Project staff also helped establish women's savings and credit groups to supplement family incomes. Banks then began to offer the groups credit for dairy farming, sewing, tree nurseries, and trading. Some groups have lent their savings to other farmers so they could meet some of the crop production costs. Bringing Health Care and Education Programs to the Slums For the millions of devastatingly poor people dwelling in the slums of India's metropolises, nutritious food, toilets and health care are often unattainable luxuries. But in Bangalore, Calcutta, Delhi and Hyderabad, the women of the slums, NGOs, and government health workers have joined together to improve the health and well-being of women and children in some of the city's poorest neighborhoods.
Volunteers help bring the services to the poor.
They have used these seedling funds to improve civic amenities, such as sanitation systems, wells, and toilets. Income-generation schemes like tailoring centers have also been set up. Highly successful, this program inspired a high extent of both NGO and community participation, resulting in significant health improvements. There are 22 NGOs delivering family planning and maternal and child health services in 662 slums of the city, with each NGO having autonomous authority over all project activities in 20 or more slums. Thousands of other community members have joined the project's innovative schemes, such as workshops for first-time mothers, nutrition education programs for girls, and nursery schools for children.