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| Case Stories |
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Mamata Shahi: The Success of an Internally Displaced Person
Background
Mamata Shahi (real name withheld) has been living in Itram Tole- ward 7 of Birendranagar Municipality with her family members for two years. Her family is comprised of five members, including her husband, her college age daughter, her teenage son, and her mother. Before coming to the Birendranagar Municipality, Mamata’s family resided in Gadhi VDC, where her husband, Sukret, was the ex-chairperson. They lead peaceful lives until they were forced to flee due to the armed conflict that broke out their area.
 For the first few years of the conflict, their village remained largely unaffected. As the intensity of the conflict grew, their survival depended their ability to meet demands of the insurgents, such as forced donations and the toleration of persistent harassment. Failing to give donation usually entailed being subjected corporal punishment by insurgent groups. Sukret, as an ex-chairperson, often became of the victim of these activities. His misfortune did not stop there. His family was continuously harassed and physically abused. One day over 150 members of the insurgent group surrounded Mamata’s home and captured all family members, forcefully taking them as hostages. As they were transported to a different location, each family member managed to escape and make their way to Birendranagar. In the meantime, insurgents took Mamata’s valuable property -including cash, jewelry and cooking utensils from her home. Due to the circumstances surrounding their escape, it was not possible to return and retrieve their remaining possessions. Her cattle remained in their shed for five days without getting water and food. Somehow, Mamata managed to sell her cattle for an extremely low price, and that money was all she had to her name. She came to Birendranagar almost empty-handed and faced the uphill task of being able to feed her family and to continue schooling for her two teenage kids.
RUPP and Mamata
In order to address the increasingly visible issue of Internal Displaced Persons (IDPs), the Rural Urban Partnership Programme, decided to launch a support and awareness campaign centering on IDPs in 4 municipalities, including Birendranagar, which included a livelihood support package.
In the Birendranagar Municipality the RUPP brought the livelihood support package to the TLO level and organized a series of meetings with TLO executives to orient them on IDPs issue in all the twelve wards. TLOs were entrusted with the responsibility of providing credit support to IDPs for their livelihoods. Rukmini Regmi, chairperson of Itram TLO, was touched by Mamata’s difficult story, and advised Ms. Shahi to apply for credit support. Ms. Shahi was the kind of person for whom the IDP interventions are designed. She was selected for support subsequent to mandatory enterprise management training among other process, and then given a sum of Rs. 15,000. With Rs. 3,500 she purchased 3 goats and with the remaining amount she began running a retail business. She earns enough to provide subsistence for her five family members. She is able to meet the educational expenses for her children and has been making satisfactory repayments for her credit support. Her daughter has also been provided with a three-month sewing and cutting training organized by the Programme. She has shown an interest in enterprise, and has requested an additional three months training and sewing machine so that she can begin to a tailoring business to secure an income.
Mamata Shahi says the support she has received from the Programme has been crucial to help resolve her difficult situation. It has enabled them to secure subsistence and pay for the schooling of the children, establishing their security now and for the future.
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