"The Journey of a thousand miles begins with one step." ? Lao Tzu
Pochagaon is a remote village inhabited by Muslim minorities with poor connectivity, gender discrimination, female illiteracy and credit availability being its major development challenges. SeSTA planned to mobilize that village with the help of female members as they were the ones who were victimized of discrimination.
They refused to give up!
Gorsingpara village is located 22 kms from Sidli block of Chirang ditrict on the banks of Champabati River. Scenic as much it may appear but the villagers have to walk an hour to reach Garubhasa or Runikhata which are the nearest markets. The village lacks the basic infrastructure for schools, anganwadis, electricity and health centre as well as access to potable drinking water and sanitation. Communication facilities are rudimentary and apathy from mainstream agencies is quite visible.
The Path Less Trodden
Phonika Barman of Bowari Self Help Group of Sidli is an enterprising woman - a woman of spirit, indefatigable in spite of hardships and poverty. After joining the SHG and getting exposed to various motivational and technical trainings provided by SeSTA, she and her husband Bijoy, himself a very energetic and hardworking man, decided to adopt a new technology in paddy cultivation. They were among the first few farmers of Rajajan, Sidli, who initiated the System of Rice Intensification(SRI) method of paddy cultivation in that area in 2011.
Pigs of Fortune
Dherkajuli is a small village under Barduar tea estate in Kamrup district of Assam. It has around 70 households mostly from Rabha and Adivashi communities. Every household earn their living by wage labour in the Borduar Bagan or nearest towns like Mirza. They are subsistent farmers and regular cash flow is a constraint. Geeta Murari (43 years) and her husband, Dinesh Murari (45 years) along with their son Montu and daughter Jasmina reside in Dherkajuli. Geeta is illiterate.
