We at Trickle Up are always excited to see where our staff goes, building on their experience with us.
Our esteemed Asia Program Director, Diganta Mohanty, leaves Trickle Up this month for India’s National Rural Livelihoods Mission. In this role, Diganta will lead the national program management unit established through an MoU between BRAC International, the National Rural Livelihoods Promotion Society, the Ministry of Rural Development, and the Government of India to facilitate the expansion and scaling of inclusive livelihoods programs, building on the Graduation Approach across five states in India, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, and Maharashtra.
Diganta shares, in his own words, the inspiring impact of his three years at Trickle Up:
Every time I visited Sukanti, I was moved by her ability to overcome adversity. I first met her and her husband at their home in Pitapada village. There, we discussed her imminent migration to Hyderabad’s brick kilns with her two children, a pattern the family had followed for years. They only had a small piece of unused land and no other means of livelihood to sustain themselves for an extended period. We convinced Sukanti to stay in the village while her husband chose to migrate like many others in Balangir district in Odisha, leaving me and my team in awe of her courage and conviction.
Three months later, at our second meeting, Sukanti revealed her dreams of self-sufficiency. Using modest savings from her savings group and support from Trickle Up’s seed capital grant, she purchased a goat.
She planned and saved meticulously to buy poultry and two more goats. She also aspired to use modern agricultural techniques on her small plot of land. During the project, she established four income streams, earning 5000 Rupees per month and saving 30000 Rupees.
At our last meeting in September, Sukanti’s husband was present, signifying his choice to stay back. He realized that his wife had achieved what he couldn’t, even after migrating for six months each year. They now had enough to eat, savings, and most importantly, they were staying together.
I celebrated their transformation, which doubled my faith in the Graduation Approach. I also felt elation for the Smart Sakhis (Coaches) and my program team, who, like Sukanti, empowered numerous women to gain confidence and self-reliance.
With twenty-five years in the development space and a rewarding three-year Trickle Up tenure, my journey continues! I love to call myself a volunteer of volunteers and aim to witness enduring smiles on faces like Sukanti’s, collaborating for lasting change.
We thank Diganta for all his work in defining and improving Trickle Up’s programs in India. We hope to continue seeing his rise and commitment to the Graduation Approach and sustainable livelihoods for those who need them most.
