Manoj Thakur's journey from being a migrant worker to a successful entrepreneur showcases the transformative impact of determination, community collaboration and renewable energy initiatives on rural entrepreneurship and sustainable development.
Manoj Thakur, a Nepali migrant worker, toiled in the Gulf state of Kuwait for 10 years. But the hard-earned money was never enough to support his family. "I left my family and went abroad to earn some money. But I couldn't make enough money even after working in temperatures that reached upto 50 degrees," he said. Having spent a decade in Kuwait, he returned home with a resolve to start his own business.
Thakur moved to Mai, a small town of Ilam district, about 150 kilometers far from his home, where he opened a hair cutting salon. He did not have the money, but he didn't need to look very far to find it. Sahara Savings and Credit Cooperative helped him in realizing his plans. As the saying goes: Where there is a will, there is a way, Thakur started operating his hair salon in Mai Municipality Ward No 2 of Ilam district after borrowing Rs 50,000 from the cooperative . Though his business was off to a good start, he faced another problem- frequent power cuts. . The lack of regular electricity supply was a big blow to his business. On most days, power outages went on for 3-4 hours a day and sometimes, it went for several days. Then, he hit upon the idea of installing a solar system for electricity so that he no longer had to worry about the supply.
Thakur went back to the cooperative, which provided him a second loan of Rs. 55,000 for a 160-watt solar home system. He used the money to buy three LED lights, an electric hair-cutting machine, and a fan. Soon, people started streaming into his salon for a haircut. He is glad that his income has doubled after installation of the solar system. “At one point, I had even thought of quitting my business. Now I am no longer worried. My earning is good enough to pay off my debts and manage my household expenses,” he said. As the word about his innovative solution spread in the area, he gained more clients. Thakur now earns Rs 40,000 to Rs 50,000 a month from the salon. The impact can be seen in his family's growing financial expenditure. His two children go to a nearby boarding school. He has plans to upgrade his salon with modern tools and facilities. He's mulling over borrowing money from the cooperative to install an air conditioner to provide better service to his customers during winter and summer seasons. "This became possible after Sahara (cooperative) issued a loan to me to invest in solar energy. Today, instead of toiling in a foreign land, I am working in my own country," said Thakur. He said people had a misconception that money can be easily made abroad. "Even if you do half the labor in Nepal compared with what you do abroad, you can still earn more," he said. He doesn't want to remember all the hardships he endured during his stint in the Gulf.
Thakur has benefitted by securing a loan from Sahara cooperative. Sahara cooperative was enabled to provide this loan by a Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) that has been set up by NMB Bank and the Renewable Energy for Rural Areas (RERA), which has now merged into Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Programme (REEEP). The Revolving Loan Fund facilitates cooperatives like Sahara Savings and Credit to provide concessional loans to people to use renewable energy. Under the program, NMB Bank, through Sahara Cooperative, has provided a total of Rs. 10 million to its members to run renewable energy and energy-related businesses. NMB Bank and RERA joint forces to establish the RLF to offer affordable credit financing to rural households through local Micro Finance Institutions, as well as to larger renewable energy projects directly. Through this cooperation, NMB and – as a result – local financial institutions can offer discounted and affordable interest rates to rural people in order to acquire Renewable Energy Technologies and invest in appliances for productive use of energy.
