Though her husband has worked abroad for 12 years, he has barely made enough to sustain the household. That was why 38-year-old Munna Biswokarma from Nawalparasi had given up on her dreams of having a better life. Munna’s husband initially started working in the United Arab Emirates, where he slogged for five years. He then moved to Saudi Arabia, where he continues to work, but the money he makes is barely enough to make Munna’s dream of being financially stable come true.

Every month she struggled to make ends meet, educate her children and also pay for her father in-law’s medical expenses. She had also opened a beauty parlor hoping to support her family better, but due to lack of investment and time, her business did not flourish. In December 2020, Munna heard about the financial literacy class in her community. Interested to learn more, she registered herself in the sessions. In the financial literacy class, she learned about investment, the importance of saving money, and also the basics of doing business. She also gained knowledge about managing household expenses.

With the experience she received from the financial literacy class, Munna sold her parlor and invested in goat rearing. She says, “The things I learned during the classes not only gave me knowledge but also confidence. So, I sold my beauty parlor, took out additional loans, and established a farm.” During the classes, Munna had also learned about registering small businesses at the municipality.

 She instantly did that for her own farm. She shares, “After registering my business, I also received a grant of Rs 45,500, which was very helpful. I am now a proud owner of 20 goats.” She has now also convinced her husband to return home and support her in goat farming. “My husband is happy with what I am doing here. He also plans on returning home to expand the business. I don’t think this would have been possible had I not attended the financial literacy classes,” says Munna. Financial literacy classes are part of a package designed for households and women left behind by migrant workers.

It is a package of 24 modules completed over six months, which empowers women on various dimensions of finance. Financial literacy is a component of the Safer Migration (SaMi) program—a joint initiative of the Governments of Nepal and Switzerland with technical assistance from Helvetas Nepal. SaMi works in collaboration with all three spheres: national, provincial, and local governments to ensure migrant workers and their families are better protected by the democratic institutions of Nepal.