Juliann is eager to earn more, and to be financially independent. So she is looking for a more remunerating activity. Every day she goes to the association’s office with her baby on her back. To weave and to see If there are other opportunities. And one day hearing that the government Is Interested In local agricultural products, she comes up with the Idea to parboil rice to sell to the government schools – and convinces 50 of her friends from the escalation to Join her. Hear them singing while they are cleaning the payday!
Look at the heap of pebbles and waste! Meanwhile water is set on the fire to boil. When it starts steaming, the women throw the cleaned payday in the boiling water, still singing. And they still don’t stop singing afterwards as they spread the payday to dry. Although it is hard work, they don’t mind. They are happy as this payday, once sold, will help them to buy new dresses. But Juliann Is ambitious, she wants more than a new dress, she wants a whole new wardrobe and not only for herself!
Cleaning payday to remove pebbles and other waste Is heavy and time-consuming work! So she negotiates with the rice producers association (RFC) in order to be supplied with clean payday, even though she and the SAM now pays a higher price. But now Juliann and her friends from the SAM have ore time to parboil and can easily process a larger quantity of rice! Juliann is becoming demanding, she wants more local rice, and good quality rice, with a low percentage of broken grains and with a good taste. Again Juliann discusses these issues with the RFC.
They decide to produce more Jasmine rice, a very tasty local variety, much appreciated by the local consumers but also by the farmers as it yields well. Jasmine rice has also a lower breaking rate during milling. Juliann and the SAM women have obtained what they wanted: new dresses. Even more Important Is a secured Income, as their product sells very well and the market Is growing. They were even able to buy a new vessel for parboiling! Watch how they proceed now! Listen how happy they reel Again they are singing while washing the water in the lower part of the vessel and make the fire under it.
Now, Juliann and her friends pour 100 keg of washed payday in the upper part of the vessel! See, the steam is passing through the rice now! The women leave the rice in the steam for about half an hour. They wait until the payday is cooled before spreading it on clean cemented ground to dry. Juliann and her single mother friends can be proud of their success! Look at them in their new dresses! Look at their children at school, eating the good food they need, thanks to the parboiled Jasmine rice!
