Shubhangi Nagpure wanted to kill herself by gulping down the whatever was left of the pesticide that her husband had consumed to kill himself after he found himself helpless amidst mounting debts. “My life was in ashes, and I found no solace. But the thought of my two young children forced me to live on”, Shubhangi said while recounting the horror that unfolded before her after her husband ended his life on the family’s leased farm on 30 October 2020.

“My husband’s death was the beginning of the indescribable misery that started in my life. I had to raise and educate my two teenaged children. My family was in extreme economic crisis with no income. My family members not only deserted me but also blamed me for the death of my husband” said the 34-year-old widow. “I had to also suffer the ostracization and taunting of village community. I had lost hope”, she said adding that the only source of strength was her children.

Life was normal for Shubhangi and her husband Vinod Nagpure during their 17-year married life in Talwel village of Amravati district even though they had limited means of living. The small income from cultivating soybean and cotton on the small plot of leased land was just enough to meet the expenses on the small landless family. As the family needs were increasing, the couple take an additional 4 acres of land and cultivated soybean and cotton with an investment of Rs. 70,000 (€850) including lease rent and seeds. In the year 2020, cruel weather destroyed their crop and they could harvest just 4 bags of soybean which was worth around Rs. 10,000! Vinod started working as a hairdresser and worked as a wage labour too to clear the debt and the huge interest. Despite his best efforts, he could not pay off the loan and interest and the harassment by moneylenders only got worse. Unable to bear the harassment by moneylenders, Vinod took the extreme step thus leaving Subhangi and the two teenaged children to fend for themselves.

For keeping family alive and to continue the education of her two children, Shubhangi started working as wage laborer. The family barely could survive with the small earning of Shubhangi.

It was then that Samarth, supported by Caritas India and Misereor, started working with Shubhangi and several other widows in the region for helping them restart their lives. Samarth team educated Shubhangi about government social security schemes available for widows. Since Subhangi, who studied only until 6^th Class, had no knowledge or exposure to application processes, Samarth team helped her arrange the eligibility documents and helped her get relief of Rs. 20,000 under National Family Benefit Scheme. Samarth team also helped her register herself as a widow which helped her get a monthly pension of Rs. 1,000. This was a big help for the helpless widow who was struggling hard to meet the survival needs of the family.

“Samarth team helped me understand how business could be started. I was very scared of starting any business. Samarth team gave me several trainings which gave me the confidence that I can do it”, Shubhangi narrated the turnaround that she scripted. “With the help of 16-year-old son and the Rs. 12,000 support that I received from the Samarth project, I restarted the hair salon which was closed after the death of her husband. It was not just restarting a hair salon but it was restarting what my husband had begun”, Shubhangi said while struggling to keep her voice steady. The mother-son duo now earns around Rs. 450 per day which is decent earning for a small family. Her son who is studying in Class XII, works as the hairdresser after his classes while Shubhangi offers services of facial skin care, massages, hair colour and wedding make-up.

“I have learned to manage the business. I know how to plan the finance of the family. I don’t need to depend on anyone now. I also don’t need to listen to the taunts that are thrown at me”, Shubhangi said with confidence. She is now an inspiration for widows of the region and regularly takes training on micro-enterprises and livelihoods for the widows group that Samarth has formed in the village.