Manju wanted more for her daughters.

Manju joined an Arpana self-help group in her village in Karnal district when the family's income was about ₹1,300 a month. The group met monthly. Each member saved a small, fixed amount; the group kept its own ledger, and decisions about lending were taken together.

Over the years Manju saved ₹96,600 through the group. The figure matters less than what it made possible: a record of reliability that the group — and later banks — could lend against.

If I hadn't joined the Arpana group, I would never have seen such a big day.

She borrowed with discipline — small loans, repaid on time, then larger ones — and invested in work that paid. The household moved out of the mud house. Both daughters stayed in school.

One daughter completed an engineering degree. The other, Neha, joined the Indian Army — described in Arpana's report as the first girl from their village to do so.

My children are not only educated — they are bringing pride to our entire village.Manju

Manju's group is one of 1,083 in 108 Haryana villages. Together they hold ₹84.95 crore of their members' savings and processed 5,753 internal loans this year. Two federations, led by the women themselves, now represent all of them.