July 2025
Hello, my name is Suna Kasai, and I live in Tuhurepasal, Bhanu Ward No. 6. Like every day, today began with a golden morning, and I am filled with happiness. I feel proud because the small business I started with support from the WAWCAS Program is finally bearing fruit. Today was a special day — I sold one of my fully grown chickens and held the earnings from my hard work in my own hands.
This income, earned through dedication and effort, brings me immense joy. And as you can probably understand from my happiness, the income exceeded my initial investment — I made a profit!
All the chickens I raised this time grew very well. I remember the past — during the previous batch, a few of my chickens had died. But this time, everything went smoothly. Business is like that — sometimes you profit, sometimes you lose — but that’s the nature of the journey.
Coincidentally, Meera and the team visited today as well. I shared with them about selling my chickens, and they were genuinely happy for me. They even encouraged me to keep up the good work. From the beginning, the team had taught us how to keep proper records of our profits and losses. As per their training, they asked if I had continued maintaining records — what were my expenses, the total cost, income, and profit?
Although I’m not literate, I’ve asked my children to help me record everything during their free time. I shared this with them, and they appreciated the effort. They told me, “Keep doing it this way; it helps track your business well. You’ll know what you spent, how much you earned, and if there was profit or loss.”
They also gave me advice on how I could increase my profit in the future.
After the discussion, we decided to visit my pig farm as well. The team inspected the pigsty and said it looked good and well-maintained. This made me very happy, as I had built the pigsty on a small, sloping piece of land given to me by my maternal family. It’s a risky spot, especially during heavy rainfall when landslides are common. But I took the risk and constructed a small pig shelter there, starting my pig farming business.
Despite the challenges, my pigs are growing well now. I had no other land, so I turned this steep area into an opportunity. Sometimes, when I think about this, it reminds me of the bitter past — but my present, where I’ve created a better future through my own efforts without depending on any man, gives me strength.
This is my reality: my hard work, my pig farming business, and now the recognition from the WAWCAS Program team, who admire my courage and dedication. They always say, “You’ve shown real bravery by building this pigsty in such a place and running your business so well. It’s admirable.”
Although the business is going well, at times I do face challenges — especially with feed for the pigs. Many women in the village are now raising pigs, so there’s sometimes a shortage of bran (chokkar). But even during these hard times, my children help me.
Step by step, I continue to grow my business. These days, I feel like my chickens and pigs are my true companions — they bring me happiness.
With today’s income, not only can I support household expenses, but I can also save a little. I’m especially excited that with these savings, I’ll be able to reduce my loan installment in the next savings meeting.
In summary, I’m filled with pride and joy because the effort I put in has resulted in success — my investment brought profit, my animals grew well, and I received recognition from those who have supported me. This gives me the courage to keep moving forward.