The farmer

“Nobody in this village has managed to
educate their children like mine.”

Shanti’s parents passed away when she was a child, so she never had the opportunity to go to school. However, three of her four children are pursuing their bachelor’s degrees; the youngest one is in high school. She credits her family’s success to her and her husband’s vegetable farming business, as well as the training she received from the the Bridge project project, which helps her work more efficiently.

Every day, she wakes up at 5 a.m. to check on her cows and do some household chores. She prepares tea and bread for breakfast. And then she starts walking to work; there is no road access in her village.

Her work includes digging shallow trenches and planting seeds. After planting, she hoes the saplings. Some fruits ripen after just one month and are ready to be picked, while others need more time. She keeps some fruits for herself and the family and sells the rest at the local market. Her family also tends to a poultry farm with 2,000 chicks, and grows their own wheat and barley in a separate lot.

Through the Bridge project, Shanti learned how to make her work more efficient. She learned, for example, about the importance of leaving extra space between saplings. She learned how to make natural fertilizers using local herbs. These farming techniques have helped her plant different kinds of fruits and vegetables, ensuring a more bountiful harvest.