A ROLE MODEL WOMAN
65 years old, Geeta Devi Kafle of "Janaklyan Women's Group", Mahottari district gave up the long held caste discrimination practice.
She has been a role model of the Khayarmara VDC of Mahottari district. Now she eats what so-called Dalit (Untouchable) people give her. She allows Dalits in her home. The women's group participated in the Cornerstones training and changed their philosophy toward the age-old caste discrimination practice.
In Nepali phenomenon the society is divided into caste groups with hierarchy. Those of the so-called higher caste (Brahmin, Chhetrri) discriminate against the lower caste (Dalits). The level of discrimination is inhumane to the effect that Dalits are considered untouchable and ostracized from the society.
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Success Stories
Sushila Ranamagar
Mushrooming into a better life
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Sushila Ranamagar is the president of Seti Devi Women’s Group. She lives in the outskirts of Kathmandu, the capital in a village named Matikhel in a family of five. She comes from an ethnic group that’s very reserved. Nepali is not her mother tongue and that limits her from freely expressing her views. After she became a member of the group, things have improved slowly. The monthly interaction with her group has made her more knowledgeable about many issues. She always thought her opinions would not matter to anyone. As the president, she now finds her group and community anxious to hear her point-of view. It has gotten Sushila thinking and analyzing about many things. She is surprised on how she herself has changed.
Sushila received 2 goats and training in August 2008 from the original group as a pass on group member. She admits she was wary about how 2 goats could make her life better. Soon she realized that it was not just the goats. The training she received, the meetings and discussions with her group members got her thinking about issues she had never bothered to think of before. Her goats are providing her a good source of income. She has also been venturing into other income generating activities. Her experience with Heifer has taught her to never give up and continuously seek ways to diversify. Recently Sushila has been very involved with mushroom farming. Her neighbor taught her the ways and last year she took a loan of 10,000 Nepalese rupees from the groups’ savings fund to which she added her savings of 5000 rupees and invested it in mushroom farming. Sushila didn’t have to go far from her village to find a market for her mushrooms. Almost all her mushrooms were sold to local villagers. Adding to the monetary benefit is the fact that mushrooms are very high in protein and other nutritious minerals. It makes a tasty and nutritious meal for her family too. Throughout the year she has sold mushrooms worth 45,000 and made a profit of 25,000. The money helps pay for her son’s education in a good private school. But she is mindful that she reinvests some of it in other income generating projects also. She sees tomato farming as a lucrative one and is already planting saplings. Tomatoes along with the mushroom, she hopes will be her family’s ticket, to a better life.
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