Nepal’s women are amongst the poorest in the world and this adds to their feeling of helplessness and misery, considering the society that they live in. During my visits to Nepal, I have noticed the grinding poverty and the terrible conditions. The majority of these women live in rural Nepal, where the primary activity is subsistence-level farming. These poor Nepalese women who lack confidence due to illiteracy and discrimination are rarely able to access the credit necessarily to pursue microenterprises and any other income-generating projects.
Nepal is a beautiful country that has always been a favorite of mine during my frequent travels in Asia. But for several reasons, it has remained mired in dire economic straits, with most people except those in upscale Kathmandu the capital, living a hand-to-mouth existence. Manasi was one such woman living in a remote village near Pokhara, the alluring hill resort city, surrounded by lakes and mountains. I met her during one of the outreach programs of a local NGO.
The splendor of the landscape does not mitigate the poverty that is evident in the shabby hut and squalor around it. A small vegetable garden grows potatoes, leeks and radishes. Manasi has a family of 4; her husband, mother-in-law and one baby daughter. It is a constant struggle to survive, with very little income from the few hens they reared and the 2 cows. Manasi’s day began at the crack of dawn, when she took the cattle out to graze and ended late at night after she cooked the frugal meal for the family. Her husband did little or no work and was regular with his drinking binges every night.
Manasi tries her best like all the women in the small village; working hard, looking after the children, tending to the vegetable patch, taking care of the livestock and generally living a life of total drudgery with little hope for the future. It was then that a microfinance loan initiative came right to her doorstep. Working through a local NGO, local women farmers were given 100% loans working on a group guarantee. Manasi received an amount that to her was an incredible amount of money, around $500 through a direct outreach to mobilize rural women in her area.
Manasi increased her landholding, which gave her a bigger area for her vegetables. Then, she bought more hens and finally managed to repair the roof of her hut. From a position of abject poverty and no say in decision-making, today Manasi runs her poultry business, sells her vegetable and has also more cows. Group training for women has given Manasi and other women of her village a better social status, whereby she is able to look after her family and also admonish her husband when needed. She is an empowered woman with her own income and can look forward to a brighter future.
I am happy to say that this microloan extended to Manasi and the other women has not just helped them but also the next generation, as women now keep their daughters in school longer and also delay their marriages until the right age.
These stories of women’s empowerment in places like Nepal gives us a sense of achievement in Club Asteria. We support such microloan programs all over the world and we ask you to join us to augment our efforts. Just a small amount of money can make an enormous difference in someone’s life and you can be part of it!
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