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Graced with a Higher Insight
Her neighbors say that
Dilruba has found the magic lamp of Aladin. Otherwise what else could have
been the secret of her success? While, with the little income of Dilruba’s
husband Md. Khorshed Alam’s small job, Dilruba struggled her heart out
earlier, now their monthly income is handsome enough to bring the family
solvency. Mst. Dilruba Begum from Bhurulia village of Gazipur
stands as an epitome of success and her rise is exemplary to others.
Dilruba says, “We had
to struggle very hard with my husband’s little income to manage our
six-member family. But my husband with S.S.C level education could not have
done better than what he was doing. I could not give nutritious food to my
two sons and two daughters. Neither could I give decent clothing to them. I
could hardy manage the educational expenses of my children. Yet I was not to
give up. Because I knew that perseverance would bring me sunny days, but the
question remained, how? All I needed was a source of inspiration, a push
forward and a helping hand to rely on. Meanwhile I heard of BEES. I came to
know that the group members of BEES could avail loan and an opportunity of
savings. I did not have any clear idea of these activities or their system.
However the Extension Worker of BEES explained to me in details the rules,
regulations and the benefits of the group activities. I also got the
motivation from him to get involved. For me there was no second thought.
Following the advice of the group leader and also my husband I became a
member of BEES group. The involvement was my seed of success. After getting
involved in BEES group I received Tk. 5,000 as loan from BEES in 1999 for
dairy farming. At first I bought a local variety cow and the next year I
bought another one. But the local species was not that much profitable. Then
with the advice of BEES’ worker I bought a high breed cow which was very
much profitable. Gradually receiving higher amount of loan every year i.e.
Tk. 10,000, Tk. 20,000, Tk.30,000, and Tk.40,000 from the year 2000 to 2003,
I have been able to buy 6 high breed cows. Now my dairy farm has proven to
be very much profitable. I have been able to pay the loan installments with
the money earned from selling milk. Everyday I am able to sell 40 kgs of
milk. I have also appointed a worker at my dairy farm to help me, whom I
give Tk.2000 per month. Whereas I could not run my family well before, now
my status has changed as an employer, creating scope of employment
generation. However, now my monthly income from the farm is Tk. 10,000.
Combining it with my husband’s monthly salary of Tk. 3,000 now I can run the
family very smoothly and also can manage to have some savings for future.”
Mst. Dilruba is a woman
with a keen foresight and strong will power. The involvement with BEES has
explored the hidden potentials in her. While it was just struggling to get
going earlier, may be not with merely having food or the basic needs and
perhaps better than that, but no doubt it was real hardship. Dilruba’s only
concern was then to manage the family budget being as much miserly as she
could. But, becoming a group member and getting the loan facility, Dilruba
has been able to change her luck. It’s not merely financial solvency,
Dilruba has reached far beyond that. She is now the principal contributor in
her family budget which has earned her an extra status. Now her husband
evaluates her doubly and considers her opinion important before taking any
decision. Dilruba’s children are being educated. Over to her utmost
satisfaction, her eldest son is studying engineering at BUET, her second son
is a student of class seven while her daughters are reading in class nine
and class five respectively. She visualizes a bright future with her
children educated and established in life. She has gained knowledge and
awareness on many basic and social issues. Being aware on health, nutrition,
environment, sanitation she has raised her life up to the standard. Social
awareness like voter’s rights, gender equity, etc. have enlightened her to a
great extent. She has become a conscious person in family and in society.
Before she only thought about her own world-herself, her family, her
children etc. But now she thinks of others and respects her social duty. She
generates her knowledge, awareness to other women and renders advice to them
on many issues. Besides she is also protesting much social injustice like
violence against women, early marriage and so on. Her status has not been
worth mentioning earlier. But now her position in the society has become
distinct. She has earned a social position so high as to be selected a
member of the Executive Committee of a school. No one can even think of
disregarding her, instead she holds a leading position in the society now.
She has proven that womenfolk are not meant to be neglected and backwards in
society. The courage, newer insight and optimism have attributed Dilruba
with the vision of looking up to life very positively. Therefore her heart
did not sink even at the loss of over Tk. 60,000 while two high breed cows
died at her farm. She could reinforce her efforts from her loss instead of
surrendering herself in the hands of cruel destiny.
Her present position,
her success has gained pace from issues like these challenges. Dilruba has
proved to be a winner, not a loser, and she owes her achievement to BEES, as
it has enriched her with deeper insight and ability.
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Anita Exceeds Her
Unbearable Affliction
“One day my children
were crying in hunger. There was not a grain of food in the house and also
no money. I went to ‘Gita Boudi’ at the house next door to seek some loan
but she was equally destitute as me and could not give me any money. Hearing
about my children she gave me some ‘panibhat’ (rice cooked overnight and
kept steeped in water), because that’s whatever she had. I came home with
the ‘panibhat’ and gave my children to eat. As they were eating they asked
me crying, if I wouldn’t take some. I had to lie to them because the
quantity was very small and said that I had already taken some”, Anita Rani
went on with steaming eyes. She no more wants to remember those terrible
days.
Anita Rani Paal from
Aria village of
Majhira upazila of Bogra was born in a very poor potter’s family. Poverty’s
pitiless clutches snatched away the charm of childhood from Anita. She
wasn’t even allowed to go to school and engaged in work from her childhood.
“I was married off to Adit Chandra Paal of Chandijan village from Sherpur
upazila of Bogra district. His occupation was also pottery. Poverty’s
harsher face was exposed to me after marriage. Because now I was supposed to
manage a family of my own, with the little income. My husband had only 1.5
decimals of household land where there was our thatched house and the
household premises were used for our pottery work. The condition of the
house was so broken down that the fencing bamboo walls were torn at places
letting in the wind to blow inside. With date palm branches or straw I would
try to cover the holes. During rains water rolled down the holes of the
straw roof. Needs of life were so enormous that I and my husband would often
quarrel over the very trivial issues. My husband even used to beat me up at
times. I didn’t even have a voice to protest”, Anita memorizes.
Meanwhile their first
daughter was born, she was named Dulali. Two years after that their second
child, a son was born and named Prashanto Kumar. The family size was
increasing but not the income. Anita felt helpless but continued working
harder making clay pottery, statues, idols etc. Despite the hard work, Anita
and her husband found it next to impossible to manage three meals a day for
their family of six members-Anita, her husband, her mother-in-law and three
children. Their children were growing up, but Anita could not send them to
school for their overpowering poverty. As the pottery trade itself has
become near to extinct, it was really very hard for them to survive. During
this terrible state of mind, Anita found the twinkling ray of hope. Anju Apa,
so they call the Field Extension Worker of BEES, came to their neighborhood
and talked to her about many issues relating to poverty eradication. She
explained to Anita and some other village women about BEES’ credit program.
For Anita, there was no hesitation to grab this chance. She became a member
of ‘Chandijan Mohila Samiti’ of BEES. After that she received her first loan
of Tk. 3,000 in 1997. With the money she bought a cow. To Anita’s happiness
her husband consented to her decisions and Anita received his support later
too. Selling the cow’s milk Anita was earning some money to add to the
family money line. However from then onwards Anita received loans through
the successive years for a variety of purposes, i.e. as capital of business,
daughter’s wedding, buying land etc. Now Anita does not belong to the hard
core poor class any longer. She has settled down in life. She has wedded off
her eldest daughter. Her son has also grown up. Her youngest daughter reads
in class three. Anita’s world has extended into a much larger one now, she
has been economically upgraded and spiritually more independent. Counseled
and motivated on basic necessities for well being, Anita Rani is educating
her youngest daughter, trying to take nutritious food by means of
cultivating fruits, vegetables etc. in her household premises, maintaining
personal hygiene, installing and using sanitary latrine, consulting the
doctor of BEES whenever she or her family members are sick etc. Anita
herself states, “I was not respected or given any importance by anyone in
the society as I was very poor. Nobody values the poor, so felt. But now I
don’t feel inferior. Because I am a human being and I have my rights. Poor
have their voices too, BEES has thought me. I also have my gender-rights. I
am not to be neglected anymore. I am no more poor either. Now I have
contentment in life. I am holding on to my father’s and forefathers’
business and prospering by investing in it with BEES’ loan. I have been able
to earn the reliability of BEES authorities by sincerely paying off my
installments. I have been able to do that because of my untiring labor. With
this I have become capable of winning fortune and trod a path of prosperity
leaving behind the haunting poverty.
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