I am Saraswoti Sarki and I’m 45 years old. I was born and grew up in a very poor family. I am the oldest daughter, and we are 8 siblings (five younger brothers and two younger sisters). As the oldest daughter, I have had to take care of my younger siblings and work a lot since five years old.
I did not get a chance to go to school. I was cutting grass and collecting firewood instead. And I was sitting in front of the school hours after hours and as a result my mother used to beat and scold me. I got married at the age of 20 and my new struggles starts here even more. I cannot show my anger or unhappiness when I am with my parents. I argue a lot with my parents here the situation is different I always ask the question to the god why he has given me so difficult life. My husband went abroad for work, and he sends some money, but it did not go well. So, he came back from abroad and worked as a construction worker. We don’t get regular jobs and therefore we are always seeking where we can get work.
While working as a laborer along with others they were discussing the new program named WAWCAS that has come to our village. The program is for empowering women in need. They told me I should be part of the program as it helps the women who are in need. The same day I saw new faces in our village. They greeted us and introduced themselves. They also invited me to participate in the meeting, which was going to take place in our village.
I have heard many bad things happening due to finance institutes and cooperatives. Therefore, I was not sure what to do, but I decided to participate in the Information Sharing Meeting (ISM). In the meeting, there were four persons to discuss the program and they explained the WAWCAS program and how we select the members of the group. They also talked about livestock training, agriculture training, child group, and LNGO and I was very impressed. It was beyond my imagination.
Dear Readers,
Hi, I am Nar Bahadur Tamang. I have joined Slisha for the WAWCAS programs in Lamjung district. I am so eager to write the blog of Saraswoti’s ups and downsand she has already committed to give time to me for this purpose. Hence, I would like to thank her.
Nar Bahadur Tamang
LPL
Lamjung