Smt. Sulekha Naik and her husband Mr. Sanjay Kumar Naik are resident of Nafri village in Bangriposi block. Their residence is located at the hilly areas of an adjacent forest. Their family consists of two sons and a daughter. They were engaged in livestock rearing and farming practices from the last 15 years. They have only one acre of land which they use for paddy cultivation. As far as livestock was concerned, they had 2 goats but due to lack of technical knowledge and training they were not able to convert that into an income generation activity. Also lack of timely vaccination led to deaths in goats which scared her to invest in this activity.

With the intervention of NYDHEE in the project area and Smt. Sulekha being selected as one of the project participants under the Azim Premji Foundation funded program; she got an opportunity to gain both theoretical and practical knowledge on livestock rearing, vaccination, care of animals, types of diseases and their prevention etc. However, one of the most important guidance given by NYDHEE staff to women like her was the method of converting animal rearing to a successful business venture. With regular guidance and support from the project staff, Smt. Sulekha started rearing goats successfully and from owning 2 goats in the past, today she owns 10 goats. The Naik family adopted Livestock based livelihood generation model and today annually earn Rs. 60,000 to Rs. 80,000.

With consistent and secure flow of income, the Naik family got confident and started cultivating vegetables in their land as a secondary source of income. They got support from Horticulture department for inputs and know-how. Due to this practice, they were able to secure their food security as well as nutritional diversity. She continues to inspire other vulnerable women to actively participate in livestock rearing to come out of their destitute condition.