Jyoti Sonkamble, a grassroots woman leader and entrepreneur, is supporting other women from her community in becoming financially independent in Dashpel village, located in Loha Block of Nanded District, Maharashtra.
Working with SSP as an Arogya Sakhi since 2021, Jyoti tai realized that most of the women in her community were struggling economically, as agriculture became an increasingly uncertain livelihood source. With daily survival being a priority, women were unable to focus on their own health and well-being. Looking for a solution, Jyoti tai approached SSP to link select women with financial loans and begin goat rearing on a small-scale. As a result, eight women (including Jyoti tai) were provided with seed money of Rs.8,000 from SSP. The selected women came from marginal and landless farming households, owning between 0-2 acres of land each. The women also invested some money of their own and purchased one goat initially. They were provided with training on goat rearing, basic veterinary support and entrepreneurship development training to ensure that they could sustain and expand their business. Over the past 2 years, all eight women have increased their herd of goats to around six goats per household, and earn an income of approximately Rs. 12,000 per animal as a result of the quality of their animals.
Today, many of the families in the village consume the nutrition rich goats’ milk. The increased income has led to an improved diet by including healthy foodstuffs in daily meals and access to better medical facilities. Some women are also selling the goat dung as manure locally. Seeing the success of this initiative, Jyoti tai has been approached by other women who are interested in starting their own goat-rearing enterprise. She is now supporting them in applying for financial assistance through the government’s District Information Center, NABARD and bank linkages. Jyoti tai says that she is looking forward to providing mentorship and hand-holding support to new entrepreneurs who engage in this business.
Swayam Shikshan Prayog
July 20, 2023