Self help groups are groups which come together at a platform where they provide support to people in need. The people who join a particular self help group are mostly those share common experiences in life. They lend hands to each other for solving problems that they face in their respective lives. They provide support which may be emotional, financial or mechanical. All those who join these self help groups, reciprocate what others do for them. These people may join these help groups for different reasons. Some may be craving for some information that might help him lead a good life and some may just wanted to show his benevolence.
People with different aims and aspirations but with similar experiences share the platform at these self help groups. They work in a manner which is mutually beneficial for everyone who is putting in some effort. The name ‘self help group’ itself defines the entire base of these groups. These self help groups work on diverse transitions of life. These transitions or gaps can be loss of a family member, fighting or living with certain disease, or different loss in life. This is why for different problems and aspects of life these people have different and a number of self help groups. All those who find a way to deal with a persistent or temporary situation of life tries to help others through these self help groups.
There are basically two kinds of people who join these self help groups. One who joins these groups is for seeking help and support in life and the other who wish to provide help and support to needy ones. The ones who are willing to rally round the needy members are experienced in tackling that problem or have already tackled in past. This is how these self help groups function. Without the support and assistance from volunteers these help groups can never be successful. It is because we still have people who take out time from their busy schedules and initiate in helping others. A person who has faced similar problems in past can understand the pain and grief of a person who is facing it at present.