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Farida
Finds a Better
Meaning of Life
Mst. Farida Begum, a
woman at early thirties from West Nutmaricha village of Shibganj upazila of
Bogra district has been able to get over bad time by means of
entrepreseurship. Farida Begum's husband Abu Zafar used to be a day laborer.
Farida herself had no means of extra earning. Therefore the little income of
her husband at the end of whole day's hard labor meant to be too little to
run the family. Farida’s was a struggle with mighty poverty while hunger,
shabby clothes, torn house were her constant oppressors. In a society where
money is the main parameter of being evaluated, Farida Begum's life was not
only one of a stretching hardship but also being treated as insignificant
and neglected in society. Farida remembers, “My husband was a day laborer.
Everyday he had to work to earn a living. But some days even finding work
was very hard and those days meant uncertainty and hunger. We could not
visualize any future, just only keeping us alive. I have three children, one
son and two daughters. Although the children needed nutritious food, decent
clothing but those were out of our reach. I could not even manage regular
meals for the family every day. This situation was really unbearable but I
did not know how to find an escape rout. I wished I could have been of some
help to upgrade the family economy. But besides poverty’s ruthless threats
there were other problems too. My position in the family was a subordinate
one. My husband dominated the family decisions. Therefore I dared not speak
out to establish my voice, that I wanted to do something. Then I came to
know from a member of ‘Natmaricha Purbapara Mahila Samiti’, that easy
interest loan could be availed from BEES by becoming a group member.”
“I then had a talk with
the Field Extension Worker of BEES along with some other women. She
explained to us overall mechanism, rules, regulations of the micro credit
program. I was hundred percent motivated.”
“It was really a good
scope for me. Because the high interest loan from the usurers in our village
were also conditional. Even gold or land required to be mortgaged. Naturally
it was quite out of my reach, and I also didn't think it was a good idea to
take one such loan to do some income generation business. It seemed to me
that in that process the total profit would go to the usurers and it may
even cost one one’s asset. However, with the intention of changing my
financial status I became a member of ‘West Natmaricha Mohila Samiti’ of
BEES. The group activities have helped me to bring a substantial change in
my life.”
For Farida Begum the
involvement was not so easy. Although it was Farida's prior concern to
eradicate the poverty of the family by any means, but when the question of
involvement in an NGO group arose, her father-in-law was not happy. Besides,
Farida was not only a member of the group but she was the group leader.
Naturally as a group leader she had to play very active role in organizing
the weekly group meetings at her household. It made her father-in-law more
unhappy. He gave objection to Farida's such activity on the ground of ‘purdah’,
since she was a housewife. But Farida's support was her husband. Despite her
father-in-law's objection Farida kept on taking active part in the group
activities. As a result Farida has come far away from her previous state.
Now she has raised herself up to a much higher standard financially,
culturally, socially, politically and spiritually. Farida says, “Being a
member of BEES group I have finally been able to bid farewell to my poverty
stricken days. I have been receiving loans from BEES year after year which I
have invested in diversified initiatives. At first I bought a goat. I earned
some money raising and selling the kids of the goat. Then I bought a cow.
Selling the milk of the cow I have been earning a considerable amount of
money. I have set up a betel-leaf plantation, which is bringing me good
profit. Besides I cultivate vegetables and rear poultry at my homestead.
These ventures are also bringing me some money and contributing in the
family nutrition fulfillment. My monthly income is now nearly Tk. 4,000.
This earning has brought better days to my family. I have built a house to
live in. Now we don't have to fight with hunger. My children are taking
nutritious food, wearing decent clothes, going to school. My father-in-law
is no more unhappy as he has become convinced of the benefits of the group
activities.” The solvency, a little extra after fulfillment of the family
necessities has added to Farida's happiness.
Fariada's
transformation, what she thinks as regards her awareness on many vital
issues owes to BEES’ motivational activities. Whereas Farida was nothing
more than many identical backward housewives from poor households, now she
has become a wise and conscious person.
She had known for
generations that a woman's position was to be subordinated in the family and
society, that casting vote was not her basic right that she did not have a
voice in the family or in the society. Now Farida emerges with a newly
gained knowledge, changing the entire scenario for her, playing a new role.
She can now cast her vote, make decision in the family, give her opinion
even in social arbitration and on many other issues. It has been possible
because of the orientation from and active participation in different
awareness raising programs of BEES. Leadership quality has bloomed in Farida
as she is playing a very much active and outspoken role in organizing the
weekly group meeting at her place. She as a perfect leader is maintaining
group spirit among her group members. The participation has helped Farida
with basic knowledge on health and she is also being benefited from the
medical services of BEES. Awareness on environment, benefits of road
communication, safe water supply, sanitation, gender equity etc. has
enriched Farida's macrocosm.
Farida herself is very
much conscious of her new role. “Now my group members, and my neighbors look
upon me for advices and opinions on many important issues. Whenever there is
injustice to my knowledge, I take every opportunity to protest it, while it
was unthinkable earlier. I advice many of my acquaintances and relatives to
follow my way to upgrade themselves economically and as a conscious member
of the mankind,” says an enlightened Farida. Farida is a spokesman of
sustainable women empowerment through micro-credit integrated with a
multi-dimensional support package.
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Rina--
Leading Ahead of the
Darkest Despair
River erosion shattered
Rina's households totally. Mst. Rina Begum, 25 from Kanai Kanda village of
Sherpur upazila of Bogra district, had been married at the age of 15 to
Alamgir Hossain from Chowbaria village of Shahjadpur upazila of Sirajganj
district. But her conjugal life could not even bloom as the river Jamuna
devoured everything Alamgir had, the land, the household, all. Penniless and
without a means of livelihood, Rina came back to her parents with her
husband. Upon their arrival, some obvious questions also arose, that how
would they get going, what would be their means of livelihood? Naturally it
wasn't very pleasant for Rina to come back to her parents and be considered
as unwanted and burdensome. Rina puts it like this, "My parents were not
well-off. My husband was unemployed and virtually we had nothing, no money,
no assets. When we came to live with our parents an unwanted situation
arose. I had to depend entirely on my parents even for my clothes. It was
not a relishing feeling for me. Only the wife of an unemployed man knows how
much uncertain and at the same time embarrassing it feels to be so. I had to
tolerate many unpalatable words of my parents and others. I really needed
badly to find a means of livelihood for me and my husband. My mother has
been a group member of BEES since 1987. Not only that, she is also the group
leader of ‘Kanai Kandar Mohila Samiti’. Therefore with her initiative and
the recommendation of other members I got involved in the group though at
first I faced some barriers to become a member since I did not have anything
to contribute. However after 8 weeks of my involvement I received my first
loan amounting Tk. 4,000. With the money I set up a grocery shop at my
house-door. I have received loans from BEES four times and invested it in my
shop. The shop has proven to be very much profitable.
Rina, the young
entrepreneur feels that she has found out the ladder to climb up the stairs
of establishing herself. Rina is reaping the result of her all out effort
and endeavors. She keeps her shop open from 7'O clock in the morning till
evening. She sells out a variety of items, serving people, even by selling
items at credit. She has become a popular shopkeeper in their locality and
feels satisfaction over the fact that she is giving some services to people
while doing business. Meanwhile Rina Begum's husband has started a job at
Chandai Kona of Sirajganj as a weaver. He goes to work in the morning and
comes back in the evening. Therefore Rina has to manage her shop. Her
husband also helps her through buying the sellable items for the shop from
the market on weekends. Now Rina keeps items worth Tk. 5,000 at the shop.
She sells items worth Tk. 500 / 600 everyday at about 15%profit. She earns
about Tk. 2,500-3,000 per month from the shop. She has to pay Tk. 500 per
month as installments for loan repayment. Rina Begum is a thrifty woman. She
either saves the rest of her earnings or invests it in her shop. She manages
the family expenses with her husband’s income. Rina has also bought 5
decimals of land from her profit and built a tin house to live in. Availing
BEES’ credit support for sanitary latrine Rina has set up a sanitary latrine
at her household. An overall development including economic stability as
well as basic awareness has changed Rina's life substantially.
Now a happy and loving
mother of a two year old girl Rina Begum's life is full of contentment while
only a few years back life had been full of miseries for her. Rina now can
extend some financial help to her parents over her utter satisfaction. Her
shame, her embarrassment on being a burden on her parents has been replaced
by her scope to help them. Rina Begum's rise has earned her a respectable
position in the society. When at first she started her shop, people did not
welcome the idea so easily. They talked ill of Rina, that it was indecent
for a woman to involve in a business like that, that it was not acceptable
to society etc. But Rina did not pay heed to them and continued her pursuit
with full earnest. Now the success of Rina along with awareness and attitude
has convinced people of her overall development.
Rina believes that
BEES’ support has been the touchstone for her success, “BEES’ credit support
has pulled me out of my darkest despair. I owe greatly to BEES for the
overall support, the guideline, the capacity building, the different
training and advices, knowledge, awareness and various services like medical
services, seeds distribution etc. BEES has extended to me. With BEES’
support and my endeavor and dedication I have become sure of myself and
leading a very happy life now. I would like to keep up the spirt. I hope to
keep up my business and expand it in furture. I would like to buy some more
land here. In future with BEES’ credit support I want to buy a car. I hope
BEES will be there for us making ways so that the poor people like us can
smile their heart out breaking the evil spell of poverty.’’
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