Until 2020, Sugiya Devi’s life in Tand Balidih Gram Panchayat, India, was modest but stable. That stability was shattered when her husband passed away suddenly due to illness, leaving her alone to care for four young children, the youngest only two years old. Overnight, the responsibility of providing for the family fell entirely on her shoulders.
As financial pressures mounted, Sugiya’s parents stepped in to support the education of her eldest daughter, but daily survival remained a struggle. With no reliable source of income, Sugiya began brewing and selling local liquor from her home while also working as a daily wage laborer. Each day often meant walking nearly four miles in search of work, balancing exhausting labor with the demands of raising four children alone.
In 2023, during a Tola Sabha in Malhantand, community members identified Sugiya’s household as one of the most vulnerable in the area. Although she had not attended the meeting herself, follow-up visits by the Samuday Sathi created an opportunity to better understand her circumstances. At first, Sugiya was hesitant to engage, but regular conversations gradually built trust and encouraged her to speak openly about the challenges she faced.
Through this support, she received help in securing essential documents and accessing entitlements that had previously been difficult to navigate. Aadhaar cards, birth certificates, ration card updates, and her daughter’s enrollment under the Maiyaan Samman Yojana brought a greater sense of stability to the household. More importantly, the process strengthened her confidence in dealing with government systems independently.
As her confidence grew, a structured livelihood plan was developed around improving both her land and livestock resources. With training, exposure visits, and continuous support, Sugiya adopted goat rearing and backyard poultry while also beginning seasonal vegetable cultivation. She introduced multilayer farming techniques to make better use of her limited land and slowly began diversifying her income sources.
The results became visible over time. Today, she earns approximately INR 5,000–6,000 ($52-62 USD) annually from agriculture and another INR 10,000–11,000 ($104-115 USD) through livestock activities. Alongside increasing her earnings, she has also started building assets that can provide more reliable income throughout the year.
The transformation, however, extends beyond livelihood alone. Sugiya now saves regularly at home, with her savings group, and in her bank account, creating a stronger sense of financial security for her family. Determined to give her children better opportunities, she has enrolled her younger children in a private school and actively plans for their future.
Today, Sugiya’s aspirations are shaped not by survival alone, but by the possibility of long-term stability. Speaking about her future plans, she says, “I now dream of opening a small grocery shop right in front of my home, so I can build a steadier livelihood, earn more with dignity, and no longer have to travel far for daily wage work.”
For Sugiya Devi, the journey from crisis to confidence has been gradual but deeply transformative, built through community support and a growing belief that a more secure future is within reach.
————–
