Thirteen HIV+ women from 3 separate towns, eleven of them widows, all mothers, and all from economically weaker sections of society, wanted to earn a living and support themselves. To do this, they formed a self-help group (SHG), and tried to open a savings account. But the bank turned down their request. The strength of an SHG is homogeneity, with members living in the same street or neighbourhood. In this case, with the women living in separate towns, they posed too much of a risk for any financier.
