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Jyotsna, a True Entrepreneur
A drum, a vessel, a
donkey and a woman
Are all worthy of being
beaten.
-Ancient Hindu
saying.
Mst. Jyotsna Begum, a
woman at forty five from Kalipur village of Bhairab
upazila of Kishorganj district, believes the saying from the deep of her
heart. On talking to her, it was learnt that before being enrolled in BEES
Samiti she had been used to be beaten by her husband if she served him
left-over from an earlier meal, if she forgot to wash his shirt and if she
could not respond quickly enough when he asked her to do something or she
left the home without his permission. She then seemed herself as a “Punch
Bag” on which her husband could vent to his frustrations and ill-humor. She
had no standing in the family as well as in the society. She had no control
of her body and her physical mobility. She could not contribute to her
family decision-making and only worked for her family as a maidservant. “It
was a very frustrating situation for me and I could not sleep for several
nights in mental agony,” says Jyotsna. She had no consciousness about
herself, about her rights, capacities and potentials. She had no control
over resources. She faced violence not only from her husband but also from
her in-laws. She was not aware of the importance of education, healthcare,
cleanliness and how to change the fortune by hard working.
But being enrolled in
‘Kalipur Mohila Samiti’ of BEES was a breakthrough in her life. “Without the
help of BEES I might not see me in this present lucky position” expresses
Jyotsna with her full confidence. She now seems herself a successful
entrepreneur and is pleased with her position in the family and society at
the end of forty-five of her age.
From the very
beginning, she was burdened with a heavy family containing seven members.
Then the earning member of her family was only her husband who was running a
small business of selling jute bag. But the income was too nominal to manage
food for the large family. It was nearly impossible to think about nutrition
where the demand of food was difficult to meet. She had only a small tin
shed house, a capital worth seven thousand taka. She had no sewing machine
to run her business. The situation began to be worsening as the children
were growing older. She was in need of someone’s help but she didn’t find
anyone beside her. In that situation, she heard about BEES from one of its
field workers. She attended in a weekly meeting of BEES Samiti and came to
know all the possibilities to develop her fortune.
She joined in BEES
Samiti for serving some desires like, to accumulate capital for running
business, to increase savings and to develop her knowledge about meaningful
social and political life.
“I am satisfied with
BEES’ support services,” expresses Jyotsna. It provided all the help she
needed. It provided capital for developing her business. She received loans
for five times amounting to total forty four thousand taka for enhancing her
jute bag selling business. From this she earns about thirty five hundred
taka per month which is about two thousand taka more compared to her
previous income before joining to BEES. Now she has a sewing machine by
which she makes all the bags in her own hand.
Along with the jute bag
selling business Jyotsna has bamboo-cages selling business, livestock and
poultry rearing. She earns Tk. 7,500 per month from jute bag and
bamboo-cages selling business. The most important achievement that made her
condition very convenient is the purchasing of ice-mill. “It is the greatest
achievement in my life with the help of BEES under micro credit program”
says Jyotsna. She also received a loan amounting to taka ten thousand for
launching a new piscicultue project. Now her monthly income exceeds about
eleven thousand taka per month which is three times greater than her
previous income before joining in BEES Samiti.
At present, she is the
owner of a handsome amount of savings and other material properties. She has
a capital amounting to one lac taka and is the owner of a ‘pucca’ tin-shade
house, a sanitary latrine, a tube well etc.
Nowadays she seems
herself empowered in the family as well as in the society. She has achieved
an honorable standing in both the places. Her husband values her. She can
take decisions and can participate in the planning process of family budget.
People call her in important social meetings and obey her decisions. She
has achieved control over resources, power because of her knowledge which
she acquired by being trained in BEES Samiti on different issues like-
training on sewing, poultry and livestock rearing, handicraft, vegetable
cultivation etc.
Now she is conscious
about her rights and duties. She manipulates public opinion against giving
dowry, violence against women and early marriage of girl child. She is
actively participating in community development activities. She encourages
tree plantation, adult education etc. She mobilizes greater awareness among
the women to make free themselves from being enclosed among the four walls
and encourages them to be involved in income generating activities. She
doesn’t believe any more in superstitions. She believes in equality between
men and women.
All the knowledge
Jyotsna achieved throughout the participation in the training and support
services of BEES. She gets free health related consulting services from its
skilled professionals. She is now well acknowledged about the healthy life
style.
The most important
thing she demonstrates is that she has made a challenge to the traditional
values and religious belief. She has proved that every obstacle can be
overcome by perseverance, diligence, honesty, ambition and hard work. All
these attributes she has gained through participating in BEES activities.
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Honest
Efforts Can
Bring Happiness
Now she leads a happy
life being attached with BEES. But the scenario was different eight years
ago. She and her husband had to go through hardship along with four
children.
Sreemoti Rekha Rani age
40 of Sadullapur village of Shibganj upazila under Bogra district was
married to Sree Ranjan Kumar Das when she was only sixteen. They were four
brothers and sisters. Due to strain of poverty her parents settled her
marriage early. The financial condition of her husband was also very harsh.
So she couldn't find any difference in the living standard.
“My parents were
illiterate and we were not allowed to go for higher studies. I studied up to
class five. I and my husband managed job of typist at Shibganj Water
Development Board.
The salary was very
low. It was too difficult for us to bear all the expenses of the family with
little income. Moreover, I had an ambition of giving my children higher
education. So I was in mental pressure how to improve our financial
condition," narrates Rekha.
"One day Field
Organizer Sharmeen Nahar Apa came to our village Sadullapur. She sat with
village women and discussed about BEES’ activities. We were encouraged by
her speech as it seemed from her words that BEES’ poverty alleviation drive
is very much benefiting for an overall development of the poor.
At that night I talked
to my husband and he gave his consent to be involved with BEES group"
That was how Rekha
started her journey towards achieving success. She has been continuing her
membership of the group for the last eight years and received loans from the
organization for seven times. She started cultivating vegetables with the
credits that BEES provided. At first she took Tk 2,000 and started
cultivating summer vegetables. Next year she received Tk 4,000 for potato
cultivation. In that way she took loans for several times. She also started
to rear cows, goats and poultry. In eight years she received about Tk.
54,000 as credit from BEES. In the meantime she paid off Tk. 44,400 of her
total loan. She worked hard and used the loan in deferent projects. Now her
monthly income is about Tk. 8,000 per month.
It is her honest
efforts, self-confidence which have opened the path of success. Rekha says,
"Now I have cows, goats and lots of poultry. Previously I had a single room.
But now I have built two rooms made of bricks with tin roof and bought five
‘bighas’ (165 decimals) of land."
She has four children.
She married off her two daughters. Her eldest son is doing MSc in botany.
Her youngest son does not study because he is a mental patient.
Rekha says, “BEES
encourages women to reduce malnutrition at family level and to empower them
through income generation from different sources. It also helps us to
understand gender issue, primary health care, healthy sanitation system etc.
Actually BEES has completely changed the previous status of village women.
Now we, the women do not have to depend on only husband's income. We are
empowered socially and economically."
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