Manorama 's story is a story of courage, grit and determination. Read to see how small loans on @RangDe can have a big impact!

New Beginning For Manorama Pradhan

Over the past six years, dairying has provided Manorama Pradhan and her family with subsistence income. A native of Puri district in Orissa, she and her son support their household by selling milk and working in neighbouring fields respectively. Recently, due to an acute shortage of employment in their hometown, Manorama’s son migrated to Kerala where he receives better and more regular wages for his efforts. Although he is able to fend for himself, he does find it challenging to send money home since there are two households to take care of now.

With no land to subsist on and no other means to earn a living, Manorama proactively sought ways to improve milk production on her dairy farm as she did not want her son to struggle. Buying more cows to sell more milk was clearly the way forward but raising funds for it, always a deterrent. Unlike many of her contemporaries, Manorama was and still is, wary of moneylenders and microfinance institutions which enjoy a strong presence in the district.

We asked her why she chose to apply for a Rang De loan in spite of her apprehensions, to which she responded, “This is the only loan available at the door-to-door level. I am getting old and cannot travel much so Rang De is the most convenient source for me”.

A third-cycle borrower, she is now comfortable with the entire loan process and regularly visits the bank to get her passbook updated. Her monthly earnings have increased by Rs.1000 as have her savings which were previously limited to what she deposited in the SHG. The extra money has also come in handy for buying a solar lighting unit for her home which is not connected to a power grid.

Not only is Manorama more confident in dealing with various aspects of her business including the financing, she also encourages other women in her neighbourhood to pursue some economic activity to earn a living. Over the course of the next year, she plans to save enough to buy a better breed of milch cow and if money falls short, she hopes Rang De and its changemakers will help her once more.

Thank you for extending support to Manorama. If you would like to help other borrowers from Orissa, please click on the link.

About Manorama Pradhan before Rang De Loan

Manorama Pradhan is 55 year old W/o Uttama Pradhan an agricultural laborer and lives at Puri district near Bhubaneshwar in Orissa. She lives with her husband Uttama Pradhan. She owns a cow which she bought from earlier loans through Rang De on two occasions and has repaid it to the full.

She has now approached Rang De for another loan of Rs. 20000/- to buy a Milch cow through which she can generate a further income. Kindly help Manorama who is dreaming big about having a bigger farm and more business to her credit. Any contribution will be accepted gladly.