Beneficiary: Rupia Begum
[Microfinance program] Story of a successful beneficiary
35-year old Rupia Begum, mother of a son and daughter, lives in the village Vutka of Gangachara upazila of Rajshahi district. Her husband Lalmia is a farmer. The family was in a vulnerable situation due to extreme poverty. Rupia was continuously thinking of finding a way to help her husband so that the family could survive. Rupia and her husband tried their best to find out an alternative source of income but failed.
One day, Rupia came to know about Padakhep, an NGO which provides different types of IGA training and loan to the ultra-poor women of Gangachara upazila. Rupia and her husband went to the Gangachara branch of Padakhep to know the details. Finally, she became a member of the Lili Mohila Samity under Padakhep in 2009. She started attending the samity meetings regularly and deposited savings as per rules and regulations of Padakhep. Initially, she took a loan of Tk.4000/- in 2009 under the PRIME project of Padakhep. She purchased a goat using the loan money.
She repaid the first term loan by selling goat's milk. After a year, she took second loan of Tk. 6000/-and bought another goat. At the same time, Rupia received training on cow fattening. After receiving the training, she took 3rd loan of Tk. 10,000/-in 2011 and purchased a cow. The IGA Implementation Officer adviced her to give de-worm tablets first and vitamin powder, raw grass and urea molases regularly to her cow. She followed the advice properly and got very good result. The cow became healthy. After four months, Rupia sold the cow at better price and her net profit was Tk. 8000/-. In 2012, Rupia took 4th loan of Tk. 15,000/-and invested it in cow fattening. She invested Tk.35,000/- in her cow fattening business. Now she is rearing 2 cows, 7 goats and a number of ducks and hens from which she earned extra income. She bought 25 decimal cultivable lands from the income earned through selling cows and goats. She also built a tin shade house and bought a khat (bed) including chowki and alna. Her daughter is studying in Class VII and son in Class I in a local school. At present, her savings in Padakhep is Tk.3022/-.
Now Rupia is a well known entrepreneur in her locality. Socially she has received recognition and honour. Her neighbours are encouraged to follow her footsteps to alleviate their poverty. Rupia and her husband now take decisions together and respect each others opinion. She has an intention to expand her cow fattening business and has a dream to establish a small dairy farm in future.Struggle and determination brings happiness and changes in one's life. Rupia is a unique example of this. She claims, 'Microcredit of Padakhep has taught me how to live with dignity.' Rupia expressed her satisfaction and gratitude for the service of Padakhep that made her life prosperous and dignified.