Rasikaben: A Journey to Self-Sufficiency | World Vision India
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Rasikaben's multiple benefits


Look at the number of goats behind Rasikaben. Would you believe us if we said she started with two goats? She has also sold a couple of goats as well. Rasikaben provides her children with goat’s milk and this has helped them regain good health.



To Be or Not to Be

“I didn’t get a chance to go to school, but I am happy that I will be able to educate my children so that they become something. I am grateful to the donors who think about us,” says 27-year-old Rasikaben. Rasikaben and her family of seven live in rural village in Gujarat. She and her husband work as daily wage labourers in a field with a very small income. They live as a joint family and found it difficult to make ends meet. “My children would fall sick often and we would have to borrow money for medicines,” says Rasikaben.

Rasikaben belongs to the Vasava tribe (a clan of the Bhili ethnic community found in Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharashtra). The community is traditionally a community of farmers, with animal husbandry being a secondary occupation. Now however, many have sold their agricultural land and either work as labourers in the stone quarry factories or in the fields of richer farmers.

“I never thought that my family situation could improve. But our lives have changed now, thanks to the two goats given to us by World Vision India”, says Rasikaben. They now have more than 20 goats and have sold a couple as well. She was also encouraged to give her children goat’s milk every day. This simple change improved the health of both her children. They put on weight faster and now don’t fall sick very often. That’s why they haven’t started selling milk yet. They make different products out of milk for their own consumption.

“Goats are strong animals and therefore do not require high maintenance. They eat almost everything and also reproduce every 6 months; so our income continues to increase”, says Rasika.

Besides, they were also given seeds to start their own kitchen garden.

“It’s a good feeling to be self-sufficient now,” says Bhikiben, Rasika’s mother-in-law. In the year 2016, World Vision India provided 36 poor families in the communities we serve in Bharuch, with milch goats.

Goats not only serve as a means of livelihood but their milk helps in fighting malnourishment in children.

Support for Farmers

“I always used similar seeds in the field and never used multiple seeds due to lack of finances. This is a good opportunity to see the variety of vegetables."

Vocational Training

Vaishali: "I thank World Vision India for supporting me in learning computer skills and spoken English. This will help me get a better job in the future."

Child Protection

Tulasi: "Now I am more aware of child protection issues and can protect myself. I know about the government mechanisms that support and protect us."

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