“In Darlaghat, Himachal Pradesh, livestock are a major source of income for families. A big challenge however, was access to timely, good quality veterinary care.

My husband and mother in law never used to let me do anything – my existence was limited to home! But I wanted more for my life.

“When Ambuja Foundation approached me to implement the internet saathi project, I was not very sure. Forget the internet - women, including me, didn’t even own a smartphone!

“A special invitation for 'loans' went out to SHGs from the Women's Federation of Chandrapur in 2015. Usually provided for small businesses, weddings or for buying a house/vehicle, this was the first time loans were being offered for toilets.

‘We are goat people – we’ve always had goats, long as I can remember. My son was volunteering with Ambuja Foundation and learned a lot of new things about the goat business so he could support others in the community. He would come home and tell me all about it, so while I started out with 25 goats, I built up the herd to 50 in just 12months by giving timely vaccination and deworming them.

“I’ve got 2 children and my husband is a private driver, but I always wanted to do something for myself. In 2014 I learned how to knit using a machine, making sweaters and scarfs and the like, I invested in my own digital machine and started taking orders. In a month I now earn 15-20,000 – which helps me to fix my house, pay for treatment of my health issues and support my children’s education.

“My chickens make me so happy! Where once I struggled to make ends meet with my husband’s factory job, today I can earn from home and manage all my household chores and responsibilities also – I’ve no need to go outside to earn! I’ve gone from 15 chicks in 2019 to 135 chickens in just 2 years and earn a whopping Rs. 70,000. Wouldn’t these chickens make you happy too?” - Anjana Gayen, Mohisgot, Sankrail, West Bengal.

“After my divorce, I moved back home. With a house of 12 people, I was teased for contributing nothing to the household.

“We used to grow maize on our land but life was hard and it just never delivered the returns. I learnt about poly-house cultivation and took a chance – building a 4000 sq.mt. house complete with drip irrigation and solar pump. Everyone thought I was mad – me just a housewife and with no experience in farming.

“I was very passionate about trying my hand at growing vegetables, but could not convince my husband to let me try it. I secretly attended a training course by Ambuja Foundation and with their guidance and support, I found a way to get through to my husband. He finally gave me 10 katha (7,200 sq ft) of land to cultivate on my own.

“When I joined as principal of Zilla Parishad School in Pimpalgaon in 2013, children from the community were mostly going to faraway schools for education. Teachers were even waiting to get their transfer orders and shift to other schools.

P.K.Laheri is one of Ambuja Foundation’s longest standing Board Members, and has had one of those careers where the mind simply boggles at all that was seen, heard and been a part of. He served as the Chief Secretary of Gujarat for 3 years and was the Chairman and Managing Director of the Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited, Gandhinagar – responsible for the development of one of the largest water infrastructure projects Gujarat has ever seen. Oh to have been a fly on the wall …