SoC from Sri Lanka: A livelihood that empowers and sets us free (REN)

Title: A livelihood that empowers and sets us free

Storyteller: Dhanushi Kumari Menike
Location: Weragala, Payagala
Project: Kalutara Group Enterprise - Rural Enterprise Network (REN)
Collected by: Kumarage Sugath Daminda – REN Enterprise Development officer
Collected on: 25th May 2007


I am Dhanushi Kumari Menike. I live at School Road, Weragala, Payagala. I have served as the Manager of the Regional Institute of Agro Products since 8th March 2006, It is a group enterprise networked with the Rural Enterprise Network (REN).

Before I joined this organisation, I worked for a NGO as a monitoring and evaluation officer. I received a substantial wage but had no freedom or leisure. My family life and children began to suffer as a result. Eventually the pressure of these problems was so great that I had to leave that organization.

Soon after, I heard about a group enterprise which was set up recently (September 2005) in my village by an organization called the National Pre-school Development Foundation- Lighthouse Christian Centre for Child Sponsorship and Community Development Programme (funded by Christian Children’s Fund of Canada). The enterprise was run by a 7 member executive committee (all from within the village) and had started with producing Kitul treacle and jaggery and were now about to start production of dehydrated vegetables. I was also told that they were looking for a manager for this enterprise and that the working hours would be flexible. At the beginning I was a bit apprehensive as to whether I could handle the responsibilities as manager of such an enterprise as I had no knowledge about running such as business or what vegetable dehydration involved. The REN officers made the group members aware of the potential for dehydrated vegetables in export markets, provided us with a dryer and trained us on the technical knowledge required to operate it as well as how to maintain quality. The enterprise was to purchase Jak and bread fruit, dehydrate these and then sell the products to REN who was willing to take on the responsibility of selling these in export markets. REN also gave us a training on bookkeeping, and how to manage the business. I gained a lot of knowledge from the training and felt more confident about taking on the job of manager of the group enterprise.


Although the salary I receive is less than what I had got at my previous workplace, now I I am less stressed out so I have greater peace of mind. Because of the flexibility of working hours I am able to attend to the needs of my husband and children as well as contribute to the family income. Now the group has a membership (shareholders) of about 60 and 14 members are employed by the organization to carry out production of dehydrated products. Since all 14 employees are also women the flexibility in working hours is something that we all value.

Before vegetable dehydration was introduced to our village jak fruit and bread fruit use to go to waste as these had no commercial value. The introduction of vegetable dehydration in the village turned things around completely. Now villagers have realized the value of these fruits and what use to go to waste is being converted into a source of income. We can get about Rs. 340-350 /kg of dehydrated jak of bread fruit. Thus this group enterprise has not only benefited a few group members, but the entire village. I feel that this is truly an achievement.

The team spirit within the group is something which could improve. Sometimes disagreements cause rifts between members. These disagreements sometimes get extended and can affect their relationship as neighbours. The sense of ownership for the enterprise too needs to be further strengthened. The other problem is that sometimes members work at night, either because they have to meet a deadline for an export order or because they prefer to work nights because they attend to the needs of their families during the day. However their families tend to object to this. We have tried to minimize working at night but I think it is essential that we build up a good family support system. It is only then that we will be able to continue this enterprise successfully.

There are also some other problems we need to resolve if this enterprise is to be successful. We require advisory services on how to rectify the defects that occur sometimes in the dehydrating machine. We also need advice on how to manage the enterprise better. A system to ensure an adequate raw material supply is also required. In the past, unnecessary expenditure was incurred by the organisation. We have now managed to reduce this to a great extent. There are also quality problems with regard to jaggery. Not too long a go a large batch of jaggery was returned due to poor quality and fugus growth. We have got advice from REN on how to avoid such problems in the future. However it is still necessary to make the raw material providers aware of the importance of providing the right quality of Kitul treacle if we are to maintain the quality of our jaggery.. During the seasons we average a production of about 1500kg of dehydrated Jak fruit and bread fruit a month. It would be good if the price for dehydrated Jak fruit could be further increased as this would give us an impetus to increase production.


Working for this organization has not only given us the flexibility required to balance our roles as housewife, mother and supplementary income earner but also provided the opportunity and freedom to take part in making decisions regarding how to improve the enterprise in the future. We have control over our future. This is something that we don’t have the opportunity to do if we work for a big private organization. We also have the opportunity to improve our skills and abilities to run an enterprise. The more successful we are the more profits we will have to distribute among ourselves. It is my intension to give my 100% to develop the organization and make it a success. I feel I owe this not only to myself and the members but the whole village.



Domain : Change in psycho-social wellbeing


Reasons for selecting this story:

- Highlights the value placed on flexibility to attend to family needs over economic gains
- Has made use of previously unutilized resources (Jak fruit and bread fruit) and given a monetary value to it
- Evidence of learning, commitment, dedication to improve as a person and further develop the organization
- Is open about the problems faced by the organization and what needs to be improved. Shows a clear grasp of the areas for improvement.

SoC from Sri Lanka: Traditional wisdom to the rescue - paddy rice

Title: Traditional wisdom to the rescue
Storyteller: S.B. Ranjith
Location: Manajjawa, Ambalanthota
Project: Improving Livelihoods & Market Access for Small Scale Tsunami Affected Paddy Farmers
Collected by: Varuna Rathnabarathie (project manager) & Hemantha
Abeywardana ( consultant)
Collected on: 25th May 2007


I am Ranjith. I took up paddy farming just like my forefathers before me. Our paddy lands have always had a high level of salinity due to the proximity to the sea and harvests have been low. The sea water that gushed with the Tsunami of 2004 got deposited in the paddy fields in this area and further aggravated this condition. Due to the high level of salinity in the field, paddy seedlings started dying. Little by little, with each season, the harvest reduced. After the third season it became almost impossible to plant paddy. The modern hybrid varieties of paddy which we were used to growing were unsuccessful in this high saline condition. We were on the verge of abandoning the only form of livelihood we knew.

It was at this crucial juncture (2005 September) that two organizations, namely Practical Action and the National Federation for the Conservation of Traditional Seeds and Agricultural Resources (NFCTSAR) came forward to help us. This problem had been highlighted in the participatory rural appraisal (PRA) which was conducted in our village following the Tsunami. These organizations suggested that we grow 10 traditional rice varieties on a trial basis. They said according to indigenous knowledge there are certain traditional rice varieties suitable for growing in saline conditions and they had done some trials which proved this. NFCTSAR provided us the required seed paddy. They also trained us on appropriate cultivation methods. Sixteen farmers in this area (including myself) tried out these traditional varieties for 3 seasons. At first we were rather sceptical. However to our surprise and delight, seven of the varieties did in fact flourish in the saline conditions.


We used organic fertilizer instead of chemical fertilizers for growing these traditional varieties, as recommended by the above organizations. During the same period, a modern hybrid paddy variety was cultivated in the paddy field adjoining mine. This paddy field was fertilized with costly chemical fertilizer. Pesticides had to be sprayed as well to safeguard the crop from pest attacks. Finally this was largely unsuccessful. I on the other hand used only organic fertilizer, the raw material for which could be easily sourced within the village with minimal cost. Pesticides were unnecessary since the indigenous seed paddy was capable of resisting pest attacks. I realized that If I grew these varieties commercially, the cost of production could be reduced significantly.


Our trials revealed another unexpected result. In the case of certain saline resistant traditional rice varieties such as “Rathdel”, “Dahanala”, “Madathawalu” and “Pachchaperumal” the yields were high. Earlier when we grew modern paddy varieties, we got only 15 to 20 bushels from an acre. Now with these traditional indigenous varieties of paddy, yields can be as high as of 60 to 70 bushels per acre.

The biggest problem we faced even prior to the tsunami was that prices for modern varieties was low and hence there was almost no profit for small scale farmers such as myself. We are told some consumers are willing to pay high prices for organically grown traditional rice varieties. Although we are able to sell whatever amount we produce, we are yet to properly link with established marketing channels. Thus we are still facing some problems in disposing the crop on time. What we need now is an efficient system to market our produce.

Because of the help we received from the above organizations we able to put our paddy land to productive use. If not for these organizations we would never have known or believed that there were traditional varieties suitable for cultivating in saline paddy lands. We were used to modern varieties and thought that these would bring forth a better yield. However after receiving training and observing the results I am now convinced that growing traditional rice varieties is a good option for saline affected paddy fields such as mine.


Domain : Attitudinal change

Reasons for selecting this story

ü There is evidence that the individual has realized and is convinced of the merits of cultivating traditional rice varieties especially in saline conditions
ü Shows keenness to continue growing traditional varieties
ü Is open about the problem of linking with markets thus providing useful feedback for improving our efforts
ü Without the intervention the paddy land mentioned in the testimonial would have be abandoned and unproductive.

How the Sri Lanka team is piloting MSC

Pilot Test of the MSC process in Sri Lanka

The team decided that it would be a good idea to pilot test the MSC process prior to full scale implementation as monitoring and evaluation tool for the ongoing Community Participatory Sustainable Development Project.


The pilot test ran for 2 weeks. ( 21st May to- 4th of June). June has been a very busy month for all due to several holidays falling in April and May. As such the team was not able to collect a large number of stories. Seven stories were collected in total.


The selection was scheduled the 12th to coincide with the monthly team meeting. This was to ensure everyone’s participation.


A presentation was made on MSC process and moving forward. (See full presentation for details). Issues were discussed (e.g. what should be the domains, doesn’t it take a long time to see a change, ) and clarifications were made. It was made clear that we should not wait for the big change but should capture the smaller changes that lead to the big change.


Overall feedback was provided on how to improve story collection.

e.g. To make sure details such as who the story tellers is, who collected the story, when the story was collected, how the beneficiary got involved with the project, most significant change and why the change was significant is clearly captured. Some of the stories seemed to get lost in the narration and it was difficult to understand what the significant change was and why. The need to include relevant background information especially since these stories will be read by many who may not know the background was also mentioned. At the next session field staff themselves will be asked to look at ways of improving their stories. Everyone agreed that video clips was a convenient way of capturing stories and an effective and powerful way of communicating the stories at selection group level as many found reading to be rather tedious and boring.

It was also communicated that feedback on individual stories will be shared shortly


Selection Process

Since there was only a small number of stories, the Team leader and PMs selected the stories together. The QA Manager was unable to attend due to a prior commitment but provided written feedback on the stories.

Domains were not pre-decided. It was left for the selector to decide on appropriate domains during the selection process.

During the discussion some of the domains suggested were:

Changes in…
Attitude/ mindset
Psycho social wellbeing
Use of technology
Gender equity/inclusion/empowerment
Access to new markets
Social empowerment
Environmentally friendly practices
Relationships between market actors
Business skill development

These will be further discussed and refined to suit the Community Participatory Sustainable Development Project

The stories were read individually and comments shared. Using a iterative discussion process two stories were selected. Reasons for selecting these have been provided in the section following the stories.

SoC from Bangladesh: Mizan, a paravet who is 'touching his dreams'

Story of Changes

Title: Mizan! On to touch Dreams!!!


Time of collection: 31 March’2007

Name of the collector:
A.S.M Shahin,

Name & address of story teller:
Md. Mizanur Rahaman
Veterinary Service provider (Paravet)
Catra, Birampur, Dinajpur

Domains of Changes:
Changes in the quality of Mizan’s life
Changes in the nature and quality of his services
Peoples reaction to his approach
Changes in his demand and expectation

Developing process:

At first shared on SoC with the team and selected issue / person .Necessary information has been collected using a format. The rough case was prepared by the case collector. Then sharing and discussion was held within the team members to reform the case. After that the case was shared a second time within the team and a prepared final case.

Mizan – a household name among the milk producer in Catra Village!

Armed with skill development training, the demand for Mizan’s service as a skilled veterinary service provider has increased, reflecting a boom to his income from it. Mizan is the same Mizanur Rahaman of Catra village at Birampur Upazilla, who used to provide the service for Artificial Insemination and Veterinary medicine that had been described two months ago in his early baseline story. Back then, he was capable of providing artificial insemination services but not veterinary services as he had hardly any knowledge on modern veterinary medicine, production management or business plan. He used to serve in the traditional way, i.e. if some one called him in he would tap in on his experience and provide medication as an AI worker. Sometimes the results were satisfactory and at other times, fruitless. In case of the latter, his clients would not call back. Thus, despite his arduous efforts, he hardly earned more than Tk. 4500/= a month. He began to realize that he needed the sufficient skills to establish acceptance amongst his clients in order to increase his income. Thus, he always longed for training that would help him overcome his shortcomings and help him metamorphose into a skilled veterinary service provider so that he could receive calls from more clients around the area. That would ensure a higher income and hence a better family life.

Mizan administering vaccine to one of our cows. Consequently, he also participated in the skill development training for veterinary service providers facilitated by the Department of Livestock and coordinated and influenced by Practical Action Bangladesh held on January’07. This training helped him overcame most of his weaknesses as it exposed him to teachings from the expert veterinary surgeons. As a result, Mizan was more confident and competent in his profession.

After he received his training, Mizan chalked out a business development plan with the help of Practical Action Bangladesh. According to this plan he started to create awareness building and conduct learning sessions on livestock husbandry and disease prevention for groups of producers alongside establishing a rapport with them. As a result calls from the targeted groups doubled (3-4 calls /day) from his previous score of 1-2 calls a day. He also provides veterinary services for minor problems/ diseases while he conducts his learning sessions. His services are more reasonable than that of those paravets who have limited training and lack a business plan.

To quote, “Today I am more confident and reliable than I was before receiving the training.” He says, “With the blessings of the Almighty, all the cases that I treated or prescribed for so far, have been successful.” He further added “My good will as a veterinary service provider is propagation from one producer to another. Calls are coming from further and further a field via the mobile phone. These days, I stress on promotion of my market rather than charge higher fees. In the future, if the Almighty wishes, I need not look for any alternative means of livelihood.”

When asked about the number of calls he received daily he replied “I used to get 5-7 calls daily before receiving the training whereas now I am getting 10-12 calls daily. Moreover, I have people coming to me for Artificial Insemination of their cows in heat, which should be attributed to the awareness building sessions conducted by us (Paravets) under the influence of Practical Action Bangladesh. Furthermore people from nearby villages are coming to me to form such producers groups there too so that they receive Veterinary services through a group approach.
He also supposed, “Some times when the liquid semen supply is not available I resort to natural method with indigenous bulls to meet the demand. I am getting on average 2-3 calls per day for AI.” When asked to comment on his income, he said “I made a profit of 6500-7000/= from Veterinary and AI service excluding all expenses this month, which is 2500-3000/= more than that of the previous month. In coming days I expect to earn 10000-12000/= per month if the growth continues.”

When asked about whether he had increased his investment in the last month compared to that of the previous one, he replied “I didn’t invest anything more than the previous month. However if I get the Government approval for the reestablishment of AI sub center in Catra I will invest in necessary items such as refrigerators and others.

With regards to his future plans he replied, “I want to establish a permanent AI center with the help of livestock in Catra Union Parishad. So I have already applied for it through the UP chairman to the livestock Department. But it is difficult for me to reach the higher officials at the Livestock department for persuasion of approval. Perhaps their support may be solicited by Practical Action Bangladesh.” He claimed “if the sub centre gets approved it will be possible to provide Artificial insemination service at a reasonable price(30-50 tk/ service) to the poor producers of this area. Besides, I am cooperating with the staff of the Development Council (PNGO) for the formation of more milk producer groups in the area. After formation of new producers groups I will expand my business through rapport building and motivation in the form of learning sessions and ultimately I will contribute to the development of Dairy Farmers by ensuring increased milk production through providing better service”.

SoC from Bangladesh: Shapna, a woman farmer, member of the milk producers group

Shapna is a house wife who lives in Khanpur (Jataharpara) under Dinajpur Sadar Upazila with her husband and two daughters. Her husband is a farm laborer and earned 50-60/-per day. Shapna has been rearing two cows in the traditional manner for the last 3 years. They (Shapna and her husband) could not support their family for more than 4 months. She became a member of the milk producers group when the ‘Cold Milk Hot Profits’ project took off in their village and was very optimistic about it.

She began using the knowledge she had gained from the learning sessions for her cattle rearing. She gave the balanced feed to her cows and took necessary initiatives for vaccination and deworming. As a result milk production has reached from 2.5-3 lit to 4-4.5 lit per day, a rise of 1.5-2 lit than before.

She never realized the importance of vaccines and deworming before she began the learning sessions. Now she is aware and thus taking vaccines and giving deworming tablets to her cows regularly. When she realizes that her cows are suffering from any kind of disorders, she calls in a modern trained paravet as opposed to the non trained herbal doctor, that she would’ve gone to previously. As a project member Paravets are charging reasonable price (less than before) for the treatment and medicine value from her. Now her cows are healthy and productive.

Before starting the project she used to sell her milk to another milk collector @ 12 Tk per Kg. But 5 months ago (Nov’07) group members started group milk marketing. She took part in that activity. She is getting 4 Tk more per lit than before (previously 12 Tk/ kg, present 16 Tk/lit). She is attending the group meeting and learning sessions regularly and helping the group for development planning and implementation.

As her production has increased and she is getting 4 Tk per liter more by group milk marketing so, she is earning additional Tk 500-600 per month. Using her additional income, she has opened a DPS at Agroni Bank and pays 200 Tk in monthly installments. She hopes that the savings will ensure financial stability for her daughters future education and marriage. Today, she gives financial support to her husband to maintain their family. She is saving some money for purchasing tin to build the roof on the veranda of her home. Within 5-6 months she wants to save more 2500-3000 Tk for purchasing a bundle of tin.

She is more confident now. At the initial stage of the project she did not express her opinions but now she advices the group on different development issues. She wants to improve the variety of her cows via artificial insemination in order to increase the production. She wants to depend on the cow rearing profession fully to support her family in the future. For immediate development of her family she wants take a loan out to purchase an improved Deshi cow by She wants to take a loan from micro credit organizations (Grameen Bank, Asa, UDPS, Shomaj sheba, PDBF etc.) at a small amount over a long period ( at least 2 years) so she can pay weekly or monthly installments by selling milk.

SoC from Bangladesh: Rural Veterinary Service Provider are Contributing to the Organization of the Milk Farmers for Expanding Business

Provision of animal healthcare services alongside training has resulted in a high demand for training amongst cattle farmers. Added to this, the availability of good healthcare facilities has led to reformed practices and has led to the doubling of income of vets in a few villages.

This situation has taken hold of Khanpur in Dinajpur and in two unions in Birampur. Most of the families in this region own cattle that are a source of their income. These families were not business oriented at all and had very basic knowledge about cattle farming. As a result, they would have to resort to limited production and sell it at very low prices at the market. If the cow suffered from any illnesses, they would approach the quack doctors ( kobiraj) as access to government doctors and village paravets were difficult.

Practical Action Bangladesh took stock of the situation and arranged a 10 day skill development training workshop for paravets so that producers can anchor their trust on them and thus develop the animal healthcare sector. 19 people participated in this training program. This training program not only changed the opinions about animal healthcare but also developed business skills and knowledge. The paravets arranged learning sessions (animal rearing, producing high quality milk, marketing, etc.), vaccine and health camp (in cooperation with the Dept. of Livestock). According to the business plan, 25 learning sessions, 7 vaccine and health camps and 7 AIS have been carried out in the last two months, alongside regular provision of healthcare administered at the group visits.

As a result the cattle farmers have shown a great interest in learning. Constant connections with the paravets have enabled them to obtain vaccines and healthcare facilities in return for some fee, and some have even begun feeding their cattle a high nutrition diet. An effort to distribute and produce milk collectively that has led to the establishment of a business oriented venture. Thus many of them are thinking about supplementing their number of cattle. Furthermore, the demand for paravet services has also increased, and even though the charges for their services is minimal, this has led to an increase in the level of income of paravets. Paravets with training (11 of those who have been practicing since before) receive 10 – 12 calls per day, whereas before it was 5 – 7 calls per day. Their present earnings are Tk. 6000 – 7000, up from Tk. 3000 – 3500 before, the cause for which has been attributed to the paravets increased levels of skills. They believe it is necessary to develop skills further and create a trend whereby health services can be obtained in return for a fee.

At present, paravets and milk producers are gaining from their communication and business orientation that imply at a solid development. The paravets feel that business administration and this method is very effective and useful. So, they have taken their own initiative to establish 3 new groups of paravets in different villages and are constantly following up on them. It is important to increase the number of cattle in order increase the level of income of paravets and cattle farmers

FIRST SET OF SoC SENT BY KHALIL (SUDAN)!!!

Salaam Luis,
I am Khalid Al-Badrabi - Project Manager for Making Hibiscus Markets Work for the Poor, Practical Action Sudan. Kindly requested to go through the stories & do the necessar corrections - as you see up to now we are running software activities - the growing season started July to finish up by December.
Thanks Luis, your response is aprreciated
Khalid al-Badrabi

Stories of Change &
Most Significant Change

Collected by / Engineer Khalid Al-Badrabi
April 8, 2007
Khartoum - SUDAN

If you want to see the doc in Word (including some pics) go to http://www.4shared.com/file/13894264/902a58cc/Stories_of_Change_Sudan_Hibiscus.html . Wait for a moment and click on 'download file'

1. Fatima Story

o Fatima, is a Lead Female Farmer living in at-Tabldia village Umruwaba locality – North Kordofan State. She is one of the earliest adopters of the Hibiscus Project concept. Since she was a 15-years old Fatima is a Karkadeh grower
o When Karkadeh field interventions started by Practical Action through Eid en Neel the local Partner; Fatima was the first woman to attend the inception meeting, she has disseminated the concept and the objectives of the project to her community members. Gradually the community got to benefit from the training sessions on pre-& post-harvest tools
o Fatima collected her Karkadeh harvest that have been produced according to the new introduced best practices required by the markets – started from picking technique, drying, packing, storing & ending by selling the crop at a competitive price
o Fatima produced one quintal Karkadeh[1] [100 pound, hundredweight] – she sold the product at SD10, 000 for one quintal, while the current Farm Gate Price at that time was SD 7,000 for the quintal [so the best practices increase the Karkadeh selling price 30%]
o Fatima used the money to buy some assets for her family, definitely this initial value increment will make an improvement in Fatima's family livelihood
o The most important outcome is that – Fatima & her community have known how to make Karkadeh Markets work for their benefit by effecting the best cultural practices, networking, lobbying, negotiating, monitoring & evaluating their situation

2. Azeeza Story

Azeeza Muhammad Adam is living in Dar as Salaam el-Fashir locality, North Darfur State. Azeeza is one of Karkadeh local executive committees; she is 37 year old, married having a sun. By profession Azeeza is an elementary-level-teacher. Voluntary Azeeza used to extend to her students sessions concerning Karkadeh cultivation - discussing with them potentiality of this crop in its two dimensions as cash and as well as food crop too. Also Azeeza used to encourage students to erect living fences using Karkadeh during the fall season

School Farming is an integral constituent part of the government syllabus – but to lack of resources this course is omitted, Azeeza in her non-stopping good will & ambition used to train students & the interested persons doing Karkadeh agro-processing. Azeeza & the school team cultivated in total 4 Small Mukhamas[2] area the yield was 15-quintal [hundredweight], used as follows:

It is clear that the school community benefits out of the training sessions and the processed yield as well, in addition the beneficiaries appreciated the idea of maximizing returns through adding value to their crops

3. Sabiel Story

Sabiel Ali Sabiel is living in Dar as Salaam, el-Fashir locality, North Darfur State, Sabiel is a Karkadeh local committee member. He was in charge of distributing Karkadeh seeds [avail for them by Practical Action- Hibiscus project] to the farmers during the distribution he illustrated for the community the economical importance of Karkadeh and how they can get maximum benefit through their local committees & Hibiscus project interventions. However, he reported his neighbours the Karkadeh grower's number was increased from 1,000 to 1,100 at the same time their area is increased too.- that lead to 10% increment in the Karkadeh cultivated are this year 2006. Although during the last five years farmers used to grow large areas, but due to market deterioration and the decreasing of the Karkadeh price farmers grow just part of their land by it for their own use

4. Hawa Story

Hawa Shommo Muhammad [widow] is living in Dar as Salaam el-Fashir locality – North Darfur State. Hawa is a Karkadeh farmer, she said that two years ago she didn’t cultivate Karkadeh but this year after the project intervened "I have been encourage to cultivate Karkadeh" as Hawa quoted she continued " I received seeds from the Karkadeh Community-Based Organisation and I cultivated an area of about 36,750 square meter locally it is estimated to be seven Small Mukhamas [1-Small Mukhamas equivalent 5,250 square meter]. Also Hawa attended the harvest & post harvest training sessions conducted by Practical Action. She received the new harvesting tools [Injaz[3] & Gargara[4]] which help her to harvest much extra quantity of Karkadeh, [3.5 Quintal per 1 Small Mukhamas instead of only 3.0 quintals]. Hawa Shommo marketed her product in Umdurman at SD 245,000 gross returns (US$ 122,500). She said "I managed to buy a milking cow[5] to benefit my children, in addition to new TV set[6] and I paid US$ 75.0 as school fees for my children]

Clearly the beneficiary feels pleased and happy about her successful endeavours and accomplishments - we share with her the same feelings

Notes:
[1] The mean yield is 350 pound per 4,200 square meter area
[2] One Mukhamas is equivalent to 5,250 square meter
[3] Improved de-seeder tool
[4] Just iron pipe 5-inch diameter & 30-cm long for de-seeding the calyx
[5] At cost of SD 50,000 (US$ 250)
[6] At cost of US$ 250