 Elżbieta and Ryszrd Majka have got five children. As far as they remember, their life was difficult and full of troubles. When you have a big family, you have to be ready to face different problems any time. Both of them, however, were brave people and were looking constantly for different opportunities to support their family.
Ryszard used to work in the forest. Clearing the forest was his job, and his salary was the only source of income for the family. Elżbieta also tried to help the situation and kept picking mushrooms in the forest and selling them directly on the local market. The family was also managing their small garden in the most effective way to produce as much vegetables as possible for themselves. Part of their harvest was also used for preparing preserves for winter.
Unfortunately, at the beginning of 2004 Elżbieta get ill and had to undergo several surgeries. As a result she become disabled. In the same year Ryszard had an accident in the forest and he could not work for several months. When he finally recovered and wanted to come back to his previous occupation, it turned out that his employer went bankrupt. This was a real drama for the family. Their situation was getting worse and worse. Each month they were getting poorer and poorer. First, they didnā??t have money to pay the bills, and next there was not enough funds to buy bread. The local welfare centre was the first organization, which started helping them. It couldnā??t do a lot, however, since public funds for welfare services are very limited in our country. Beside, taking social aid is not a long term solution. Ryszard was looking for a job, and because he couldnā??t find a permanent one the head of local community offered him public works. Although payment was very small, Ryszard was really grateful for giving him this opportunity to provide for the family.
 Last year when Elżbieta visited Welfare Center she learned about trainings in herbsā?? gathering offered in the framework of HPI project. Trainings were organized for unemployed people, who were in difficult financial situation. Keeping in mind the times when she was picking mushrooms and supporting her family through selling them, she decided to apply for it. Elżbieta and her two daughters finished the training successfully in June 2005. During the training they learned about kinds of herbs present around their village and about how to use them in the kitchen and in medicine. They were also instructed on how to earn money through this kind of activity. The results were really great. In September 2005, Elzbieta and her daughters sold the first portion of herbs at the purchase place. They didnā??t earn a lot, but with money they got, Elzbieta could buy sugar, butter and other products, which were lacking at her home and she was very happy.
Herbsā?? gathering canā??t be expected to become a source of permanent income for the family. It may be, however, a source of a significant support to the budget, which is so important in cases like the one of the Majka family. Each penny is worthy and each income is helpful if it can be used for buying food.
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