October 2024
Hello, my name is Dudh Kumari Gurung. I am 38 years old and I live in Dordi-7, Lamjung. I have one son and one daughter. My husband works locally, and we have been managing our livelihood through farming until now. Despite working tirelessly in agriculture, we are struggling to make ends meet, even to afford two meals a day. There isn’t much work available in the village either, and sometimes my husband gets seasonal labor jobs. If not, we have to rely on farming to cover our household expenses. I, too, haven’t been involved in anything other than household and farm work.
Due to the lack of fertile land, no matter how hard we work, the yield is always low, so at the end of the day, it becomes tough to feed our families and educate our children. With no other sources of income, I once thought of sending my husband abroad for work. But the process seemed difficult, and the uncertainty of it all made me hesitant. As our children grow older, I’ve been more anxious about their future.
One day, I heard from a friend in the village that a program was coming to our area. She mentioned a meeting at the community center, and I was curious to know more, so I decided to attend. At the meeting, some women from the organization named Slisha and its program called WAWCAS explained thethe program. I learned that this program is aimed at empowering women like us who are struggling. I felt so happy! I had never gotten such an opportunity before. But now, I had this chance, and it made me incredibly excited.
Not only that, but they also offered small seed money to start up small businesses with some contribution, and women like me would be given seeds and materials to start our own businesses. This boosted my confidence and gave me hope. I returned home and told my husband everything. However, he was skeptical at first and questioned why I would join a group. I felt discouraged because I had already realized how much this opportunity could benefit us. I didn’t want to let this slip away.
Despite my initial disappointment, my husband gradually began to understand. Eventually, he agreed, and we decided to take part in this program, and with the seed money we received, we will start a business. The women in my village, including me, are very happy that such a beneficial program has come to us. Now my husband has decided not to go abroad, and instead, we are making plans to increase our income right here. Let’s see what the future holds, but I have hope that the results will be positive!
Dear Reader,
Hello and Namaskar,
I am Sunita Gurung, and I am excited to write the story of Dudh Kumari from Lamjung. I look forward to exploring the turning points in her journey. Every day, I am learning how women face various challenges, and it’s fascinating to see their resilience.
With warm regards,
Sunita Gurung
LPL Lamjung