Pigging out

A mother of five, Ho Thi Hiu used to supplement her household’s meager income by growing rice. She would also make a small profit by buying piglets in a nearby town, raising them, and selling them fully-grown. But raising pigs is no easy task—after working a day in the field, she would have to boil vegetables from her garden to feed them, and it would often take up to a year for them to reach their full size.

Ho was so successful in increasing her income, she no longer is eligible for loans like the one that got her started. With her new income, she has been able to invest in her children’s education, buy a motorbike for delivering rice, and even buy a de-husker so she can start a rice-wine business. In fact, she has been so successful that she has even begun getting her neighbors to use the protein-rich pig feed. Through iDE’s intervention, Ho is now an empowered businesswoman with high hopes for the future.