better future is felt among family members because of their increased household income and social status. The social and development activities undertaken by SMSSL during the year include;

Health is Wealth the proverb is absolutely true in the rural context as health is closely linked with the economic activities for poor. Health problems are quite acute in the urban slums and rural areas, partly because of lack of awareness and inaccessibility to improved health care services especially by the poor rural community. Mostly people are affected by skin diseases, stomach trouble, anemic, dehydration and other diseases. In view of that SMSSL conducted periodical Health Awareness camps mainly to sensitize people on safe drinking water, sanitation, immunization, use of latrines, nutrition, malaria, leprosy & TB eradication, HIV/AIDS behavioral health communication etc. Apart from organizing such health camps, SMSSL too cooperated the local medical staff in organizing and administering Pulse Polio in different locations.

Most of the urban pockets/slums in Cuttack city have been affected by Dengue fever. A lot of lives are lost every year because of endemic dengue. Although people suffer severely, they do have inadequate awareness to prevent it. The cooperative carried out sensitization programs on dengue prevention in different pockets of the city in collaboration with CMC. They were educated to keep their surroundings clean and to take preventive measures so that Dengue is effectively controlled. Collective community work like cleaning the streets/slums are being undertaken by the SHG members periodically at the own locality.

Realizing the urgent need of bloods especially for those poor patients who visit the medical college hospital and other hospitals in the twin city, SMSSL and its members made a noble attempt every year to donate their bloods. Altogether-500 numbers of such blood donation camps were held last year during which the members of the cooperative donated 500 units of blood to the Medical Redcross. The initiative was very much appreciated by the authorities and the poor people at large.