Belonging to a small joint family with five children is somehow hard to maintain all the needs of each member when cultivating vegetables and maintaining a small dairy farm is the only option for living. Due to remoteness and limited production, they cannot make enough profit and sell their products at a low rate. To fulfill the financial gap, they often work as daily wage earners for other farmers. Through such struggle, there is a turnaround has happened to her. Let’s introduce Til Maya Lepcha, a 45-year-old lady who uplifted her financial status and helped many others like her in the area. Mrs Til Maya lives in Lower Radhu village of ‘Shakhu Radhu Khandu’ village council area under Dentam block of Gyalshing district in Sikkim.
When she was facing a huge financial burden, she decided to get involved with a Women’s Self-Help Group to find a solution. She found LOTUS SHG and joined that group, which was being nurtured by Bhavishya Bharat since 2017. She became the president of that SHG soon, she found many opportunities with this SHG and barriers simultaneously. She faced the same problem in selling their organic vegetables, handmade pickles, broom, and other handicrafts.
At that time Bhavishya Bharat was in touch with NABARD with a project proposal called Rural Mart. The SHG was identified to get financial support from NABARD to open a Rural Mart in Dentam market along with other rent, salesman’s payment, furniture, and fixtures for two years. Team Bhavishya Bharat is to provide them support in linking suppliers, managing financials, technical aspects, and other handholding support. Bhavishya Bharat works with 50 SHGs in Dentam block and their products come into this Rural Mart and receive justified profit. Thus, around 400 people through these SHGs are being impacted through this Rural Mart. Bhavishya Bharat is supporting another Rural Mart in Mangan district by providing handholding and advocacy.