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In early 2016, Kuraisa joined a self-help group made up of other lac bangle producers and supported through the World Bank’s Bihar Rural Livelihoods Project (BRLP), also known locally as JEEViKA.
The self-help group taught Kuraisa new design techniques and loaned her $2,300 to start her own business. One year later , Kuraisa has added two more production units to her home, which provide full time jobs to her relatives  and to as many as 6 additional workers during peak season.
Kuraisa’s annual business income has now tripled to $10,000. The self-help group has expanded and nearly 50 artisan families in the village have joined, giving rise to a village enterprise cluster with an annual revenue of $450,000.

This enterprise has become an apprenticeship program that employs an additional 100 young artisans. Kuraisa’s group expects to sell soon online on Amazon.in, which already features artisanal products like paintings and wall hangings from artisan members of JEEViKA-supported groups.

This is a photo I clicked when I was back home. So many women just like kuraisa and the women in this picture still believe in small businesses like these and one day I dream of having my own small business too.

These women inspire me to be a vital part of the society I was brought up in and save several small businesses that are almost going extinct in India.