In 2001, a group of 19 families living near the community forest in Ugratara VDC in Kavre wanted to expand their private land into the community forest. The 300 women of Bhakteswori Nari Chetana Savings and Credit Co-operative, who were planting trees in the forest at the time, objected. The families enlisted the support of local politicians and the government administration. They eventually went to the police and asked the police to arrest these women. The women, feeling that being taken away in the police van would imply that they had done something wrong, walked for an hour to Dhulikhel District Headquarters to defend their actions in front of the government administration. They later decided to pursue a lawsuit against the 19 families in court. During that time, the women were harassed and criticized, but they kept on with the lawsuit. They lost in district court, but two years later won their case in the appeals court. The women individually could never have succeeded against more powerful people in protecting their local forest, which is their water source and provides income to the community. However, in a group, following many training sessions on savings and credit and agriculture, their confidence is growing and they were able to advocate for community rights and to prevail. Community forest

Shanti Shrestha, 41, lost her husband when she was just 21. She eventually inherited his property, and she invested her savings in her local co-operative. Shrestha participated in several WACN training programs and went on several exposure visits, and her confidence skyrocketed despite her brother-in-law’s accusations of bad character for being involved in outside activities. With loans from the co-operative, Shrestha now raises goats, buffaloes, and organic vegetables, generating an income of Rs. 84,000 to 96,000 per year. She has paid back her loans and is financially self-sufficient.

Sangita Tamang is from the Balthali village and is secretary of the Shree Ladkeshowri Nadi Chetna Saving and Credit Cooperative Ltd. Sangita credits WACN's many programs, including savings and credit training, for having helped her learn new ways to earn an income. Participating in WACN's exposure visits to different parts of Nepal showed her the benefits of cooperatives and sustainable agriculture. She learned to make and market pickles through WACN's skills training program, which has enabled her to earn a profit of 2,500 rupees. Sangita took out an initial loan from the cooperative and raised three goats, from which she earned a total profit of 3,000 rupees. She continues to raise goats and buffaloes, and earns a tidy sum. As secretary the Shree Ladkeshowri Nadi Chetna Saving and Credit Cooperative Ltd., she shares her knowledge and expertise with other farmer groups. This provides her with additional income.

Nirmala Pariyar is a member of a scheduled caste. Her husband worked on a wage basis as a tailor, and she cared for the family. Because of weak financial status, she required help from her parents during the delivery of her first baby. After this birth, the family moved to Bacchauli VDC and rented land. At that time, they had only the sewing machine that her parents had given her as a wedding present. It was their only source of earning as they had no funds to expand their work.

After she heard about WACN and its program from her neighbors, she visited Bacchauli Nari Chetana Cooperative office and met the president. Following the president’s advice, she formed a group of five members, from a variety of castes, and started saving Rs. 50 every month. After three months she took loan of Rs. 5,000 and bought another sewing machine. Following the repayment of the loan, she took another loan of Rs. 10,000 and bought a piece of land. They built a small home and workshop. As their work grew, they needed more sewing materials, so they took another loan of Rs. 10,000. But the delivery of their youngest daughter required an operation, and most of the recently borrowed funds. At that time they were in debt in the amount of Rs. 23,000. However, they were able to pay the entire debt slowly from the income they made from their work. They later took a loan of Rs. 18,000, and expanded their workshop. They added 2 more machines and furniture. They also renovated their house with the income they had earned. Now they have all the required materials at home and at their work.

After 2 daughters, they adopted family planning, which is against the traditional norms. Nirmala said that she had learned through WACN training that daughters are equally as important as sons, so she and her husband agreed to not have a son.

Laxmi Timilsina resides in Ryalee VDC of Kavre district. She is 38 years old and has 3 children. Last year she became a member of a WACN co-operative. Her family has historically been involved in traditional agriculture, specifically dairying. From the time she got involved in sustainable soil management (SSM) activities she made up her mind to produce organic vegetables. She is now a sustainable agriculture leader farmer and is engaged in trainings as a local resource person. The first time she tried to sell her organic cauliflower for Rs. 25, when the going price for cauliflower was Rs. 15, she almost ended the day in disappointment. However, at last an elderly lady was willing to pay Rs. 22 for her cauliflower and she managed to sell all her cauliflower at same price. She now has regular customers for her organic products. People ask her to tie the vegetables on the door and ring the bell if she is in a hurry. She is also selling well-improved farmyard manure (FYM) to the villagers at an above-market price because of the high quality. She has earned Rs. 7,000 by selling improved FYM.

Ram Bahadur Thapa of Kavre District is a progressive leader farmer whose wife is a shareholder in the local Co-operative. Before trainings organized by WACN in SSM techniques and vegetable cultivation, he had no interest in vegetable farming, and he had a drinking problem. A loan from the Co-operative to his wife, coupled with SSM training, provided him with the motivation to become active on the family farm. Now the family is one of the commercial vegetable growers in Ugratara VDC, growing both seasonal and off-season vegetables on a commercial basis. They also practice SSM techniques such as FYM management, urine collection and utilization, use of drip irrigation and preparing organic pesticides. The main market for their vegetables is Banepa, where Thapa is recognized by the businessmen as having good quality vegetables in good quantity, and he can even bargain with the businessmen. According to him, the family earns more than Rs. 30,000 per season selling vegetables. He still thinks that the farmers are not getting good prices for their products so he is actively involved in the marketing network group for wholesale marketing of vegetables at the Kalimati wholesale market.