Beneficiaries of zero interest loans under tEA’s uplifting women street vendors program.
Kohima, August 25 (MExN): The Entrepreneurs Associates (tEA) conducted its "Uplifting Women Street Vendors Programme,” for women street vendors on August 24 at Dimapur branch office.
Supongchiba, Community Mobiliser spoke on the importance of being financially savvy and cultivating the habit of savings to live a comfortable life.
He highlighted the need for the vendors to save with the intent of achieving financial stability and not habituate the recurrent pattern of seeking loans.
Vezou Venuh, Branch Manager, tEA Dimapur apprised the women on the organization’s motivation behind initiating the provision of zero interest loans.
She stated that this support sprung forth during the Covid-19 pandemic when majority of the street vendors’ businesses were in complete disarray.
The zero interest loans served as a window for the women to restart their businesses and recoup what they had lost.
Today, this aid is still provided to struggling women street vendors across the states. The programme witnessed disbursement of zero interest loans to 6 women street vendors under “Uplifting Women Street Vendors Programme.”
This financial support will be instrumental in expanding the inventory of their current businesses.
The programme concluded with vote of thanks proposed by Yanbemo Kikon.
The Uplifting Women Street Vendors Program is a flagship program of tEA, launched in October 2017, to empower women involved in the network of marketing farm produce.
The program is unique to tEA and one of a kind in the entire NER India, according to tEA adding that it tEA engages with women street vendors, producers who also sell their yields, and aggregators who link rural products with the urban markets.
Till date, tEA has trained and worked with 10000+ women street vendors in Nagaland, Manipur,Assam, and Arunachal Pradesh with plans to branch out to other neighboring states in the upcoming days. Under the program, tEA has been providing training on financial & business management, skills training, zero interest loans, health and legal services, mentorship and linkages to markets.
EA hopes that by 2025, more women street vendors will be impacted under the program.
