Dalit Freedom Network Canada

This month, in lieu of writing a Project update we are inviting you to share your thoughts, opinions, and stories. We are asking you to write a comment on this page telling us and other readers why you support this particular project. What is it about vegetable vendors that interests you? What made you decide to get involved?

The staff of DFN Canada truly believes that you are as much a part of what is happening in India as we are. We are very thankful to have you as part of the team.

Let us know why this cause caught your attention!

Millions of Dalits are trapped in the hopelessness of unemployment or demanding labour, yielding poverty and social shame. By providing someone with the funds to begin selling vegetables as an alternative, we are truly offering them a new life. Not only are they spared the physical burden of long labour days, they also have a greater, more reliable income. What’s more, the vegetable vendors benefit the entire community by providing a consistent supply of nutritious food in villages whose staple is usually plain rice. Please consider supporting this transformative project. 

Mrs. Lakshmi has such a strong desire to help provide for her family, but she is a Dalit women. This makes things much harder, as compared to someone who is not a Dalit. Her husband is retired from the military and he had no job for quite some time. Mrs. Lakshmi is one of the few Dalit women that has been educated, but still she could not get a job. The two of them wanted to start a business together. They received a loan and training in money management. Through this loan, she and her husband were able to begin a fertilizer business that sells to vegetable farmers. Their business is very successful and they earn a minimum of $90 per month. It is amazing to see the drastic change that this couple has undergone through the aid of the Micro-loan.

Mrs. D. Vimala's husband was a vegetable supplier. He used to go to the market early in the morning to buy vegetables, and then go to the villages and shops, selling till evening but earning very little. They approached Dalit Freedom Network for a loan and for training in how to run a successful vegetable shop. They opened their own vegetable shop with a loan of $250.00, and have been very successful earning an average of $4.50 per day. Through this change, the whole family has benefited. Their two children are studying, and Mrs. Vimala says, "We got a promotion through Dalit Freedom Network, and it helped our children to study in a good school."