The NGO helped her and her fellow women workers in setting up a thrift and credit society and getting it accepted by a local bank. The women's group now had access to credit to help them through difficult times such as illness or marriages and to buy better household items. Their solidarity and relative affluence made the men take them more seriously. The Mahila Sabha now provides constructive inputs in all decisions taken by the village. One of Sonalika's proudest moments came when she convinced the villagers to destroy their liquor stall.
Voluntary prohibition is now the norm in the village.
With improvement in the status of women, there have been dramatic improvements in the levels of health and education and also in each family's income. This is not a unique case. Similar experiences can be found in hundreds of Indian villages. But it took years and required a high degree of steadfastness on the part of Sonalika and her fellow women, as well as consistent help from the NGO and the bank. In this case, the local authorities were also helpful.