Kaili is a loving grandmother from Nepal who has a 'heart of gold'. Her daughter remarried and was unable to take her children into the new marriage. Despite the poverty she faced, Kaili lovingly and graciously agreed to care for her two granddaughters. When BSF heard of Kaili's situation, they welcomed her family into a family-strengthening program. Now Kaili and her family have received support, love, training, and even some new buffaloes to help them get ahead.
Kaili is a hard-working 60-year-old grandmother from Chhampi, Nepal. Her daughter became a widow and then remarried, leaving her children in the care of Kaili who graciously took on the added responsibility of caring and providing for her two young granddaughters.
Kaili's ageing husband is unable to do heavy labour work and only earns an occasional wage, which is insufficient to support the needs of the growing family. Kaili is the most responsible member of the family and bears much of the burden to keep the family going and to care for her grandchildren. While Kaili loves her granddaughters, she was also feeling the enormous strain and financial burden of caring for the whole family.
After learning about Kaili's situation, the family were invited to participate in a BSF family strengthening program, which they gladly accepted. As part of the program, BSF provided Kaili and her family with parent/caregiver trainings to equip her with the skills she needs to raise her granddaughters, along with special Family Fun Day outings to give them times to relax and have fun together away from the daily challenges they often face.
Kaili and her granddaughters are delighted to regularly attend the BSF training days and Family Fun Days and feel a sense of hope, security, and belonging whenever they go.
BSF also provided Kaili's granddaughters with educational assistance so they can continue their education, and food relief packages when they ran out of food.
To help the family become more financially sustainable for the long term, BSF began researching and planning with Kaili, looking for ways to help her generate more income for the family based on her interests, skills, resources, and the markets available. Together, with the BSF Team, Kaili decided she would like to begin rearing buffaloes. She discovered a newfound confidence, which coupled with her experience of raising buffaloes, was a good recipe for a successful livelihood for the family. Kaili was then provided with three small buffaloes, including some feeding supplies, giving her a new hope, and the opportunity she had longed for to help bring her family out of poverty.
After receiving the buffaloes, Kaili and her husband began taking good care of the buffaloes. Her husband regularly brought grass and other materials from the nearby jungle to feed the buffaloes.
Kaili and her husband now have a stronger commitment and connection with each other in their new venture. Her husband is discovering there is a meaningful purpose for his life, which has resulted in him becoming a more responsible member of the family, consuming less alcohol, and having more quality time with his family.
On a BSF visit several months after providing the new buffaloes, it was evident Kaili and her husband were taking good care of their new buffalo family who were growing and looking healthy and happy. When the buffaloes are fully grown and sold, they will provide a considerable source of income for the family to reinvest to buy new buffaloes and meet all the needs of their family and granddaughters.
When Kaili was asked how she felt after receiving the buffaloes, her eyes were full of tears and she said, “BSF came to help my family during such a difficult time in our lives and supported us to overcome many challenges. When I received these buffaloes, I felt extremely happy as these are our hope of a source of income for our family. My husband cannot work properly, and he rarely gets any work to earn money. But now, he is also involved in looking after the buffaloes. After taking good care of these buffaloes, we hope to earn a good profit from them within a year for our family. I am so thankful to BSF for helping someone like me and supporting our family through our challenges.”
BSF is a partner for project J1079 & J1102 with Australian NGO, Global Development Group (ABN 57 102 400 993). Donations to BSF through Global Development Group are tax deductible in Australia, NZ, and the USA.