With our Rural microcredit we have concentrated on the poorest of the poor, those women who are earning less that Rs.60 per day (less than one dollar) and are landless (meaning that they own no land of their own). These women generally have no skills training, often illiterate and mostly ‘forgotten’. In their own words, no bank would let them in the front door in their best dress, let alone give them a loan.
Ramchandra & Sila K.C., both whom are dedicated to encourage the women to realise that they have the potential within themselves to make a small business and lift their survival living and financial situation oversees our microcredit program.
We have also complimented our microcredit program with additional training:
•Literacy courses open for whole village
•Candle making
•Carpet making
•Agriculture
Also we have provided the materials and technical assistance to build Dug Wells in the villages without easy access to water. The village contributing their labour and small funds towards this development.
1. Bishnumaya Pandey : She has first taken a loan as part of our first group of Rs.5,000.00, to purchase goats. Now she has a small goatherd that she grazes in the jungle. Now every year she sells 2 male goat earning Rs.10000.00. She has made Rs.26,000.00 total profit from goat farming which as helped her situation greatly and allowed her to put a small deposit on some land for the future of her life and family.
2. Gyanu Lama has small roadside Grocery shop. She has taken loan Rs.7,000.00 first time and every year she made profit would be Rs.12,000.00. Currently her Grocery shop worth would be Rs. 29,000.00.
3. Kalimaya Praja: she has taken Rs.5,000.00 loan from first time for Pig she has started that business with 3 pig and every year she has made 12,000.00 thousand and till date she has made Rs.27,000.00 additionally she also 2 pig read for selling. In future she wish to make one PIG farmhouse to expand her Pig farming.
4. Laxmi Ghalan : she has started business Rs.7,000.00 for wood carving and carpentry, where her husband supports her making nice carpentering and make with in year Rs.11,000.00 profit where from that job earned would be Rs.19,000.00 in the total income per year. She has also future wish to open one Carpenter shop.
Some additional general examples of the types of investments made by participants in the Rural microcredit program include:
Shorter-term profit return on investment options:
• A large amount of women invested the loan in buying goats growing them up, feeding them and let them bear goat-calves, some of which they can sell, others they add to growing herd of goats.
• Some women invested small roadside grocery shop, where they sell biscuits, snacks, noodles, wine, meat, household items, cosmetics, fruits etc. They are buying the items in nearer markets, sometimes also farer, e.g. in Bharatpur. Some could also build the 2nd year a bigger shop and include it to the house.
• Some women invested in the seeds and agricultural items for growing French beans.
• Some women invested in buying a sewing machine.
• One woman invested in a telephone.
• One woman is buying some clothes in the big markets and is selling it in the countryside by cycling around and going by foot up the mountains.
• One woman set up a small roadside restaurant for local people.
• Some family invested in a business for producing items they can sell in market or Kathmandu (money box).
• Some women invested in some chicken and are growing up the small for selling in the market.
• One family is investing in trading, buying unprocessed rice and maize in remote areas, processing it and selling it in the market.
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Investment with a longer pay back value:
• Some women invested the 2nd loan to buy a buffalo or a cow. Mostly all have still the animals, a small amount of these animals gave already birth to a calf, and therefore they could sell an amount of milk daily to the dairy.