This feature story was orignally published by Annapurna Microfinance, a CFI partner that has collaborated on our Financial Inclusion for Persons with Disabilities program. Click here for more stories on disability inclusion from India. 

Saichandan Mohanty, who lives in a small village of Kandhmal district, in the state of Odisha, is a 25-year-old hearing- and speech-impaired person. He communicates using sign language and lives with his father, mother, and a younger sister. He has completed his secondary education in Kandhmal. Having an interest in arts and crafts since childhood, he took a training session on designing and making bamboo crafts and started a business with the help of his father. He produced items such as decorative bamboo boxes, small containers, picture frames, and other gift items, and made a profit of 1,000 INR per month.

For two years, he had been producing various craft items made from bamboo and selling them at different gift centers, tourist places, and exhibitions. His father helps him to supply those finished products to the dealers in the market. Saichandan planned to expand his business, appoint new work staff to help him, and to own a shop in the marketplace for direct sale of the product to end customers. He took a 50,000 INR loan from Annapurna in April 2013 to buy more resources and machines like a cutter, cut-off saws, and dryers to produce more and earn more than his present income. He wanted to save for his future and construct a house for his family and live a happy life.

Now he is running his business well and also started a dairy farm. Currently he is making a profit of 5,000 INR to 6,000 INR per month and involved five employees in his business who are also hearing and speech impaired. Now he is very happy and feels proud that he is not a burden for his parents as well as he gets respect from society.