Alternative Income

Alternative Income Story: Ms. Jayaraman in India

In India, Free The Children provided 500 women with milking animals and 153 women with sewing machines or gem polishing machines, donated by people like you. These resources significantly improved the standard of living of marginalized women, Ms Jayaraman included.

The Jayaramans used to work as agriculture day labourers in the Thiruvanrangapatty village in Tamil Nadu, India. They earned a combined income of 800 rupees ($15 USD) per month for seasonal work, which wasn’t enough to live on. The Jayaraman family lived below the poverty line, and their struggle was worsened during the off-season or during periodic droughts, when it was even more difficult to find work. Here, as in most cases, it was their children who suffered most. The children were often hungry and were unable to attend school since their parents could not afford the supplies and uniforms necessary to attend the government school.

Free The Children heard about the hardworking Jayaraman family that was having trouble sustaining themselves, and involved them in our Alternative Income program.

The Jayaramans were provided with a milking cow worth $250 US in 2000. Three and a half years later, the Jayaraman family, which once struggled to survive, is enjoying a standard of living that all people in India should experience. The Jayaramans’ children are attending school, while the family’s income has more than tripled. With expenses estimated at approximately $45 US per month over the past three years, the family, for the first time, has a disposable source of income to spend on clothing, school, and other provisions, something which was unimaginable a mere three years ago.

The additional income from the cow has allowed the family to save money towards the construction of a new and healthier living space -- a cement house. The hardworking husband and wife have also been able to start their own small business, making flower garlands, wreaths and related accessories.

Through the Free The Children Alternative Income Program, the Jayaramans are one of 653 families in their village who have been able to improve their standard of living to include all their basic necessities.

Adopt-a-Village and provide a family with alternative income resources!