b'although they had to reduce milk intake to 1,200 liters daily. They also encouraged farmers to make curd and clarified butter to reduce any excess milk and worked with local authorities to ensure their farmers could procure feed and forage for their livestock during the lockdown.As a social enterprise, Bihani Dairy invests most of the money it earns back into the community, with the rest reserved for further improvements for the business. Before the pandemic, the group put together a fund to financially support families who lost a loved one and supported new mothers by creating a savings account for their newborn children.Recently, the group used some of their funds to create both low-interest loans for struggling farmers and a contribution of 10,000 rupees, or $84, to the municipalitys COVID response fund. Bihani also connected with other like-minded institutions in the area to form the COVID Control Group, which raised funds for relief and helped establish a 20-bed quarantine facility.We are exploring creating a high-volume storing system so we dont have to suffer like we did this time due to COVID-19, Thapa said. We are also in the process of diversifying the milk into various products in a larger volume so that milk does not have to go to waste. We are hopeful that the future holds better prospects for us.Part of that future includes expanding the scope of Bihani Dairy. As of now, the majority of milk collected is sold to a larger regional dairy. The women of Bihani are preparing their facility to takePHOTO COURTESY OF HEIFER NEPALon more of a processing role, and they are also creating a brand for Bihani Dairy to then market products in a wider range. In Nepali, bihani means morning, and that imagery is included in the logo.Since it was just starting, we named the dairy Bihani, Thapa said. Its also a sign of good things beginning.nHEIFER.ORG |27'