“After completing high school, my parents were very keen that I take up engineering, which I did, and I ended up completing a Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering. Post which, I joined a reputed firm as a Quality Engineer but knew very quickly that this line of work was not for me. I decided to gain more exposure and do an MBA in Canada, but unfortunately, due to family obligations, I was unable to pursue my higher education overseas. With the encouragement of my sister, I completed my MBA from a college in Bangalore, after which I received a job opportunity with a logistics firm based Read More

As a weaver, I have been into making sarees for over three decades now. The lockdown and the resulting situation is something that I have never experienced before. The demand has come to a standstill, especially with no marriage functions being held, which used to be a major source of revenue. The supply of raw materials also has been a challenge which has not helped things.

Have been a customer of KGFS for over two years now, and have relied on them for my financial needs. During the lockdown, I was informed by the KGFS staff that I can visit the nearest KGFS branch to withdra Read More

I have been a customer of KGFS for over four years now and have relied on them for my financial needs over the years. With the first loan that I took from them, I started my journey into the dairy business, which I continue to run.The income from dairy, along with what I earn from the little Agri land parcel that we own, I manage our household expenses and take care of my kids' education. I have two daughters, and they are the centre of my universe, and I know that their future is my top priority. I have been married for over eight years now, and my husband is a lorry driver. As with the na Read More

“We have been into agriculture for generations. My father and grandfather were both farmers, and I walked in their footsteps to be one too. We own three acres of land and sow vegetables evenly. There are challenges as with any profession; however, our experience and understanding of the crops has helped us navigate through different periods. As much as we plan and know the business, we can’t do much when a natural calamity strikes, so it becomes very difficult during that period and one has to survive with what one can.

Compared to earlier, automation has helped increase Read More

“I got married to my husband, a farmer when I was just 20 years old. It has been 20 years since then. We have two children now. My husband’s income from the farm was always minimal through the years and we did not have any substantial savings. To make matters worse, 10 years ago, my husband fell chronically ill with a lung disease that lasted a few years. It took a toll on our savings. That was when we decided to set up another revenue-generating business and my journey with Dvara KGFS began. I approached them for a loan (Joint Liability Group Loan) and using that we bought few Read More

Kasthuri lives in Risiyur village in the Thiriuvar District of Tamil Nadu. Her husband works overseas as a salesperson so he can earn more and provide for the family.Kasthuri looks after her 2-year-old daughter and runs her own tailoring unit. The pandemic caused severe financial difficulties as her husband was unable to send money back for the family and her tailoring unit did not receive any business during that time due to the lockdown restrictions. Kasthuri said This was an eye-opening experience for my family, and we realized the importance of saving. Such difficult times are part of l Read More

It was a Wealth Manager from KGFS that came as a ray of hope during a very difficult time that I found myself in about five years ago. I don't recollect her name, but had it been not for her, I am not sure what I would have done. I had taken a loan to purchase cattle to earn an income, however, had availed the money from an informal source at a very high rate of interest. The Wealth Manager took the time and effort to understand my financial situation and life goals and had me enrolled with KGFS. She helped me avail a loan from KGFS, using which I had cleared the high-interest loan that I h Read More

“Every village household knows that gold is a huge necessity. Because most of our husbands here are engaged in farming or some sort of daily wage labour, our incomes aren’t stable, and we cannot rely on that to run our households or meet sudden immediate expenses. Hence, we all hope to save gold so that, once invested and bought, unlike a tractor or a grinder, it only keeps appreciating with time, and we can use it to help us get out of some financial difficulty or the other. It is the most reliable version of savings for us, village folks.
Like others, our husbands and bo Read More

“I joined the Dvara E-Dairy team as an intern working on developing an app that would collect cattle details and images from the farmer and store it on the cloud. One of the challenges we had to navigate was patchy internet connectivity from the field which we circumvented by storing information locally and syncing them when we had a stable environment.
Coming from a small village named Chinnakammapalli, Andhra Pradesh, my father is a farmer, and we come from a humble background. Growing up, things haven’t been easy, which makes me appreciate what I have now and hopeful ab Read More

Kempalamma works as an agricultural labourer in the village of Jakkahalli. Her husband is a mason and together they have two daughters and a son.

The Covid-19 pandemic has not been kind to Kempalamma and her family. Her husband lost his job and due to constant financial constraints, the family have been unable to complete the construction of their home for the last four years. In the past, the family have taken a small loan from a local finance provider to help complete the construction. However, Kempalamma understands that only by creating the habit of saving will her family b Read More

“I have been a mechanic for over 20 years now, running a welding/repair shop that caters to all types of vehicles. It’s a profession that I am well versed in, and I supplement my income by also operating a travel cab and vehicles for vegetable transport. I was briefly in Singapore doing mechanic related works, however, returned to set my own shop and the going has been pretty good. I have two daughters and a son, and their well-being remains a top priority for my wife and me. Born and brought up in Punampur village, in Thanjavur district, I don’t have much of an education Read More

“The lockdown and the restrictions it brought about was a very difficult period for me to manage things financially. My husband works in Singapore as a labourer, and from March onwards he hasn't sent in any money. Things came to a standstill, and it's an experience that I would never forget.

My husband has been living abroad for the past ten years, and I have been running my family all by myself - from the education of my two children to taking care of the household. One of the things which I believe I could have done differently is to save more. It's something that I hav Read More

They say inspiration can come from anywhere, and I found mine in my son's school. I always liked doing make-up; at a fancy dress competition that my son participated in, I got a chance to showcase my skills. The response was overwhelming, and he eventually won the first prize. The teachers at school encouraged me not to confine myself within the corridors of my home and use this interest and skills that I had to set-up my own fancy store. I eventually did, and it's been running for a couple of decades now. I got married just after finishing my 9th grade and have been married for over 35 yea Read More

Seethalakshmi has been part of the Dvara team for the last ten years. Born and brought up in Tirunelveli district, Tamil Nadu, she moved to Chennai 25 years ago and now lives here with her husband and two children. Her husband is a security guard at a school, and together they have raised and educated their two children. Her daughter works at a private firm, and her son is now in his final year of study. Without Dvara's support, I would not have been able to manage the lockdown period.

With Dvara taking responsibility for our well-being during these uncertain times, we got through t Read More

I’ve borrowed from microfinance companies earlier, but the experience of availing credit through Dvara E-Registry and Dvara KGFS was a truly unique experience for me. The loan amount was adequate, and the interest rate was affordable for me. Also, the loan was disbursed on time. We are happy with the product as the repayment is at the end of the crop season after we harvest our crop. This repayment schedule helped reduce the financial burden for us substantially.

At the beginning of the season, I had planned not to take up cultivation in the Rabi season. But at the prospe Read More