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
Butani Devi Majhi
I have a new life…
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Bhutani Devi Majhi, 34, from Bagahi of Rautahat district collected rats and left over rice in paddy fields all her life for the sustenance of her family. At a day when she failed to get the leftover paddy, her family slept empty stomach. “I along with my children had to roam from one field to the other in search of rice and lentil,” reminisces Bhutani. During plantations, she used to work as an agriculture labor and got paid Rs. 20 (3 cents) for the day’s work. Whenever she failed to get work, she had no option but to watch her children starve and cry.
Bhutani belongs to a Mushahar community, one of the most deprived ethnic tribe of Nepal. This tribe is among the poorest of the poor and severely affected by caste discrimination. Domestic violence, social discrimination and exploitation from landlords were so common that they had accepted it as their destiny.
She had a small house with only one room and it was always covered with dirt and dust but she never bothered to keep it clean. Her children played in the filth and walked bare foot and naked. Her husband always remained under the influence of alcohol and beat her using foul language. Being a sole bread earner, he used to think her as a burden and an extra mouth to feed.
Contrary to this, her life is now full of happiness. She looks healthy and energetic. He has not only kept herself and her family clean but also her house and its surroundings neat. Today she has enough food in her kitchen and she no more has to rely on the rice collected from other’s farmlands.
Bhutani, now the treasurer of “Atut Mahila Samuha” has a family of five members including her husband, two daughters and a son. Her difficult life changed to a blissful one after Heifer came into her life through Prann, a local NGO and Heifer’s partner.
“When we came in the village, the women were so shy and introvert that they hesitated to talk to strangers,” said Prann staff. The NGO reached the community with Heifer Cornerstone training and family interaction program. Bhutani was quickly convinced and shared the values of cornerstone with her neighbors after she incorporated them in her own life.
In 2003, Bhutani received a pair of goats. She gave the first offspring of her goat to another need woman of her pass on group. In the second kidding, the goat gave birth to triplets which she sold. With the income, she renovated her thatch roofed house.
The cornerstone training gave her confidence to talk to her husband who was an alcoholic and often used to misbehave with her. With her unflinching effort, she finally succeeded to convince her husband to quit drinking. Sending her children school was another dream she could fulfill with the income from goats.
Along with the goats, she also received trainings on group management and gender and justice. Similarly, she also received trainings on vegetable farming, organic compost making and snake bite healing from Prann. These trainings helped her to explore her potentials which she never thought she possessed.
Talking about her past, Bhutani says, “We used to work hard but we it was never sufficient for us. My husband and I used to be so exhausted by the end of the day that we never had time or desire to share our feelings and dreams. We were so locked up with poverty that we had even forgotten to dream of better future. We all took it as our fate and submitted ourselves to it.”
Suddenly coming out of the past, she smiles and says, “But things are different now. My life is changed. My husband loves me and we share our feelings with each other.”
In the past, Bhutani’s family didn’t own any land but now she has bought 10 dhur land (1/6 hector) through the income from goat. She said, “Now we do not have to seek landlord to borrow money.”
Her contribution to the society is also remarkable. She took leadership to create awareness to her community about the importance of community health and hygiene. She has also requested each family in her village to plant trees. Similarly, she has also campaigned about cleaning and sanitation. She happily shares, “I not only benefited economically but also socially through Heifer. Today I have a social status and I feel proud to be counted by my community.”
Written in June 2005
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