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
Radhika Devi Mishra
Building happy and healthy community
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My name is Radhika Devi Mishra. I was born in Satiwora Village at Bahuna Pokhari in 1975 as a second child in a family of seven. Our life was running smoothly till a disastrous flood swept away our property in 1985.
The flood not only took away our belongings and land but also the happiness. My mother was so shocked that it took a long time for her to recover. Following the incident, my father decided to migrate to Chitwan with the hope of new life with better work opportunity.
My father always wanted to continue our education though I never gave importance to it thinking that it is better to learn some skills rather than wasting time in school. We joined a new school in Chitwan but had to discontinue again due to financial constraints. At the age of 16, I dropped out of school after completing eight grade and got married to Keshav Raj Mishra from Tanahu district.
When we got married, my husband had taken a loan of Rs. 50,000 ($ 715). As I was the only female member in my husband’s house, I had to take all the household responsibilities. My life was confined from Kitchen to field. Although my husband was supportive to me, he had his own problems due to debt. My father-in-law was old and sick and my brother-in-law had to quit his education due to financial crunch. Amidst such situation, I gave birth to my eldest daughter. I couldn’t provide good food to her and she fell ill due to mal-nutrition. That was the most frustrating days of my life.
We had two buffaloes and a pair of bull but the income generated from it was not enough to meet the family demands and pay the debt. My husband was desperately searching for a job. One day, he met a JTA (Junior Technical Assistant) and he was advised to start vegetable farming. It was a turning point in our life. We started to earn good income from vegetable farming. With the income we cleared our debt and also got our brother-in-law married.
By that time, I already had two daughters but the deep rooted cultural beliefs didn’t let me be satisfied with it. I desperately wanted a son. This made me give birth to one more daughter and then finally I gave birth to a son. My ignorance increased our family and also the problems. Now I feel how foolish I was.
As we were going through the bad phase of our life, we met Hoste-Haise Bal Bikash Samaj, Heifer’s local project partner. It helped us to form a women group ‘Dumridanda Mahila Aaya-Arjan Samuha’ and introduced us to Heifer and its values. For the Village Animal Health Worker (VAHW) training from Heifer, the group selected my husband. In 2002, we received two goats each along with several trainings.
We received trainings on cornerstones, group management, animal management, fodder plantation, nursery management, leadership development and gender. We also got exposure through exchange visits at Chitwan, Nawalparasi, Itahari and Palpa and learned from the women there. It was an eye-opening experience for us.
The goat and the trainings brought positive changes in our lives. Today I have a healthy family and strong bank balance. My house is clean, has improved shed, a clean toilet and a bio-gas plant. At present, I have two buffaloes, two cows, one pair of bull and 11 goats. Every year, I earn Rs. 25,ooo from fruits, 50,000 from vegetables, 60,000 from milk and 10,000 rupees from bees. With the income, I have sent all my children to school and have also been able to save Rs. 2,00,000 in my bank. Today I have a healthy and happy family.
In the social front as well, our group has initiated various development activities. We contributed Rs. 1,10,000, 5,000 rupees each for the road construction. After the construction of road, it has become easy to reach market to sell our goods. The most commendable work that our group did was saving the life of a group member Dridha Maya Lamichane, when she had difficulty in delivering her child. Our group collected 1500 rupees for doctor’s fees and hence saved the life of both mother and child. We also provided her with nutritious foods like ghee and vegetables. Our group is also supporting the salary of two secondary level teachers in our village school. Similarly, we have also conducted Values based Literacy Program (VBLP) for illiterate women of our village. Today my community is a happy and healthy community that is united with Heifer’s values.
Wrtiien in June 2005
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