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| Case Stories |
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Fighting poverty and destitution with a new resolve: The case of Tikaram Fruits and Vegetable trading in Pokhara sub-municipal corporation
Ward no. 9 of Pokhara is a settlement of poor and economically backward residents. Many residents of this settlement fulfill their living by selling fruits and vegetables by the roadside. Despite working hard, the ones engaged in fruits and vegetables selling have to face numerous odds. By and large, their ways of operation are very arduous and they are constantly subjected to all kinds of adversities. The problems get compounded because the scale that they are operating in is too small to generate any considerable savings and lead to business growth.
Mr. Tikaram Devkota is one such resident of this ward. Living in a small hut in Shiva Tole of the ward since 1976, Tikaram has seen many ups and downs in his life. His incessant quest for breaking free from the shackles of poverty also took him to India - a dream which was to shatter soon as despite putting in a lot of effort he could not earn and save enough to be able to send some money back home. Much to the disappointment of his wife and three sons who were nursing hopes that Tikaram would be able to look after them well and support them financially once he was in India, he returned from there to Pokhara empty handed and dejected. With a meager NRs. 500, Tikaram started selling vegetables in Pokhara. As it is, there are few incentives for people like Tikaram who are forced to sell fruits and vegetables in the open as they are at times chased away by municipality inspectors in addition to being subjected to all kinds of hardship including exposure to rain and sun. On top of that, an investment of a paltry NRs. 500 was not sufficient to ensure even a minimal growth. For Tikaram, the task of having to look after the family continued to be more formidable. The situation was really pathetic as Tikaram could see that he was not able to afford even a pair of shoes for his kids let alone be able to send them to school. The family was hardly getting by with Tikaram's meager income. Then came a tuning point of sorts - when community mobilizers of Support Organization of Pokhara Sub-Municipal Corporation called a meeting of Shiva Tole residents, Tikaram also happened to attend the meeting. He could see that the Programme had specific component for poverty alleviation and there was clear prospect for something that he has been looking for all along - to expand his enterprise. During the discussions, he also found out about emphasis on linkage dimension that the Programme has placed while promoting economic activities.
After being fully acquinted with programme modalities and approaches, Tikaram was recommended by the concerned TLO for credit and other related support. After going through enterprise maturation process as per the modalities of the Programme, Tikaram was provided with credit as other requisite support. With additional resources at his disposal, he was able to buy fruits and and vegetables from the hinterland areas of Pokhara like Champa Phant, Kamalbari, Dharke, Chormata and sell them in Pokhara itself. A further brainstorming on effective enterprise operation with Community Mobilizers revealed that the timing was also important. It was realized that the time period from 07:00 AM to 09:00 AM was the appropriate time for such kind of trading. Besides, the linkages developed with the producers in hinterland areas also resulted in better mark-up in sales. As a result of all these, Tikaram has been able to save upto NRs. 3000 monthly which has enabled him to look after his family well. Most importantly, he has also been able to send his kids to school.
"The business has been good. I have no problem at all in making the repayments", says Tikaram. Tikaram is enthusiastic about his smallbusiness and looks forward to ensuring its growth on sustained basis. He is thankful to Programme and the municipality for all the assistance received.
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