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Category: ARTICLES

Published: 07 March 2020

• The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step- Lao Tzu

JAMMU: Imtiayz Begum, aged 40 Years, is a married woman residing in village Dehri Ralyote, Block Manjakote on NH 144 A between Rajouri and Poonch and a mother of five children (2 Daughters & 3 Sons). Her husband is a teacher and the family struggles hard to make both ends meet.

Like any other village woman of the area, Imtiayz Begum too could not think beyond the four walls of her house until she became a member of Sultan SHG. She always wanted to help out her family but had no capital to start an alternative livelihood activity. She came to know about UMEED (Jammu and Kashmir- Rural Livelihoods Mission) during social mobilization round in her village. Joining Sultan SHG in the month of December, 2018 along with 10 women from the neighbourhood turned out to be a step forward in the right direction for her...

After entering into SHG fold, she received a number of trainings on poultry rearing. She was confident that she too could do something within her household premises, along with the day to day household chores. She opted for poultry as the poultry always remains in demand and would provide her family with a sustainable economic activity.  A wise choice indeed!

After joining UMEED, she availed first loan instalment of Rs. 3000/- and purchased one day old chicks (120 no.) @ Rs. 25 per chick. After rearing them for 30 to 35 days, she sold them for Rs. 100 per Kg. on average and earned Rs. 12000.  With her confidence bolstered by the windfall, she again  took a loan of Rs. 4000/- from her group and purchased baby chicks (160 no.), and again sold for them for Rs. 100 per Kg. on average  and earned Rs. 16000. Buoyed by her success, she availed a Revolving Fund (RF) of Rs. 10,000/- from her group and purchased chicks (300 no.), and similarly sold them for Rs. 100 per Kg. Since then, she has been associated with Dehri Ralyote Village Organization in Cluster B and has not looked back.

Presently, she earns Rs. 30,000 and is planning to upgrade her poultry farm with the support of ‘UMEED’ and family members. Her finances have turned over a new leaf and hardships are long forgotten. A woman who could not t think beyond four walls of her home is now earning a handsome amount and is now the primary breadwinner for her family. The UMEED scheme has not only helped her to stand shoulder to shoulder with her husband  in meeting household expenses but  has transformed her into an inspiration for the other women of the areas.  A spark has turned into a roaring blaze and this is just the beginning.