Sometimes the road of life takes an unexpected turn and you have no choice but to follow it to end up in the place that you are supposed to be.
I made my way towards Republic Vengthlang on a warm and sunny Wednesday morning. It is located in Aizawl, the capital of the state of Mizoram in north-east India. After meeting a few borrowers I climbed up the Republic hill to meet Lalramlawmi, who is a 74-year-old mother of 5 children who are all adults now. She was one sunny lady whom I will never forget. [caption id="attachment_6948" align="aligncenter" width="766"]
Lalramlawmi at her poultry.[/caption]
I learnt that Lalramlawmi lost one son to alcohol and is currently looking after her two children. Her other children are married and live with their own family. Her eldest daughter suffers from high blood pressure and severe seizures and is unable to work. Lalramlawmi's 82-year-old husband is also not well which keeps her busy throughout the day and night. Working continuously has affected Lalramlawmi's health. Besides her husbands pension money of Rs.7000, she supports her family with her small poultry and piggery business. Their household monthly income is Rs. 8000. But with the help of the Milaap loan, Lalramlawmi says that business has been catching up and improving.Â
With the Milaap loan, Lalramlawmi bought 20 chicks and has been using the remaining to buy chicken feed. At present she owns 30 chickens and business has been going well. I was amazed to see how clean and well organized her poultry and piggery was. She made use of old buckets to make cute little feeding bowls for her chickens. It was really delightful and inspirational getting to meet someone like her who was so passionate about her poultry and piggery and had soo much to share about her life. It was nice watching her be so loving towards her animals. Even though she is old now and still has to take care of her husband and two children, she smiled throughout our meeting and never showed any kind of regret. She accepts life as it is and finds happiness in each and every detail.
Lalramlawmi at her poultry.[/caption]I learnt that Lalramlawmi lost one son to alcohol and is currently looking after her two children. Her other children are married and live with their own family. Her eldest daughter suffers from high blood pressure and severe seizures and is unable to work. Lalramlawmi's 82-year-old husband is also not well which keeps her busy throughout the day and night. Working continuously has affected Lalramlawmi's health. Besides her husbands pension money of Rs.7000, she supports her family with her small poultry and piggery business. Their household monthly income is Rs. 8000. But with the help of the Milaap loan, Lalramlawmi says that business has been catching up and improving.Â
With the Milaap loan, Lalramlawmi bought 20 chicks and has been using the remaining to buy chicken feed. At present she owns 30 chickens and business has been going well. I was amazed to see how clean and well organized her poultry and piggery was. She made use of old buckets to make cute little feeding bowls for her chickens. It was really delightful and inspirational getting to meet someone like her who was so passionate about her poultry and piggery and had soo much to share about her life. It was nice watching her be so loving towards her animals. Even though she is old now and still has to take care of her husband and two children, she smiled throughout our meeting and never showed any kind of regret. She accepts life as it is and finds happiness in each and every detail.
