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> december 2002 > self-reliance

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At a bus junction (right), a woman farmer hands over her child to her husband for safekeeping. She will take this bus into town to sell the sack of grain on her back.

The WACN empowers women and works toward the elimination of poverty by establishing women's saving and credit cooperatives, and by developing the self-reliance skills of both male and female farmers by promoting organic farming and sustainable agriculture.

Photos by Sujoy Das

Buffaloes, cows, and goats are found in most of the houses in Sankhupatichaur village (left)

WACN has established 16 women's savings and credit cooperatives that range in size from 200 to 500 shareholders. They have raised 20 million rupees, most of which has been used to help women start their own income-generation programs like livestock breeding, farming, retail shops, etc.