In 2009, these tribal women came together to help one another enhance their economic activities by forming a group called “Esther Group”. They live in Motbung village of Manipur state, which is located in the northeastern part of India.

Hebem is pictured with a raised hand. She is the mother of three daughters and two sons, and she is 40 years old. She lives as a single parent after her husband abandoned her for another woman. Now she lives with her children and one sister in-law. In spite of her marriage problem, she is determined and happy that all her children go to a private school in the nearby town, which is 5 km away.

She owns a paddy field to cultivate rice, which is a staple food for her people. She practices jhum cultivation [slash-and-burn] and grows vegetables such as pulses, pumpkins, yams and peas to sell at the market. She also cultivates ginger on a large scale for bigger profits. Every night before going to bed, she weaves clothes to sell to meet her daily needs. She is thankful to her sister-in-law for standing beside her and helping to raise the children.

With her previous loan, she has been investing in the ginger plantation, usually harvested in the month of January. Now she is hoping to get a good harvest when the month comes. The proceeds help towards enrolling her children in school for another term. She says, “I may miss all the comforts of a caring husband but I am happy all my children are still going to school”.

She needs another loan in order to plan for 2013 income activities. As mentioned above, her ginger proceeds will meet the children's admission requirements only. She plans to use this loan to buy fresh yarn for her weaving and better quality of ginger saplings for the next cultivation.

Likewise, the rest of the group members requested another loan to improve upon their respective income generating activities, which also include weaving and agriculture.