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Success Stories

1. Even a tiny loan can do!

It is a popular and true saying that if there is a wish, there is a way which is also allied to Padma Chaudhary Shah's life. Padma was born in a gigantic family on 5th of July 1969 in Charpane VDC ward no 3 –Trishulichowk Jhapa; eastern part of Nepal as the 5th child of her parents. She had other 8 siblings. Her father was a farmer and her mother used to prop up in the farm. They did not have their own land to cultivate but had leased from a land owner, but the crops grown from the farming was not enough to survive 9 children and a spouse themselves. In 1975 at the age of 6 years, Padma attended her first formal education in a nearby government school. She had a golden dream to become a renowned personality in the future after obtaining high level of education. But every dream of a person is not fulfilled due to different circumstances. When she completed her grade 4, she could not join in grade five since her parents could not able to afford school fees, books, and other stationery stuff. Her eyes started pouring when she remembers the day when her other classmates laughed at her when she went to school having no any books in her small woolen bag. Her other siblings' dream also smashed due to her parent's low income and high expenses.

Figure 1 Padma at her grocery shop with her youngest son

After disconnecting from school, her nightmare days started as she had to work hard in the field to survive along with her brothers and other family members. It was very struggling for bread and butter. One day, Padma went to meet her sister in the nearby village where she met Ram Kumar Shah; a clerk in a ply wood factory who used to stay at her sister's house in a rented room. Then she fell in love with that guy who was young. He was wearing white T-shirt, blue Jeans pants and black goggles when she Figure 1 Padma at her grocery shop with her youngest son saw at first that lured her. Although there is a persistent social hurdle to get inter caste marriage but their parents were a little bit extrovert to accept their affairs so they got married in 1987.

After marriage, newly couple started living separately from their in laws. Padma stayed home preparing meals and working other households whereas her husband started wood business. Due to lack of money, he could not run it well but it had become a profession so a vital source of income. After three years in 1990, she gave a birth of first son. In this way, she had given birth of 4 children (3 sons and a daughter) at the interval of each two years. Depending only on one's income, it was too difficult to survive so she could not send her eldest son to school instead sent him for work in a garage. Padma also started working on the building site, life has become harder and harder for them, so Padma decided to go foreign country and went to Saudi in 2007 where she worked as a housemaid for nearly three years which she said was very sturdy, humiliating and exploited in foreign land so she could not earn money as she had thought. From her income she built a small house made up with bricks and tin so expensed all her income. Having rendering from here and there, she decided to do something in her own village so that she can have a permanent business to generate income regularly. She always asked her husband to start a grocery shop but her husband could not do due to fund problem. Last year when she went to Chandragadhi, she heard about Nirdhan Utthan bank and its procedures of loan disbursement to group from Shobha Rajbanshi; her sister in law. Padma was surprised. Then she phoned to Chandragadhi branch to inquire about it, the branch manager then gave telephone no. of Surunga branch and she phoned to the office, then a staff went to her village where the villagers raised varieties of queries. After that they became very happy to get such bank in their village, they liked monthly installment system, insurance policy of loan, interest rate and varieties of products and services so were united in a group of 15 and got compulsory training conducted by the bank staff.

Figure 2 Padma with her husband and two children in between at her house

Padma then asked Rs. 20,000.00 as a first loan on 14th April 2010 to commence a grocery shop but her husband asked to invest in wood business and earned Rs. 45,000.00 from that loan. The wood business is a seasonal business so she was seeking to have permanent business at the mean time there she found a person who was going to sell his grocery shop, she discussed with her husband and bought the shop at Rs. 50,000.00, She had only Rs. 25,000.00 in hand so requested the shop owner to repay other amount in installment basis. Now she had left no any penny so again asked Rs. 40,000.00 on 18th Jan. 2011 as the second loan from Nirdhan Utthan Bank. She invested the entire amount on that grocery shop. Nowadays she sells daily needs grocery items like: sugar, lentils, rice, beaten rice, puffed rice, lentils, soap etc. she daily sells Rs. 1,500.00 to Rs. 2,000.00 in off season but up to Rs. 4,000.00 in seasonal period. She has a monthly income up to Rs. 15,000.00. She expenses up to Rs. 10,000.00 for her daily requirement and pay for school fees. She is tension free as her husband has also left wood business and supports her in the business. From her income, she had bought eclectic meter box, joined cable at home, purchased 3 goats and also spent Rs. 10,000.00 for passport to her eldest son for foreign employment. Her three children are attending the nearby school and one of them is also getting computer course. She is more conscious about her children's future. In this way, she is busy selling goods at her rented shop with her husband and children that is achieved through the tiny loan. Now she has a plan to shift that shop to even more busy area so that she can even earn more money. She has goods of nearly Rs. 70,000.00 at her shop which is brought from the same shop's income. She is always indebted to Nirdhan Utthan Bank which has helped achieved her stable and permanent source of good income along with high dignity and respect in the society. Figure 3 Padma at her grocery shop

2. A story of Sita and Hanuman

This is not the story of Sita and Hanuman from Hindu Mythological epic Ramayan. Siat was born as third child of Mewalal Kanu and Gulaichi Kanu in Butwal, western part of Nepal in 1977. Her farther, a general mechanic by profession was fond of playing cards and gambling. After the death of her father in 1992, her mother faced a great difficulty to feed them. Sita, along with her mother started to sell fresh fruits in Butwal Buspark. She was literate enough to handle her small business. She was married with Hanuman Kanu in 1995 at the age of 25. She was married in big family with 5 sister- in- laws and 1 brother in law. After giving birth to 4 sons and 1 daughter, she got laparoscopy operation. Her mother could give small ring and a pair of clothes to Hanuman as dowry.

She remembers her mother in law's death in 2001 as most grieved day in life and taking her husband away from liquor in 2008 as the most joyful day in life. After selling the land in Butwal, they received Rs. 800,000 which was enough to payback the loans of Rs. 500,000, and the rest amount is spent by her husband and brother in law. They felt very difficult to live in Butwal and they moved to Bhairahawa with few cooking utensils, few bundles of firewood and six mouths to feed. When they came to Bhairahawa, people were hesitant to give them goods in credit. She was not able to feed her children taking rice and lentils in credit. After all, she was Sita, she strived to feed children. She got a job of Rs. 3000/month in local biscuit factory and Hanuman got a job of Rs 5000/month in flour mill. She had leave the job as she was in 8 months pregnancy. Then she started to pack tobacco in home and she could earn Rs 60/70 per day. Then she dropped this business in the 9th month of pregnancy. After giving birth to the first child, she started selling biscuits and other tiffin items in front of local school from the 12th day of delivery. She gave birth to three children and in the year 2001, her mother in law left the world keeping her a drunkard husband and debt of Rs 100,000. She felt shocked and very alone, her eyes gets wet even today. She continued with her business but was finding difficult due to shortage of capital to expand it. In 2003, a staff from Nirdhan Utthan Bank Ltd. visited her home and told her about getting loan from the bank without collateral. She was surprised, she could not believe it. She asked this matter with a village elder sister Urmila (later she was the centre chief). They formed group, took compulsory training and received membership of the bank and received Rs. 10 thousand as first loan for grocery shop, but she was not so successful, she paid installments hardly. In the second time, again she took loan of Rs. 15,000 and she managed business and bank installments. Later, in the third term she took loan of Rs. 25,000 and added some items like tea, cold drinks in her shop and it gave good return. She could earn enough profit and added refrigerator, gas stove, colour television. Later she took loan of Rs. 40,000 and earned profit paid installments regularly. Currently, she is using loan of Rs. 60,000 and she has added a piece of land, she managed expenses for her in-laws marriage. Now, her husband is working in local flour mill, she is running shop. Her children are studying in private school and pays monthly Rs. 1800 as their fees. She is always busy in her shop. Daily turnover is Rs. 4000 and earns net profit Rs.600 per day. In earlier days, she used to have difficulty in managing food now they take meat, fruits frequently. She is happy for the success she could gain. She keeps promises to work with NUBL.

3. How a microloan changed life
This is a real story of Raj Kumari Tharu who lives in Bhagalpur VDC ward No 1 Manmateriya village in western part of Nepal. Raj Kumari Tharu was born as 5th child in a family, where her father was a bonded labour (HALI). She was married to Indra Kumar Chaudhary at the age of sixteen. Raj Kumari Chaudhary can hardly write her name but can run business easily. She has turned all sorrows, grieves into joys.

As she was born in family of bonded labour, her childhood went by working in field, feeding cattle, doing domestic works in house of landlord (MALIK). After her marriage, her mother- in- law died immediately, her brother-in- law was suffering from serious disease. The small piece of land, that they had was used in hospitalization of her in-laws. Later after the death of father- in-law, she was separated from the family taking just few kilos of rice. Her husband went to Kathmandu, Narayangadh to manage livelihood, he learned tailoring, but could not get regular customer. He used to teach Karate to students in local school, but it could work well. He decided to go to Delhi, India as general worker. But at the same time, a staff from NUBL while visiting the village entered into their home and asked them to form group, get loan from the bank and do business as you like. It was very amazing.

It took about 20 days to Raj Kumari to pass the compulsory test. She took first loan of Rs. 8000 and her husband bought a rickshaw with the money in 1998. He pulled rickshaw in Butwal bazaar and daily earning was good. With this earning she paid the bank loan and managed household expenses. They also changed the roof of the house from thatched roof to zinc sheets. While pulling rickshaw in Butwal, he came to know about business and local suppliers. They were slowly interested to have own business. So in year 2001, they took a loan of Rs. 20,000 and started business in village. During the days, there were no other shops in the village, he earned good profit and they added colour television, CDMA telephone, etc. Later they took 40,0000 Rupees from the bank as loan and their shop was running smoothly. They added small piece of land, refrigerator and even a second hand motorcycle.

Now she has cold drinks and other variety items in her shop, they are busy in their shop. Her three children are studying well in school. Her husband, once a rickshaw puller, now supplies goods to villagers by riding motorbike, she herself being a daughter of bonded labour used to work in landlord's house, now she is busy in her shop. She gives credit for her success to small loan that she received without collateral from NUBL.