Fulo lives in Siraha, Nepal. As a member of the lowest Dalit caste, her family owns very little land. Over the past three years, a project supported by INF has turned things around for women like her by teaching them how to rent land and make a profit from it. Fulo tells her story:

“My name is Fulo, and I’m now the treasurer of Rishikul Farmers Group. I am 40 years old, married with two sons and a daughter.

“My husband works away in Oman to support our family. We were heavily dependent on his income, but the money from Oman still wasn’t enough. I had to take a loan from a moneylender at high interest and work as a daily wage labourer too. Even that didn’t cover our living costs and our children’s education.

“On our small piece of land, I used to grow vegetables, but I could only grow enough for us to eat – it wasn’t a way we could make money.

“One day, the ASHA project came to our area and formed a Farmers’ Group. This was set up to prioritise the needs of the local Dalit settlements. I got involved straight away, acting as a leader in the group and becoming the treasurer.

“The project helped the group to make lease agreements with local landholders, so that we could farm on much bigger fields. Then they taught us how to use effective farming methods and tools. Personally, on the leased land, I started growing vegetables and grains like potatoes, onions and our indigenous millet in the rainy season. For the first time I sold crops at market and made a good profit to support my family!

“It was fantastic to be able to do all this while my husband was away in Oman. Through the project’s training, my knowledge and skills have increased, and I have successfully established myself as a woman leader in the community.

“I want to express my gratitude for the constant support and guidance. The leasehold farming has become an opportunity for me to build a brighter future for my sons and daughter. My future plan is to become self-sufficient by renting more land to produce more vegetables, and also to serve as an example for other women in my community.”

The ASHA project is run by our partner SAHAS Nepal, supported by your donations to INF UK and a grant from the Guernsey Overseas Aid & Development Commission. The project included setting up Farmers’ Groups, particularly empowering women from the most marginalised groups in Siraha district.