It was only after she managed to save around three Nepali lakhs (equivalent to US$3,000) last year that she noticed her family’s attitude was changing.
“My husband started giving me a hand in my market dealings and told me to carry on with my good work. I couldn’t be happier,” she recalls. In fact, she was earning more than her husband was from his hardware shop. “Lately it has been easier to manage the household expenses now that we are both contributing.”
In a closed community like Parvati’s, there is nothing that goes unnoticed – especially success. Impressed at seeing the progress in Parvati’s life over the past two years, several others from her community have been motivated to follow her path.
“Four or five people started extensive farming after I did. Time and again they come to me asking for tips,” shares Parvati.
There has been a vast improvement in places that traditionally experienced food shortages. Marginalised communities now have the skills and knowledge to improve their farming practices and technologies.
Direct support activities have included goat rearing training and support, sewing and stitching training and sewing machine support. Families have also been introduced to savings and credit groups. An evaluation by World Vision in 2017 saw that the income families earned through these livelihood initiatives was going towards helping children – 93.15 percent of the households used the extra money for education support, clothes and food.
Training in Sloping Agriculture Land Technology has led to increased production capacity of the land. It’s also led to increased soil fertility and has reduced the community’s risk of landslides by preventing soil erosion.
Parvati has no doubts that she made the right choice. She looks forward to expanding the farm to 2.08 acres shortly. “I hope to own a huge vegetable farm here one day,” she says.