“There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up”
-John Holmes
Asha’s Financial Inclusion Programme has been helping the Asha slum dwellers improve their livelihood. One of the examples is Jay Kishan from Asha’s Mayapuri slum community.
The Mayapuri slum community is situated amidst the biggest car scrap market of Asia. One has to cross huge heaps of corroded metals and iron circling the area. No one can keep their footwear from the greasy lanes while passing.
Jay Kishan (30), a father to three children, is residing in Mayapuri slum community from past 30 years. Once married, Jay Kishan toiled hard but earned peanuts. At the time, he only wished that if someone could just lend him some amount of money to start a business of his own.
About 10 years ago, Asha intervened in Jay’s life. Asha counselled and helped him take a loan of ₹ 20, 000 to buy a commercial vehicle which he paid back in time. The new source of money not only brought happiness in Jay’s family but also enthusiasm and courage to Jay. Within a span of five years, his business began to flourish. One successful repayment of the loan made him decide to go for another one.
Presently, Jay has repaid the full loan and owns two commercial vehicles that are earning him well. The loan he took, brought a drastic change in his life. The eldest child of the house is pursuing higher studies and aspires to become a Chartered Accountant. Jay says, “I will never let my children go through the same agony. I would never want them to become a driver like me”. He is happy that now, not only he feeds his own family but one of his vehicles have become a means of sustenance for another family whom he gave it on rent.
He never loses an opportunity to visit Asha. “I can’t thank Asha enough for what I received from them. I can never ever repay what they did,” says Jay, wetting his eyes with tears. Recently, he has shifted to his new abode away from the slums. Jay has set an example for everyone demonstrating a true spirit of determination and patience.
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