Lower income group face major problems in accessing credit. Their lack of assets for collateral, lack of financial records and limited credit history make it impossible to obtain credit from the formal financial institution. They have to resort to moneylender for heavy loans which results in deteriorating their condition further. Chetanalaya promotes microfinance as a key strategy for simultaneously addressing both poverty alleviation and women’s empowerment through the concept of Self Help Groups. Self Help Groups are informal associations of people who choose to come together to find ways to improve their living conditions. Till date, Chetanalaya facilitated the formation of 1462 SHGs benefitting 20245 membe rs in 14 slum settlements of Delhi and few villages of Haryana. This intervention has helped them to start the income generating activity, to meet the expenses of health, education, marriage and has also helped them to come out of the loop of the money lender who charges heavy interest rate. Capacity building training programmes are conducted from time to time to promote leadership qualities and income generating activities. Through the Self Help Group programme, Chetanalaya strives to make people of slum communities’ hopeful and self reliant. The programme enables financial security as a primary focus and other common interest of members in areas like awareness, motivation, leadership, community development, training and associating in social inter-mediation programmes for the benefit of the entire community.