“Minimal employment opportunities, infertile land, unprofitable crops – how can we maximize local resources for income when we have no resources?”

 

That was the question on the mind of Dahlia while attending our Transformational Community Development (TCD) lesson entitled “Needs and Natural Resources”. At the end of the session, Dahlia and her neighbors proceeded to map out all of the available natural resources in their village. They determined that coconut trees are the one natural resource that grows well in their village, but they have always just sold the whole nuts to traders at very low prices, resulting in minimal economic impact.

After the TCD lesson, Dahlia became motivated to learn all that she could about ways that she could add value to the coconut in order to earn income. She found out about ways that her ancestors had made coconuts into oil for cooking, and she got to work. Although it was difficult at first, soon she got the hang of it. She then discovered that there was demand for the product in her local area and began selling the coconut oil to nearby shops and markets.

Life is beginning to improve, but according to Dahlia, she is not finished yet. She is living based on a new principle – that it is within her reach to transform her family’s situation. Next up, she has a vision to own a business that contributes to the livelihood of the broader community. 

Little by little, Dahlia’s initial question is being answered.
“How do we earn income when we have no resources?”
“It’s not that we have no resources in our village, it’s us who need to be more creative in how we make use of them.”

Thank you,

Written by Didi, GHNI Partner