Self Help Groups in Sirsia, Nepal
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In Sirsia, Self Help Groups were initiated during the first project period from 2004 onwards.
Saving schemes have been set up in groups of 30 families, each forming a unit. Like this eleven saving groups were started. These formed the nucleous for the formation of the Saving and Credit Cooperative in 2009.
Other activities focussed on improving agricultural skills. The beneficiaries' techniques are very simple and often inefficient. The revenue of their work is low. Therefore the project started to train the farmers to improve their methods. They did exposure visits to government agricultultural centers like the one at Tarahara. This is a model farm where the farmers take part in workshops and learn about modern applied technologies for small scale farming.
The farmers learn about different breeds of goats and chicken. These hybrid varieties grow bigger and give more milk and eggs than the ordinary local species. On the other hand they need a special and accurate care.
Fishfarming is another training area of the Tarahara model farm which is of interest for the community. The cooperative started to run a fish pond in addition to their piggery farm recently.
Adapted sheds for long-eared goats
As hybrid goats need a special type of shed to grow healthy the famers learned how to build them. Hybrid goats cannot live on muddy ground but need a dry floor. Don Bosco offered the farmers funds to buy the building material and the goats. However, only those who properly build the shed according to the needs of the breed received the second grant to buy the goats as well. It needed some time to convince the beneficiaries. Some were saying that like this the goats get better houses than they themselves.
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