Forged in Fire
Access to tools and support boosts the Income Generating Activity of local blacksmith
For 25 years, Razafimila has been forging tools from iron and fire. His work as a blacksmith has given him a better life than he imagined as a boy selling peanuts, too poor to go to school, but for much of his career, he has lived paycheck to paycheck, hoping for a bigger break in his business.
That break came when his wife returned home from her Savings and Loan Association (SLA) with exciting news: his Income Generating Activity had been among those selected to receive additional support from the FIOVANA project. Shortly after receiving the news, Razafimila was given a bench vice, an anvil, pliers, gloves, safety glasses, and hammer. In addition, he and his wife were able to borrow money from the SLA to invest in additional sheets of iron.
“Before, I could only afford one sheet of iron and I could make only 50 spades,” he said. “Now I can afford four sheets of iron to quadruple my output.”
During the planting season, from February to May, Razafimila makes and sells 200 spades per week. With his extra income, he has invested in land and crops to supplement his earnings and diversify his income. Best of all, he can afford to send all five of his children to school, an opportunity he never got as a child.
“When I was a young boy, I really wanted to go to school to become a mechanic, but I understood there was no way for my parents to send me,” he said. “I am happy because my children have opportunities to access education. Their situation is nothing like mine.”
In addition to formal education, his 13-year-old daughter, Sabrina, is learning the family trade. Using leftover scraps of iron, she forges small knives for rice harvesting and sells them to supplement her school supplies.
On Sundays she makes six and uses her money to buy pens, pencils, and notebooks.
“I like it because I don’t have to ask my parents for money,” she said, smiling proudly over the fact that she is the only girl in school to make knives. “My classmates say I am blessed to have this skill.”
Razafimila is proud, too. “I’m very pleased,” he said. “I think she can even be a better blacksmith than me.”
Though he has been working for 25 years, Razafimila shows no signs of slowing down. On the contrary, he hopes to expand his business even further, perhaps opening a professional workshop to replace his informal courtyard business.
“I am motivated to keep working because this is a good source of income, and it is a business with potential,” he said. “I see an improvement in our income because the money you earn depends on the money you invest.
Before, my investment was small, and my profit was small. Now, thanks to the SLA, it is much bigger.”
