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Saalibai
is a Banjara tribal woman from the village of Kondapur.
Banjaras are among the poorest communities in India.
Saalibai's situation is especially tragic because her husband
died soon after marriage, leaving her with a young son to
raise. Unable to manage on her own, she moved into her
brother-in-law's house. Initially, Saalibai borrowed Rs. 4000
(US$95) for a buffalo. However, her new earning capacity
prompted her brother-in-law to begin harrassing Saalibai and
appropriating her money. Unable to make her weekly loan
repayments, Saalibai had no choice but to sell her buffalo and
return the funds she had borrowed to SKS.
But Saalibai did not
lose hope. Her husband had left her a small plot of land that
lay neglected because she did not have money to till the land.
Saalibai arranged to take a Rs. 1000 (US$25) loan with which
she bought manure and hired local villagers to help cultivate
the field. She repaid her loan and made Rs. 2000 (US$50)
profit. Saalibai has now built a small home for herself, and
has also taken a second year loan of Rs. 6,000 (US$75) for a
buffalo. Saalibai's story is unique because it is highly
unusual for a woman to take charge of family
property.
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