Sometimes, all it takes is one brave step and the right support to change a family’s future. For Sangeeta Kunwar, that step was walking into Prayas Finance to ask for her very first loan which changed the future of her family.
Sangeeta Kunwar has just a simple dream, when she first walked into Prayas Finance, a local microfinance institution backed by Gojo & Company Inc. That dream was to open a small grocery shop to support her family. Along with a fellow villager she approached the officers there and applied for her first loan. She was hopeful that it would be enough to change her family’s fortunes.
It did, but not in the way she expected. It was more than she could ask for. The loan gave her the starting capital she needed, but it was joining the Digital Financial Inclusion for Youth Project (Pasio) that truly transformed her business. The Pasio initiative connected Sangeeta to a WhatsApp-based community of entrepreneurs, where shopkeepers, farmers and small business owners exchanged practical advice and showcased their products. It also paved her a way to access learning resources.
Soon, Sangeeta realized that she wasn’t running her shop alone. She had peers by her side to turn to for answers to the questions that bothered her. How do I know if these products are good quality? What do customers really want? How should I talk to suppliers? She asked these questions from her community and got her answers instantly.
The community’s guidance helped her understand what items will stay on the shelves gathering dust and what items customers bought eagerly. Gradually, she improved her product selection, her customer service and learned to negotiate better with suppliers.
The results spoke for themselves. Sangeeta’s grocery store began drawing more customers, and her income steadily rose to between 9,000 and 12,000 Indian rupees per month. She was able to bring stability into her family which they had never known before.
The Pasio program offered more than just business insights for Sangeeta. She learnt about digital financial tools that she once felt was out of her reach. Now, she knows to track her inventory on her phone. She monitors her earnings and plans her future with great confidence.
This has been a huge transformation in Sangeetha’s life. The woman who was once nervous and hesitated at her first loan application has now turned into a confident entrepreneur. She now knows what customer care is and financial planning. Her shop has become a symbol of resilience, learning and the power of community-driven support.
“Earlier, I just hoped things would work out but I didn’t know how to work it out,” Sangeeta says. “Now I know how to manage my business, how to grow and how to plan my future.”
This new chapter brings about a brighter and a more secure future for her family. For her community, Sangeeta stands as proof that with the right tools and networks, small dreams can turn into sustainable realities.
Ernest Dube, Enterprise Development Senior Specialist for EAA commenting on Sangeeta’s story said, “Financial independence is not a number in a bank account, it is the moment a woman stops asking for permission to dream. Yes, Sangeeta is earning a steady income, but watch what really changed. Sangeeta now walks into supplier meetings as an equal, not as a beginner. She sleeps better knowing that when a problem arise, she is not facing them alone. Money opened doors, but the community taught them to walk through with their heads held high. That confidence is what breaks generational cycles of poverty.”
The Digital Financial Inclusion Project (Pasio) was launched in September 2022 through a partnership between Education Above All and Gojo & Company Inc,. This was designed to empower young entrepreneurs aged 18 to 35 in rural areas. Pasio provides essential digital financing tools such as a mobile banking application for loan management, together with community learning platforms and an online shop, through a strategic partnership with Parayas Finance.
The main goals are to enhance financial and digital literacy, foster financial independence, and enable the creation of sustainable livelihoods, with a particular focus on improving women’s digital literacy within less privileged communities across the country.
The project has brought about significant impact in India with 51,317 youth gaining access to loans to uplift their lives and businesses while enhancing financial literacy and economic opportunities for young entrepreneurs.
Abhisek Khanna, MD and CEO of Prayas added that through this partnership, the Pasio project becomes a game-changer for young entrepreneurs in India. “It is not just about providing loans; it is about building confidence and a brighter future. We focus on financial and digital literacy, so that the tools we introduce will help women to manage their own businesses, gain financial independence and transform their lives and communities,” he said.
