Says Badrawathi of Mihintale
She was a 56-year old widow with 3 young children who eked out a hand to mouth existence from her paltry daily income received from vegetable vending from door to door in the village. She with her children eked out a living each day not knowing whether they will have a proper meal the next day. She had no proper house of her own.
Badrawathi left her children with her elderly mother and a sister and went to the Middle- East and worked there for 3 years under many grueling conditions and without proper pay. being not ble to save much. In frustration, she returned home.
It was in 2000 she became a member of a community based organization (CBO) of South Asia Partnership Sri Lanka (SAPSRI) and obtained her first loan of Rs. 2,000, ($ 15 ) and started a wayside temporary tea kiosk near the Mihintale Temple . She earned Rs. 8000 a month , improved her house and settled the loan in full.
While the tea kiosk was in operation she obtained her second loan of Rs.4,000 from SAPSRI to cultivate vegetables and paddy. Paid loan installments on time and in 2005, she purchased 2 milk cows and was able to get 12 -15 liters of milk daily. She bought a refrigerator too, to preserve milk.. Her dairy industry in expanding as she added two more cows to the fleet !
She runs short of feed and water to her cows. Now she plans to dig an agro-well to water her feed grass and expand vegetable cultivation.
“I have succeeded in my life with my children, thanks to my SAPSRI CBO’s credit support and advice”, says happy Badrawathi