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Economic independence led to social change

Life has in many ways been hard to Jamuna Shrestha. She is the chair person of Melmilap Mahila Samuha - a women’s group situated in Baglung district, Naryansthan VDC, ward no.6. But being in the group and the cooperative initiated by ‘Dhaulagiri Community Resource Development Centre’ (DCRDC) has somehow made it easier for her to overcome her hard days of sickness and a big economic burden.

“Ten years ago I was very sick and needed an operation. I had lost two children during pregnancy. The doctors found out that I had a stone in my stomach. To have it operated cost me a lot of money. I had to borrow about 350 thousand rupees from a land lord,” says Jamuna Shrestha while she carefully takes out a white stone from a black plastic bag: “This is it. Look! And one year after the operation I had a son!”

Given that the loan had an interest rate of 36 per cent it took Jamuna Shrestha and her husband many years to pay back the loan. Her mother and father also helped them. Besides the loan for treatment Jamuna Shresta took a loan of 10,000 Rupies to open the shop she is now successfully running herself.

“These two loans really made it difficult for me. I was always dependent on my husband and had to ask him for money for the household. But after joining the women’s group seven years ago things started to change. I took a loan from DCRDC to buy goats and during three years I paid the 10,000 Rupies back by taking soft loans from the group. The interest rate here is only 15 per cent.”

That Jamuna Shresta is earning her own money and have been able to pay back the loan using her own means impressed her husband.

“Now my husband trusts me with money. I showed that I could handle things myself. Now I take care of the house myself, do the accounting, everything,” she says proudly.

For one year Jamuna’s husband has been working in Malaysia. So how will the roles within the house be when he comes back in two years time?

“It will be fine. He will be happy. When I first started to attend meetings in the women’s group, he did not like it. Why would I want to go there, what was the use? Slowly he started to realize that the trainings and the economic benefits were good for me - and for him too. He helps me a lot. When I go outside to fetch water he will start preparing the food and when I start to clean the floor he will grab the broom and help.”

According to Jamuna Shrestha, skepticism of men was a problem for all women in the group - at least in the beginning. Men did not want women to go out to either meetings or other social gatherings.

“Now we go out and we dance! During the recent Teej festival everybody was there to dance and celebrate.”