The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) in India has established another sewing machine bank in Ranchi as part of the agency’s innovative approach to economic development.

The project, which will primarily help boost the income of women, began with an initial purchase of five sewing machines. People who cannot afford their own machine receive a machine on loan with the understanding that they will pay back the cost. Easy installment payments allow project participants to earn income while making their loan payments. Paybacks have now enabled the purchase of additional machines and, to date, 11 families have benefited from the program.

This new sewing machine bank is just one of many projects that ADRA India has implemented since it began operations in 1988. Other initiatives include cashew production, construction of wells, establishing goat and sheep banks, beekeeping, women’s tailoring training, literacy training and a polio eradication program.

Slightly more than one-third the size of Australia, India is bordered by Pakistan, China, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, and Bangladesh. Its extensive coastline touches the Bay of Bengal, the Indian Ocean, and the Arabian Sea. With the second largest population in the world, India’s one billionth resident arrived in 2000. The country is struggling to provide the industrial and economic infrastructure needed to support its growing population.