17 Women Saving and Credit Cooperatives and 3 Women Saving and Credit Groups, in 9 cities, promoted by LUMANTI support Group for Shelter were provided with Welfare Fund Support in Kathmandu. The fund is received from Asian Coalition for Housing Rights (ACHR) was hand over to the representatives of Women Cooperatives and groups on 22nd August 2014. Each cooperative was given an amount of NRs 80000 as Welfare Fund support. The welfare fund support from ACHR has helped 20 women led cooperatives in different parts of the nation to expand their scope of their funds. Prior to this, representatives from Community Women’s Forum, the network of women led cooperatives visited each of these organizations and helped them to prepare a policy/regulations to manage this fund.

 

Some of the saving groups and the cooperatives had their own welfare fund which they were mobilizing through their own savings. Some were collecting Rs 100-200/member/month where are some are allocating funds for welfare from their daily saving. They had defined their own rules to manage these funds. But some groups were still in the process of developing welfare fund for their communities. Some of these groups already had a collective saving of NRs 70,000 as welfare fund and effectively mobilizing it.

 

Some Women Cooperatives have already developed their policy and regulation to manage the Welfare Fund. As of the policy developed by Dibyajyoti Women Saving and Credit Cooperative in Dharan, 

 

•The cooperative will collect Rs 200 per member per year at the beginning of the fiscal year.

 

•The cooperative will allocate 10% of its earnings for the welfare fund

 

•In case of death of the member or she is disabled during an accident, she will be provided NRs. 2000.

 

•In case of death of family members of the saving member, the family will be provided NRs. 1000.

 

•In case a member has to undergo a major operation, she will be provided NRs. 2000 as welfare.

 

•In case a member is a terminally ill patient, she will be provided NRs. 3000 to 5000 depending on the situation.

 

•If a member has a baby, she will be given NRs. 2000 and NRs. 500 will be provided to start the saving for the child. 

 

The policy and regulation vary from one cooperative to another, depending upon the funds availability.