Mrs. Bishnu Maya Simkhada (39) who is a resident of Pithuwa VDC Ward No.3 in Chitwan district used to repair and maintain bicycles. Her husband used to work as a peasant labourer. Jointly they earned 10,000 NPR which was far from sufficient to support the family of five with two daughters Huma (17) and Joma (19) and one son Rambabu (21). Both can hardly read and write. Due to the low income their children’s education also suffered. There is only one salvation for the vicious circle of poverty and that is simply a good education. Children are always most disadvantaged, because they were born into this environment and usually they follow their parents’ footstep being illiterate and starting working from early age onwards but not by decision rather by enforcement. There are many families in Nepal suffering from poverty and the lack of access to proper facilities such as education, health, infrastructure who have similar stories to tell.

But the story of Mrs. Simkhada turns out to be different. She took all her courage and will to change her situation.  In 2007 she borrowed 35,000 NPR from the village money lender with a high interest rate, to start her own beekeeping business. In the first year she had seven beehives, but she was only able to sell honey from three beehives because the demand was low. She sold her honey to Salt Trading, a government company with a selling price of 101 NPR per kg. In the same year she attended a Basic Beekeeping Training that was organised by Milijuli Beekeeping Cooperative of Padampur VDC in Chitwan.

In 2008 she asked her husband Som Prasad (52) to stop working as a peasant and to join her in the beekeeping business, because she needed help in order to raise the productivity and to be able to sell a bigger quantity of honey. In the same year they earned 70,000 to 75,000 NPR, and they were able to pay the whole loan back, feed their family and to enable their children a higher school education. Their son is now finishing his Bachelor degree and her two daughters are soon finishing high school.

In February 2010, a bigger support came from Federation of Nepalease Bee-Keepers (FNBK) when it nominated Mrs. Simkhada to get the support of additional 18 bee-hives. The money had been supported by German bee-keepers whose visit to Chitwan was coordinated by GTZ/INCLUDE in late 2009. Now they have 39 beehives and they expect to earn 200,000 NPR this year. Furthermore, they plan to increase their beehives up to 70.

The courage, initiative and specially the success of Mrs. Simkhada encouraged five families in her village to start a beekeeping business of their own.

INCLUDE supports the beekeeping sector and is a cooperation partner of the Federation of Nepal Beekeepers (FNBK), which had provided the Basic Beekeeping Training to Mrs. Simkhada through Milijuli Beekeeping Cooperative, Padampur. The inspiring story of Mrs. Simkhada exemplifies that an improvement of the livelihood security and economic situation of disadvantaged, poor families is possible through capacity building, knowledge transfer and the access to finance.

By Sabitri Chaudhary and Depesh Chackalamuriyil