Cultivating Hope and Resilience After Disaster
Sujata Devi is a resident of our target village, Godhari, in Darbhanga, Bihar. She is a housewife and a mother of one daughter and two sons. Her husband works as a daily laborer in a grocery shop, earning a meager income of ₹130 per day. Due to this low income, her financial status was very poor, and she faced daily struggles to manage basic family needs and meet her children’s requirements.
After conducting flood relief operations in the village, the Discipleship Centre (DC) began motivating local men and women to engage in income-generating activities. DC introduced mushroom cultivation as a viable income source for housewives and unemployed community members. Motivated by this, Sujata Devi and several other women showed keen interest. With the help of SHG Coordinator – DC, they formed a women’s group named “Ganga Mushroom Utpadan Sahayata Samuha.” Sujata Devi was an active member who demonstrated greater enthusiasm than others during DC’s regular visits.
Recognizing their interest, DC arranged a training program on mushroom cultivation through the Kishan Vikas Trust (KVT), Begusarai. After the training, DC provided mushroom seeds (spawn) to the group. Through the efforts of Project Officer – DC, the group was linked with KVT and Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Jale. Additionally, Mr. Bhartendu Kumar (Master Trainer at KVT) visited regularly to provide technical guidance. Sujata Devi received inputs like seeds and polythene bags from KVT, and under Mr. Bhartendu’s guidance, she successfully started mushroom cultivation.
Today, Sujata Devi is an established mushroom cultivator. She sells both fresh and dried mushrooms at ₹75 and ₹600 per kg, respectively. Every month, she sells around 35 kg of fresh mushrooms (earning ₹2,625) and 10 kg of dried mushrooms (earning ₹6,000), significantly increasing her income. She is now able to manage her family’s needs comfortably, and her husband and children are happy with her earnings.
Kishan Vikas Trust is now a regular customer of Sujata Devi, and she serves as a role model for other women in her community.