Synopsis A self help group (SHG) is a micro-cooperative whose activities comprise income-generation, overcoming addiction and ensuring safe sex, and propagating microfinance. Indian banks have found that lending to an SHG is good as the recovery rate is 90-100 percent. Despite this, poor families cannot cross the poverty line as the average amount loaned to them is very small. It is hoped this book will prove useful to NGOs, bank officials, economists, scholars and sociologists.