Page 20 - GDG Annual Report 2021

Annual Report 2021 20 Global Development Group

The Journey to Hope and Dignity

In many developing countries, if a woman becomes a widow Nearby in India and Nepal, GDG works with widows and
she is at risk of suffering injustice, hardship and deprivation as women abandoned by their husbands, to increase income
she has no one to defend or support her. opportunities through small business initiatives with micro-
enterprise loans, and supports elderly widows through
Global Development Group project J1040N Bangladesh
nutrition programs. In Chitwan, Nepal, widows supported by
Empowering Women and Children aims to strengthen
J1016N The Widows’ Cause Microenterprise Nepal received
vulnerable children, girls and widows with education, training
training in goat rearing as well as small loans to purchase local
and job placement support. In the last 6 months, 20 widows
goats. To maximise the growth rate of each goat’s offspring,
attended training on goat or poultry rearing and received
several Boer seed goats were purchased and are cared for by
vegetable seeds to plant a home garden. Now these widows
local leaders. Recently, 15 widows who received loans to rear
are raising their own livestock (goats or ducks) and most
goats in February 2020 had all successfully repaid their loans
are now eating more vegetables from their gardens. These
and now continue to benefit from their goat herds - a fantastic
initiatives are inspiring other villagers as the widows have
outcome for each woman and her children!
shared their experience, and their initiative and leadership is
gaining them respect in their communities. In India, the widows’ small businesses have been hit hard by
the pandemic with market closures and lockdowns, so J865N
The Widows’ Cause Development Project has provided 158
widows in need with emergency food relief and supported
the women to pivot their business strategies to more
profitable endeavours.

LEFT: This mother has learned to rear goats for income. Today she has
successfully repaid her loan and is able to provide for her family.
BELOW: These women have reason to smile. After receiving goats from
project J1016N The Widows’ Cause Microenterprise Nepal, each woman
has successfully repaid her loan and is able to independently provide for
herself and her children.