Home-based rural poultry project empowers Nosheen
By Nadia Qasim
Abbotabad, Bandi Maira—In the middle of the highest mountains, flanked by fragrant trees blooming with purple flowers, there is a small house with two rooms; Nosheen lives there with her husband and in-laws.
The massive earthquake of October 8, 2005, unlike in neighbouring Kashmir and district Mansehra, affected various parts of the Abbottabad District, including Bandi Maira where Nosheen lives. It’s one of the hard mountainous terrains where a male dominated society, coupled with a conservative culture and poverty, result in less decision-making power among women, and put the lives of many, like Nosheen, in a challenging situation.
Of course it was a challenge for World Vision Pakistan (WVP) to start its intervention in Nathiagali Area Integrated Programme (including the village Bandi Maira) back in October 2010. However, one of the reasons WVP continues its work to tackle poverty and empower poor women is the support of local communities, including the family of Nosheen.
The area where Nosheen lives has no concept that women can support the family. Only men are supposed to work and earn. However, when there is no source of income, life becomes miserable for everyone in the family. This was the situation with Nosheen’s family.
Nosheen’s husband is a farmer who owns a small piece of land. His meagre income from farming was not sufficient to meet the basic needs of a large sized family. With a fear of reaction from villagers, Nosheen always thought about working along with her husband, to change this perception that women are not supposed to do a job but to stay at home for their entire life.
“It was very difficult for me to take an initiative to start some work. In our village where women even can’t talk to an outsider, how can [I] start my own job,” Nosheen said.
“And then I heard that World Vision Pakistan, through its Household Enterprise Development (HED) Project, is starting a programme where local women can learn some skills and earn income. The best ever hope where I could take part in this programme was the support of my own husband, who is not like other husbands of the village.
“When I started my work, my husband and my father-in-law were quite afraid. They had fear that other tribesmen would taunt them for allowing their daughter-in-law to earn for the family or by saying that don’t have males at home to earn,” said Nosheen.
The social mobilization team started dialogue with local communities to help them realize the role of women in the society. The team convinced male members to form their own community based organizations (CBOs) and do something for their own development. The second step was to convince them to allow females in the development process. With the formation of female CBOs, local women could get organized and decide their own needs and solutions. Nosheen started training on home-based rural poultry and established a small poultry farm near to her home.
“The training really helped me understand how to start home-based poultry and earn income. Secondly material support from WVP helped me establish home-based poultry. My husband supported me by providing land to construct a small shade for a small poultry form. Now I own my business and I also support my family financially. I feel happy that not only my husband but also I am a confident and kind of independent member of the society,” said Nosheen proudly.
"I think motivation is a key to success. It is unbelievable for all of us how soon our family life changed from misery to prosperity. Many chicks have grown up and laid eggs. We are selling the eggs and also using them as a source of food. I want to keep this motivation high,” said Nosheen.
On average, Nosheen and other women who started their own poultry businesses now earn between $3 and $5 each day, enough to cover living costs for the typical family in Bandi Maira. WVP social mobilization team observed that beneficiary females like Nosheen now feel more confident as they can earn income and their families also give them respect. Support from local male communities also encouraged women to show that their own skills and power can fight poverty and sustain life.
“Women can make an essential contribution to their families’ survival that lives in poverty. HED project helped us acquire entrepreneurship skills and live a true life. I not only meet expenses for the recurring cost of my business but also help my husband to provide basic need of the family by having enough money in hand,” said Nosheen.
Nosheen, with the help of her husband, has established linkages with local markets by involving their local CBOs. Nosheen is one the beneficiaries from village Bandi Maira who supplies eggs every day to the main market and earns a good living from this. The HED project has made significant contribution for local females, like Nosheen, where they not only earn income but are also empowered in their conservative society.
The End.