Sambalpur: A woman in a tribal dominated and Maoist-hit village in this district has become self-reliant by taking up the task of goat farming which till now was being done by men only.
Coming out of her comfort zone, Mandakini Bhoi of Munder (Khaliapali) village under Jujumura block is now actively involved in income-generating activities like goat farming. She has become an example for others to emulate as the whole world celebrated International Women’s Day Sunday.
She has proved that a woman is not weak or meek as presumed by others but can equally shoulder the responsibility of a family like her male counterparts. She has also proved that one needs to have a strong will to do something in life and earn a livelihood without depending on others.
Mandakini lives in a forested area but has been able to live the life she has desired. Married to Kulamani, she is the mother of two— a son and a daughter. The couple’s only source of livelihood was there two and half acre of land. However, the produce from the land always fell short to meet the needs of their family after the birth of the two children.
She decided not to sit idle at home, rather do something for her family and other women in her neighbourhood. She called some women and after much discussion formed a women self-help group in 2008. Later, Mandakini and the women members borrowed Rs 60,000 from a local rural (gramya) bank. The women members each took Rs 6,000 and purchased four to five goats each for themselves.
The women started their business but fate was not so kind to them as all the goats died of an unknown disease after two years. The women had cleared all the loan money but are yet to get back the insurance money, Mandakini claimed.
The death of all the goats was a blow to her but she decided to give another try to goat rearing as she had developed a love for the job. Mandakini borrowed money from a villager and with whatever she had, she again started goat farming. She suffered some loss but that failed to deter her. Her efforts showed results as she came to be recognised as a leading goat farmer in the area.
She is now the owner of 70 goats of three different species including 35 female goats which fetches an annual return of over Rs 2 lakh. Mandakini is now assisted by her husband and son in her job. Her husband cultivates paddy and vegetables in Kharif and Rabi season on their 2.5 acre land.
When contacted, Mandakini said she does not have a cowshed to house the goats for which she ties the animals on the verandah of her house. She has applied for financial assistance for construction of a cowshed but the panchayat and block authorities are yet to resolve the issue.