Earning Extra Income for the Family – One Woman’s Success Story

radio interviewer

woman who has established a successful small business

-In most families, women play a major role earning money. Sometimes women are the only income earners. And even in families with two parents, there usually isn’t enough money to go around. Especially for things like children’s school fees, books and pencils.

But women around the world meet these challenges every day. They are starting their own small businesses and proving that earning money is not just something that men can do.

MUSICAL BREAK.

There are many ways to earn extra income. The most important things are a good idea, the imagination to see how the idea can become a reality, and the confidence to put the idea into action. It’s also important to remember that with any new venture, you need to plan carefully and understand that there are risks involved.

Today on our program, we are featuring an interview with a woman who started her own small business raising pigs. Our reporter Chanya went to see her.

SOUND EFFECTS (farm sounds appropriate to the location of the interview).

-Hello. I’m here talking with Tarana, a woman who has a lot of things she can teach us. Hello, Tarana.

-Hello, Chanya. Thank you for coming to visit.

-First of all, can you tell us how you got the idea of raising pigs?

-I have heard about women from many different parts of the world who earn extra income. One woman makes kerosene lamps out of tin cans. Another woman makes traditional dresses to sell to tourists at the market. But where we live, I thought it was important to sell things that people need right here. Everyone needs to eat, and pork is an important part of our diet. So that’s why I decided to do this.

-Do you do all the work by yourself?

-Well, I came up with the idea, but I have four friends who work with me. It shares the work around. By sharing the work, we have enough time to take care of the pigs and also have time to look after our families.

-How did you get started?

-First of all, we had to get a loan to buy a sow and boar. We were lucky that one of the women knew about a loan fund which provides startup money to people like us. So we bought our first pair with the money we borrowed. There were ten in our first litter of piglets. Two of them died, but we still had eight to sell.

-How many pigs do you have now?

-Right now, we have two sows and two boars. We had two more litters after the first. And with the money we raised selling the piglets, we were able to buy another breeding pair. We just sold another litter of piglets and another one is going to be born next week.

-What does your husband think of what you are doing?

-At first, I don’t think he believed I could do it. He liked the idea of having more money for our family, but he didn’t want to encourage me too much. He was afraid that I would be disappointed if my plan didn’t work. Now he believes me, especially when I use my money to buy him a present(laughs). He’s glad that he doesn’t have to make all the money himself.

-Do your children help you with the pigs too?

-Yes, the children often help me. Even my youngest son, who is five, likes to help feed the pigs. I think it is very important to do work which doesn’t need me to be away from my children. Taking care of the children is more work than taking care of the pigs, so I need to do both at once.

-When you first got this idea, were you afraid that it wouldn’t work?

-I think anyone who begins something new wonders if they’re doing the right thing. For me, the biggest worry was the money I had to spend to get started. It was a big risk to borrow money. But I already knew how to raise pigs, because I have done it before. So my fear that I might fail was not enough to hold me back.

-What are other women saying about your work?

-They are very happy that I’m doing so well. I think that it has been good to see me become a success. Many of my friends in the village would like to make extra money, but need to be encouraged to do it. By seeing what I have been able to do, maybe it will help them believe they can do it too. Women are very resourceful. We have a lot of skills that we use to run our households. We can use these skills to make extra money too.

-Thank you for talking to us, Tarana. I hope other women learn from your example and are able to do as well as you.

MUSICAL BREAK.

-If you are listening to this and are wondering what you can to do make extra money, here are some important things to remember. First of all, to make money, you need to have something that people will want to buy. And you have to provide something that they are not able to make themselves. You also have to ask yourself, who will want to buy the things I am selling and what price will they pay for it?

Another thing to think about is where to get the money that you need to get started. Maybe someone in your family has a bit of extra money they can lend you. In some countries, non-governmental organizations have money that they lend to women. These are called microloans. The reason why microloan funds exist is because it makes sense to help women. When women are successful, it helps the whole family.

You will also need some extra time to get your business started. Explain to your husband and children that they will need to do more of the chores. And don’t be afraid to ask for their help when you need it. After all, you are doing this for all of you, not just for yourself.

The most important thing that you need to do is to believe in yourself. Have confidence in your abilities. Many women around the world are earning their own money. If they can do it, so can you.