This is a story of Ram Maya (identity withheld) and of her ordeal as a victim of domestic violence, abandoned by her own husband.

After the death of her elder sister, Ram Maya was married to Ram B. Pariyar (husband of the same elder sister who died). After the marriage, Ram Bahadur went to Ahmadabad, Gujarat, India and found himself working as a labourer. Few weeks after Ram Bahadur left, Ram Maya along with her mother also went to Ahmadabad to be with her husband.

The excitement was however destined to be short lived. After few days, her husband began to misbehave with both herself and her mother. After a two months of rather arduous stay in Gujarat her mother came back to Surkeht leaving her daughter Ram Maya in Gujarat with her husband. Slowly, it began to become a norm on part of Ram B. Pariyar to beat up his wife on almost daily basis. After six months or so, one day Ram Bahadur hit her on the head and kicked her out of house in nearly unconscious condition. She somehow managed to reach Delhi from Ahmadabad. Fortunately, a man of East Surkhet found her in Delhi and brought her to Surkhet. And in the presence of Birendranagar municipal authority, she was handed over to her parents. She was still in shock and a dazed state when she was brought to Surkhet. Her mother took care of her and arranged for her treatment at Surkhet hospital.

Program Support:

After the treatment at the local hospital, Ram Maya got well. Then she starting facing another problem - that of livelihood. While in search of some means of livelihood, she came to know about the Programme support through some TLO members and she also came in contact with a community mobilizer of the Programme. The processes that ensued enabled her to secure some credit support from the Programme.

With a credit support received from the Programme totaling Rs. 3,000, she purchased a goat and a pig. After sometime both the goat and pig were sold for Rs 6,000, and with this she also paid back her credit. With the profit from this she started her own micro enterprise of goat rearing.

Ram Maya, now, is married to Hari. Prior to her marriage, she, upon the advice of physicians, chose to go for HIV Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT). The Programme supported her to attend VCT. Now, Ram Maya is re-starting her married life with a new partner, Hari, and she is pregnant. He works as transport labor on a truck on a daily wage basis and some time collects stone and sand from Itram river. Ram Maya even has built a hut in a piece of land near the Itram river. Though Ram Maya is not totally out poverty but she definitely have developed some flair for entrepreneurship even in small scale. She is regular contributor to TLO savings scheme at one of the TLOs of Birendranagar Municipality. She definitely wants to grow her small enterprise and as such is contemplating approaching the TLO for additional support.

Ram May in her own words said " economic empowerment is one of the major tools to emancipate women from their sorry state. Had I not started my own enterprise, I doubt I would have any family life and dignity that I am enjoying right now". With her own family, a small hut and a small enterprise, Ram Maya looks optimistic about her future.