Projects: What We Do

The Goat Ladies 

“Our husbands even cook and do laundry now.”

 United Women’s Savings and Loan Organization (UWSLO), a.k.a. “The Goat Ladies”, is an all-woman collective in the Nuwakot District of Nepal that is changing the status of women in their communities. Women in rural Nepal’s traditional, patriarchal society have little value—sometimes even less than the livestock they tend—leaving them vulnerable to exploitation and abuse.

 AHF has partnered with UWSLO since 2004, helping the poorest village women earn a sustainable income by offering them capital and training to become goat breeders. The goats make milk, fiber for weaving, and baby goats to sell to other villagers. Last year, we added vegetable farming to the menu. UWSLO distributes organic pesticides, fertilizers, and plastic crates to its 700 members and organizes workshops and field trips to commercial vegetable farming sites,

 so they can get some first-hand experience with the professionals. Helping these women achieve financial independence goes so much further than filling bellies or paying back debts—domestic violence has dramatically decreased, and the role of women has improved since the project started. One member happily reported, “Our husbands even cook and do laundry now.” Tagged: Agriculture Nepal Women

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