At times, merely surviving can be heroic. Across India, lakhs of women are left to fend for themselves when their husbands pass away or abandon them. Many are dragged into the morass of poverty, but every now and then, we hear about a shining example of self-sufficiency. Magdali Horo is one such woman.
Hailing from Namkom block of Ranchi district, Horo was left alone with her two daughters – three years and nine months old – when her husband, a casual labourer, died in 2003. She was 27 at the time.
Having trodden the path herself, has immense confidence in the women of her state. “There is no match to entrepreneurship skills of Jharkhandi women”
Bringing up two daughters single-handedly was an uphill task for Horo, but she stood firm. A matriculate, she joined a self-help group in 2011 to improve her earnings from growing fruits and vegetables and overcame all odds.
Now 46, Horo is also a resource person, which means she travels across the state to explain to women how they can make best use of their available resources, especially by way of getting support from self-help groups, and become entrepreneurs.
She’s happy, having managed to stand on her own feet and educate her daughters. “My older daughter is studying at a reputed nursing school in Visakhapatnam,” she says. “The younger one is preparing for her matriculation exams.”
Horo, having trodden the path herself, has immense confidence in the women of her state. “There is no match to entrepreneurship skills of Jharkhandi women,” she quips.
