When the US dropped bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II, nobody would have imagined that more than half a century later it could have an effect in bettering the lives of a couple of hundred women in the Gulbarga district of Karnataka. But this is the case under a new scheme called “Pass on Gift” launched by the ‘Bayalu Seeme Rural Development organization’ (BSRDS), inspired by a similar initiative launched by an organization named Hyper after America received widespread criticism for its actions.

This unique and innovative has been introduced in 6 villages in the poor districts of Gulbarga. Under the scheme, 3 groups of six women have been identified in each village. The first group in each village was gifted a goat in the first year. Within a year, the goats gave birth to 7-8 lambs each. Each of the women beneficiaries then gifted a lamb to one of the identified members of the next group the following year. This is to continue year after year, so that at the end of 3 years, 108 families have already benefited by this Gift of Goat.
The improvement in the financial conditions of these women and their families has been tremendous. This can be guaged from Anand Teertha Pyati’s report in Deccan Herald, which says:

Gangu Bai, who had got a goat in the first year, now owns more than 25 goats. By selling some of them, she has bought a buffalo. “Don’t tell anyone. I’ve purchased one tola gold also,” she says, sounding very secretive!
Spending thousands of rupees on children’s school fees, text books and uniforms, Sangeetha has bought a cow worth Rs 10,000.
…
With the help of the ‘Pass on Gift’ scheme, 108 families in six villages are getting a regular income now. Their livelihood has been taken care of. BSRDS has spent about Rs 82,000 to gift goats to the first batch. Now the business has reached lakhs of rupees. Observing this success, the State Bank of Hyderabad has come forward to give loans to these women to start construction of a cow shed, a stitching centre, and so on.

Read more about this brilliant scheme and its resounding success here.
Image courtesy: Deccan Herald Gallery

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