Living with hope
Shova Shahi, 33 is from Chapagaun 8, in Vajrabarahi Municipality, Lalitpur. A son of 12 and a daughter of 6 were the source of her happiness in her the family of four. She used to help her husband to run a bi-cycle repair workshop when he was out in labour works. The devastating earthquake of April 2015 destroyed her house completely. Suddenly, her family was out on the streets. At this desperate hour, she received some support in the initiation of Thecho Women's Cooperative to build a temporary shelter.
The family was somehow adjusting in the shelter with the hope to re-build their house. But, the destiny had some other plans for her. After mere six months of the earthquake Shova was struck by another big shock – her husband, the biggest hope in her life, was found dead. Accidental death of the family's main pillar made bigger impact in her life than the earthquake that destroyed their house and property. She was on the verge of nervous breakdown. The lovely faces of her children gave Shova some courage to carry on with the life. She determined herself to start a new life but she could not see a way out to win the bread and butter for herself and the children.
Fortunately, a small project to help some earthquake victims in the Kathmandu Valley to re-start their income generation activities, ACCESS TO LIVELIHOOD: GAINING HOPE FOR REBUILDING LIFE, reached her. She got some financial support from the project to start a small business through Thecho Women's Cooperative, which added some money to the grant support from the project, and bought her a four wheeler cart worth Rs. 10,000.
Shova now sells small snack items in the bus park area of Chapagaun in her mobile cart. This has been a stable source of income for her family since then. Her daily sales varies from Rs. 500 to Rs. 1000. Its profit is not enough to meet her daily expenses yet she hopes to increase it in the coming days. Shova recalls, "It was a difficult time for me when there was no income for my family. Thanks to LUMANTI and Thecho Women's Cooperative that I got a means to support my family. This has been a big support for me."
Their family land is yet to be divided among the family heirs. Her mother -in-law is against the land division so, she has a little hope to get her share of land soon. Her biggest challenge is to re-construct her destroyed house as she has neither savings nor the capacity to borrow. Yet she is dreaming to live in her own house and educate her children for their bright future.
Prepared By: Tri-ratna Manandhar
Prepared By: Tri-ratna Manandhar