BWDA started its social mobilization programmes with a small initial financial aid of Rs. 2500 from Programme For Social Action (PSA), Kerala and later from Partner’s Justice Concern-India. In the span of its social mobilization programmes, in the few year 1987 came the major breakthrough when it got its first major foreign fund from a Dutch society, the Inter Church organization for Development Co-operation (ICCO) for furthering the bullock-cart workers focused through development programmes

From 1988 onwards BWDA started forming Self Help Groups (SHGs) of women of the bullock cart families By 1998, the number of SHGs had grown large and the cumulative credit requirements had inflated.

Banks were not very eager to take up the cause of financing these groups. Besides, the banks were not in a position to understand the problems and requirements of the groups.

It was at this juncture that BWDA decided to start its own mirco-finance programme to cater to the credit requirements of the groups as well as address their other credit related issues.

Contrained resources and an available oppurtunity allowed it to acquire Nagercoil Prompt Finance and Investment Private Limited, a Kanyakumari based NBFC that had closed down its operations in 2002. The company had no liabilities and had an authorized share capital of Rs. 10 million and paid up capital of Rs. 3.3 million. On acquistion, the company was rechristened as "BWDA Finance Limited ( BFL )" and became legally operational in August 2003. RBI later approval a share capital of Rs. 20 million for BFL, Board of Directors, employees of BWDA and BFL and their customers.