Gurababa Multipurpose Cooperative Organisation Limited

Before the establishment of the Gurababa Cooperative all the banking facilities were concentrated to the bazaar areas only and hence villagers especially farmers were not able to get saving and credit facilities. They were being cheated by informal money lenders taking high interest rates. Simalarly, villagers used to cultivate only seasonal grains and vegetables for their own consumption. They had no concept of off seasonal cultivation and business and they were far away from the access to goverment facilities. Their economic situation was so poor that neither could they nurish their families sufficiently nor provide them better health and edcuation. In order to change this situation 32 Tharu people of Rawatgaun and Chakhaura villages established the Gurababa Cooperative Organization Ltd on the date June 28, 2013 based on the principle of cooperative under the Nepal cooperative policy act 1992 with the aims to motivate its members to develop a regular saving habit and uplift their economic and social status by creating sustainable agricultural development through improved and environment friendly farming practices, agribusiness, saving and credit, and animal husbandry. A management team under the leadership of Baluram Chaudhari (managing director) worked voluntarily for 3 years. The team started to organise women, men and youth in self-help groups and youth clubs in the village areas and encouraged and motivated the villagers to start saving and credit in one hand and to lobby and dialogue with local government bodies for subsidy programs and facilities on the other hand. Initially they faced many problems in uniting the villagers and getting attention from local and provincial governments but eventually succeeded.