Mubeena Tajand her husband Qutubuddin were running a bakery business that suffered heavy losses. They borrowed money at very high interest rates and struggled to repay and had to close the business. Around this time, Mubeena heard that Grameen Koota had come to her village and were enrolling women members.

“I didn’t know anything about financial services or what it meant to be a member of a group,” she says. “My husband was reluctant, but I convinced him and joined Grameen Koota. We took a loan from Grameen Koota and entered the auto leasing business. Now, we’re doing very well,” she says. Mubeena Taj and her family live in Tumkur. Her husband Qutubuddin says having access to working capital has helped him expand the business. “When Grameen Koota began operations in our village 14 years ago, we did not even have a bank account,” he says.

“We didn’t have money to save because of the steep interest rates. Grameen Koota’s affordable income generation loan helped me establish my business. The supplementary loans gave us access to additional capital when we needed it, so we could expand the business and save for our needs as well,” says Qutubuddin. Two years ago, they used Grameen Koota’s Grameen Niwas home improvement loan to add another floor to their house.

“We have rented the space to a tailoring shop,” says Mubeena sitting in their newly constructed home. “It supplements our income. Whenever we have needed help, Grameen Koota has stood by us,” she says gratefully. “It’s not just about money,” says her husband. “Grameen Koota has given us peace of mind.”