A Fistful of Rice – Nepal

Transformative change has come to the village of Haripur, in the plains between the Himalayas and India. Two years ago, 25 poor women born into the lowest caste group began to work together to improve their lives. They received training in community development and improved farming, got micro-loans, and learned to read and write. Most important, they gained confidence: “Before people looked down on us. We were even afraid to speak in public,” recalls Aparna, the group’s president. Today, members run a variety of small enterprises from small shops, to sewing, to collective vegetable farming, to goat and pig raising.

Realizing others also have many unmet needs, the women of the group also started the Fistful of Rice, a creative sharing idea: every member sets aside a handful of rice when cooking the family meal. In this way each woman saves about 3 pounds of rice every month. Members pool and then sell the rice at the end of each month.

They donate the proceeds to the poorest families in the village. So far, The Fistful of Rice fund has helped pay for the cost of medical emergencies, funerals, weddings, bad crops. In this village, the Fistful of Rice has also become a symbol for how little by little people can bring positive change. Women and men from other villages have now started to visit Haripur to learn from the example of women there.