Posted on February 25, 2010 - by James

BBC News: “Saving holds key to women’s empowerment”

Once upon a time, Sumitra used to roam the streets of the Indian city of Ahmedabad, collecting discarded caps which could be recycled and sold back to manufacturers such as Coca-Cola.

She would spend the whole day sifting through the rubbish collecting the caps in return for a few hundred rupees – about $2. Then in 2006, Sumitra was introduced to a microfinance initiative which provided her with a small loan to start her own business. Four years on, she employs five women, and is the proud owner of six bottle-cap straightening machines which process 50kg of caps a day.

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