Somlal Chaudhary and his wife Indira, lived in a small mud house in the rural village of Chitwan, Nepal. After having a child, they wanted to be able to provide their family with something more. Both were members of the Jhuwani READ Community Library and Resource Center, and in 2001, they decided to participate in READ livelihood skills trainings in beekeeping, mushroom farming and seasonal vegetable gardening. Indira became a member of the women’s savings and credit cooperative at the Jhuwani center, and after receiving a loan she began her own mushroom business. She has successfully sold multiple harvests, and has also learned to keep a written record of her accounts. Somlal started a beekeeping and honey production business, and now has around 50 beehives. He is now the primary trainer for beekeeping and mushroom farming at the Jhuwani Center. With the profits from their businesses, Indira and Somlal have been able to purchase a new, modern home and no longer have to rely on anyone else to support their family.
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