A Collection of Success Stories of The Disadvantaged People of Bangladesh Edited by Anirudha Alam

KULSUMS
AND KARIMS
A Collection of Success Stories
of the Disadvantaged People
Chief Editor
Saiful Islam Robin
Editor
Anirudha Alam
with
SM Shahidul Islam
Sharif Ahsanul Kabir
Photograph
Rubaiyat Asif Iqbal
Anowarul Kader
BEES (Bangladesh Extension Education Services)

1
KULSUMS AND KARIMS (A Collection of Success Stories of the Disadvantaged People)

O Chief Editor: Saiful Islam Robin O Edited by Anirudha Alam O Published by
Information & Development Communication (IDC) Cell, BEES (Bangladesh
Extension Education Services), House 183, Eastern Road, Lane 2, New DOHS,
Mohakhali,
Dhaka-1206,
Bangladesh;
E-mail:
info@bees-bd.org,
bees@worldnetbd.net; Website: http://www.bees-bd.org O Designed & Printed
by Dhrupadi, 31/1 Purana Paltan, Dhaka-1000 O First Published: September 2006,
Ashwin 1413
O
Price: 250 Taka; US $ 12
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, or translated in any form or by any means
without written permission from the Editor or publisher.
To the Kulsums & Karims,

the destitute & disadvantaged people, who
have been struggling to attain
the high water mark of success in
making themselves self-reliant,
and contributing to national
socio-economic upliftment.
Foreword
Preface
Porisker's Determination to a Vision
13
Khaleda Wins over Negligence
19
Halima Finds Way to Survive
25
Sheuli Turns to the New Horizon
31
New Life of Abul Kalam Azad
39
Smiling Face of Shahanara:

A Downtrodden Woman
43
Moyna's Miseries Gone by
49
Perseverance Brings Ataur a Bright Future
55
Happiness in Lalbanu's Family
59
Abu Ashraf Makes it a Success
63
Raushan Ara becomes Self-reliant
67
Contents
Foreword
BEES (Bangladesh Extension Education Services), a non governmental
organization, has been engaged in social development and poverty alleviation
programme in Bangladesh having a vision of ensuring a just society where men
and women together can enjoy higher and sustainable standard of living. In line
with its vision of a society based on self-reliance and sustainable economy, BEES
has always been forward with its multifaceted development programmes
encompassing mainly the disadvantaged and destitute group of people in our
society. The poor and downtrodden unskilled people particularly the womenthe most neglected section of the society being the target group of BEES, have
been obviously focused in its programmes.These neglected group of people are
very much known to us, the well-off class of the society. We undermine them in
many ways, define their lot without sympathy, and they live around us being
known as poor and hardcore poor whom we are naming as Kulsums and Karims
to give it a common name for our publication.
BEES has long been engaged in the field of social development with a series of
programmes targeting to ameliorate the sufferings of the Kulsums and Karims.
Micro-finance, Poultry and Livestock, Education, Health, MCH-FP and Nutrition
are some of the programme components that BEES has been implementing in
different parts of the country covering its target people. The very vulnerable
group of people who are prominently known as Kulsums and Karims in our
surroundings are being benefited in many ways with the implementation of
various programmes. Various development initiatives adopted to the changed
situation over the last 30-year have been undertaken by BEES to bring about
changes in their lives who are termed as Kulsums and Karims. But BEES realizes
that poverty alleviation or reduction is a very complex task. Equally with long
experiences, BEES, with its limited resources, has been contributing tirelessly to
bring about a change in the lot of the poor and destitute people particularly the
women, who are at the risk of extinction losing all of their resources. With the
cooperation and help rendered by BEES with its credit plus services through
Seba Package, a markable number of disadvantaged people have been able to
change their lot. This publication is a documentary having a compilation of a
series of success-cases while it reflects the facts how the Kulsums and Karims in
the society have been able to change their lot being guided and directed by the
development initiatives of BEES. Kulsums and Karims is addition to our first
publication Kulsums in the year 2004 while the cases regarding the success of
many destitute women in changing their lot were documented. But BEES
realizes that there are the male people also maintain the same margin of
economic crisis, and they should also be highlighted as they are being covered
in various programmes having a markable success to be highlighted to others.
Thanks to them who have worked hard in the various stages to bring this
publication into light. I also take the opportunity to convey my sincere thanks
and gratitude to all our donors, partners relevant stakeholders, and the staff and
all the members of BEES for their support and cooperations.
Finally, I hope this effort to publish the case study on the success of Kulsums and
Karims will inspire others in their struggle for survival and a brighter future.
21 August 2006
Saiful Islam Robin

Executive Director
BEES
Preface
BEES believes that poverty is not only due to lack of income or employment but
also a complex syndrome manifested in a variety of dimensions. Hence, BEES
effort is to promote income or employment generation through different
development initiatives. In this line BEES strives to bring the destitute and the
disadvantaged women and men under its development umbrella forming
homogeneous groups to facilitate a sustainable change within the society
through social as well as economic emancipation. Under this development
process BEES has had its satisfaction as a markable number of the poor people
have been able to get rid of the vicious cycle of poverty. There are many more
references among the BEES beneficiaries who have become the examples of
success in the society being guided under various development drives of BEES.
Kulsums and Karims is a compilation of case studies on those who have achieved
success in their hard struggle in life to shelve the curse of poverty and begin to
move to a new horizon of hope and glow of light. These people, whom we are
naming as Kulsums and Karims because of their poor economic and social
status, represent the millions belonging to the same strata of life. These people
are lagging due to want of food, clothing, shelter, education and health. They
have no place and position in the society. They lack power to speak out of their
societal rights.These are the very common sufferings of the Kulsums and Karims
because they don't have enough money to live on and they lack of getting loans
from financial institutions without collateral security. This is an impediment on
their way of becoming self-reliant through income generating activities. Like the
economic crisis the Kulsums and Karims are not free from the societal
discrimination. Deprivation and oppression of the women folk in the name of
religious and social values is still very much frequent. In reality they don't have
equal social and human rights.
Under this grim scenario BEES, being an NGO, has been working for a long time
addressing the disadvantaged section of the population especially the women,
children and men in different parts of Bangladesh to ameliorate their suffering
by providing them with loan, life skill training, advice and endeavouring to
reduce their poverty through income generating activities. The different 11
success stories contained in this Book echo the same spirit of the characters
while they make it clear about their sufferings and finally become self-reliant
being provided with the development assistance of BEES.The characters uphold
their sufferings that they used to feel extremely undermined as they had been
treated like beggars only for their poor economic condition. Even they used to
feel their life as burden as they couldn't arrange food and other necessities for
their children and the family. Similarly the cases share the secrets how the
characters finally got rid of their pains and sufferings being addressed by the
development drives of BEES. Not only BEES has provided them with the credit
facilities, rather it has given them the direction to utilize the money effectively.
Imparting various life skill training and orientation of different development
programmes are the key means that have guided the characters of this Book
achieving a stable condition in their families and in the society. As Porisker
Begum articulates that it was not a matter of a day rather gradually she had
attained the eligibility for taking the loan from the samity. Activating its microfinance services by means of group formation, regular courtyard-session,
training and orientation, BEES has stimulated their zeal for economic and social
emancipation. Besides Micro-finance Programme, Seba Package ensuring credit
plus services as well as Human Resource Development & Occupational Skills
Development Programme are in the fold of BEES which have guided the
characters in this Book achieving the target of poverty reduction.
In the case-study aspects like difference between previous and present income
and amount of expenditure, savings, life-status, dimensions of income
generating activities, promotion of perceptions to be self-reliant, potential
graduation due to social and economic empowerment, achievement in the
context of desired goal and future initiatives, awareness growing about
education, re-productive health, gender equity, environment conservation,
nutrition, healthcare, etc have been highlighted. It has been very evidently
reflected in the cases that the well off families did not care for these characters
since they were very poor. As some of the characters disclose that nobody used
to invite them to any social event like marriage and other ceremonies. They had
no say in their community; neither anybody cared for their opinion in any social
10
event. They remained neglected and deprived from the community even with
the close relatives. But when the community has found these people self-reliant,
income earning, standing on their own foot and continuing with progress in
livelihoods like food, cloths and they now have some skills on reading and
writing, their community has started to honour them and their presence in
different fora. The income earning successes with the help of BEES has changed
the lot of these characters tremendously, and they have become enthusiastic,
active and participatory in their family and in the community decision-making
process and other social events. The Book reflects light on these issues very
vividly while it also has become a documentary of the fact how these characters
have become morally high enough to speak out their socio-economic rights to
the local level bodies and to the community leaders. They now hold the stand
and courage to inspire others to struggle and fight for their rights with hard
working, so that they also can be successful to stand on their own foot leaving
behind their identity as Kulsums and Karims.
Any suggestion or opinion for further enrichment of the programme in the light
of these case studies will be highly appreciated. We sincerely wish this Book will
be a rich document to inspire others to change their life pattern. We hope,
development activists, researchers, sociologists, academicians and planners will
find this publication of some use for guiding towards a pragmatic social change.
21 August 2006
Anirudha Alam
Assistant Director
(Information & Development Communication)
BEES
11
Porisker's Determination
to a Vision
13
I've no pain but only hope and dream.
Im now economically better of than ever before.There is no scarcity of food and

cloth in my family now-a-days. Now I've a cemented floor tin-shed house to live
in.Whereas, I had to pass days in acute poverty and starvation with my husband
and children. During rainy season, water used to pour inside my house, a shed
built with only six number of C.I. sheets. With the little income of my husband,
our days somehow passed by.
Porisker Begum is a 36-year old woman, stands in front of her house having a big
smile. She smiles on her happiness wining a tremendous fight over poverty.
Porisker Begum is a group member of Gokul Nagar Mohila Samity of BEES in
Narsingdi. Gokul Nagar, a small village lacking any sign of development and
urbanization, is situated in Raipura upazila under Narsingdi district in
Bangladesh. Agriculture is the main occupation of the village people although a
small number of them are engaged in some other petty jobs. Majority of the
villagers live below poverty line though there are some well to do farmers also
living in the village.
Md. Kabir Hossain, husband of Porisker Begum, is an irregular helper of busservice.They have four daughters and a son.The children were not in the habit of
going to school. Their position in the society was very low. Porisker Begum
wished to bring a change in their distressed condition. But she couldn't find any
visible way open out this economic impasse. Just during this condition of the
family, their neighbour Bilkis Begum gave her direction about a new way, a light
of hope, to become member of Gokul Nagar Mohila Samity (Women's
Association) of BEES.The samity aims at bringing sustainable changes in the lives
of the poor, illiterate and unskilled people especially the women by empowering
and enhancing their socio-economic capacities through Rural Development
Programmes. The samity members also pursue multidimensional programmes
like Micro-enterprise, Poultry and Livestock, Agriculture & Social Forestry,
Education, Health, MCH FP, Nutrition, Urban Poor Development and so on.
The idea moved Porisker Begum immensely. She went to BEES office and thus
could do something with a view to reducing poverty of the family. She also
discussed with her husband about the matter. Taking consent from the
husband, she joined Gokul Nagar Mohila Samity. Thus she began her new life.
14
KULSUMS AND KARIMS
Porisker Begum says, "In my days of hardship, the staff of BEES encouraged me a
lot by advising and helping me on many facilities of becoming a samity
member. Completing all the formalities I became a member of the Gokul Nagar
Mohila Samity with full confidence", Porisker Begum narrates the story of her
becoming a samity member. Becoming a member of the samity Porisker Begum
started to deposit her savings in the samity. Maintaining all other formalities
Porisker Begum took the first loan of Taka 3,000 from the samity. She narrates,
"Adding my loan money with my hard work I managed to buy a cow.Then there
was one cow with a calf in my shed. I had a future plan to build a diary-farm by
my own". Porisker Begum started stepping into a new dream of brighter future.
By selling cow-milk only, she started earning Taka 3,750 per month. Day by day,
the calf was also becoming bigger in size. Porisker Begum was very conscious
about taking care of the calf and the cow as she got the training and advice of
cow rearing from BEES. The loan from BEES helped her like anything in
purchasing the cow. She opines, "It's not a matter of day rather gradually I
attained the eligibility for taking this loan gradually". Joining the Samity, she first
accumulated saving in the collective fund. When an amount was saved after
depositing little by little, she applied for a loan for the first time.With this money
she bought a cow. After fattening the cow, she sold it. This brought her a profit
to the margin of Taka 2,500. Meanwhile, she reimbursed the loan money and
took a loan of Taka 5,000 for the second time.
With the second loan money, Porisker Begum took agreement of a piece of land.
The couple along with their children started working very hard on the land and
with great toil produced paddy, bean, various kinds of kitchen vegetables and
sweet pumpkin. They earned a lot of money by selling all these in the market.
This brought solvency in the family and new dresses of children replaced the old
and shabby ones, and arrangements were made for the education of children.
At this point her two daughters started going to school. After paying back the
loan, she got a loan of Taka 8,000 for the third time.
With the third loan Porisker Begum bought a cow, and selling milk much was
earned. Again she sold the cow and the calf and further bought a cow with a calf.
It became easy for her to repay the loan by selling the cow milk. In this way
through repeated buying and selling of cows and calfs, Porisker Begum became
15
able to earn some extra money with which she could bring some change and
progress in various spheres of the family. She now owns a sanitary latrine
including Tubewell in her home. All the members of the family now enjoy a
better life style.
Porisker Begum took a loan of Taka 10,000. As she was always conscious and
keen in repaying loans timely it became possible for her to take further a loan of
Taka 12,000. After getting the loan, she again took agreement of a land. Cow and
poultry rearing side by side taking land agreement and hard labour done by all
of her family members has brought remarkable success for the family. Now
there's smile of happiness in the tired face of Porisker Begum. That is why she
can utter, as to family level, "I've no pain but only hope and dream. Economic
prosperity has been followed by peace and happiness in my family". The
difference is clearly stated by the following comparative observation of the
earning and expenditure of the family at present:
Monthly income after being a member of BEES:
Source of Income
Amount (Tk.)
Selling of Cow Milk
3,000
Poultry Rearing & Selling of Eggs
4,500
Selling of Vegetables
1,000
Total:
8,500
Monthly expenditure after being a member of BEES:

Sector of Expenditure
Amount (Tk.)
Food
4,600
Clothes
1,325
Health
950
Education (1 Son + 1 Daughter)
560
Recreation (Electricity Bill for TV)
275
Others (Electricity Bill)
150
Total:
7,860
16
KULSUMS AND KARIMS
Before becoming a member of the Gokul Nagar Mohila Samity, Porisker Begum
had no personal income. With the income of bus helper husband, she with her
children used to lead a very poor and sub-human life. But now Porisker Begum
is not merely a housewife. Now she is also playing a dominant and guiding role
in changing the poverty-ridden condition of her family.
BEES not only gave me loan but also helped to sharpen my ideas and working
skill through imparting trainings at different times. Earlier I was an illiterate and
rather blind in spite of having eyes. But now I can read and write. I can put my
signature and keep accounts. Instead of negligency now I get importance in the
society. It is not enough to take a loan, rather more important is its proper use in
business and cash profit. And this is difficult without the cooperation of my
husband and family members. Money is not everything for the happiness in
family. But in utter need of money, I see bleakness before me but morally one
can boost up if there is provision for food, cloth and shelter including some
ready cash. In spite of heavy toil in the family, now-a-days, I don't become
disheartened. I shall go ahead with the mental strength that I have received
through loan and constructive advice becoming a proud member of BEES-run
samity.
17

19
I want to construct a new house with sufficient space for improving our standard of
living. I want to make my children educated enough to get honourable job.
"I and my family members were just the persons to be teased by our community
people as my family had been suffering from food insecurity, hunger and
starvation", says Khaleda Begum. Khaleda Begum is 28 years old. She was one of
the thousands of housewives in the area who were struggling to live an ordinary
life with food, clothes and other basic amenities for their families. Khaleda is a
mother of two girl children. Her husband is Kazi Tofazzal Hossain of Malaipur
village under Mahadevpur Upazila of Naogaon District.
Being neglected for a long time, I just became extremely sensitive and frequently
tried to avoid relatives and peer groups. I used to remain unenthusiastic, low and
gloomy to the future of my life due to the hunger and starvation in my family. I
used to feel extremely undermined as I had been treated as like a beggar only for
my poor economic condition. Even then, I felt my life as a great burden as I
couldn't arrange food and other inevitable necessities for the children and other
family members as I had no earning. However, I waited and dreamed for the
opportunity to prove myself enough competent by my own income earning and
prayed Allah to have such an opportunity.
In my poverty-ridden past days, when my family and myself were at the brink of
demise from hunger and starvation, I heard of an organization named BEES with
programmes for providing skill training, primary health care and loan among
the destitute people. I found them and applied there to be a member. They
became kind enough to make me a member and trained me according to my
interests and capacities for income generation.
Being a BEES-run samity member Khaleda Begum got the scope to be trained on
various income generating initiatives. Skill development training from BEES and
the loan gave Khaleda Begum the opportunity, courage and technical know-how
to be a successful and sustained income earner through entrepreneurship or
small trades. She was seemed to be an example for successful entrepreneur like
a 'role model' who could be followed for enabling one similar to meet her
minimal needs for the livelihoods in the usual class-standard in the community.
With skill training on poultry rearing, diary and fish cultivation and having a
5,000 Taka loan from the Samity (BEES), Khaleda Begum first started a mini
20
KULSUMS AND KARIMS
poultry farm. Khaleda Begum started to earn a good amount of income by

selling eggs and poultry. She earned a good amount of money with poultry
products selling locally. With the second loan of Taka 7,000, Khaleda Begum
purchased a cow and earned money by selling milk and again the demand was
good and she started to earn a fair amount. With the 3rd loan of Taka 9,000, she
started a small fisheries and profited well. Khaleda's fourth loan was Taka 12,000.
She infused necessary money to her running business to make them more
beneficial with more investments. Since then, all the three projects have been
running with more profits. Thus Khaleda Begum has stood on her own feet for
economic self-reliance and confidence which has fulfilled her dream of
sufficient income earning for mitigating the hunger and starvation in her family
for ever and to drive the family for prosperity.
After starting income earning with BEES support, Khaleda and her
family now earn as much as Taka 10,000 per month with poultry, cow
rearing and selling of milk and other trade, and spend about Taka 8,000.
Thus her family can spend more to improve their livelihood status like
increased spending on quality food, dresses and health, even for
recreation purposes! She has increased spending on children education
and health substantially and she is now capable to save a handful
amount of money to mitigate household volatile food insecurity in
crisis like with scarcity and joblessness in the area.
Apart from the loan received from BEES, Khaleda Begum has received health
services under Seba Package from BEES for her and the family. She has also been
given vegetable seeds for kitchen gardening to get essential vegetables in
family food and also for income earning to an extent. Emphasizing on the
importance of personal and domestic health and hygiene maintenance,
Khaleda Begum has received assistance for sanitary latrine from BEES and also
the necessary information regarding many essentials for healthy life. She also
has received a number of essential life skill trainings and awareness packages
from BEES including those of different skill development trainings. In the way,
then Khaleda Begum is seemed to be not only capable of being able to face the
life in her own through successful income earning and to spend those for her
family for optimal food and other essentials, also she holds the capacity to save
21
a significant amount of money to be used in future crisis and to create some

assets for the family.
Now Khaleda's husband seems to be more inclined to her than before. He has
just turned himself not to be harsh with her that he used to do earlier. As
Khaleda Begum has become a successful income earner, she has now acquired
better position to be a decision-maker in her family and in the community.
Understanding with the husband and other family members is seemed to be
accelerated tremendously.
Before Khaleda Begum was socially neglected, left-out and almost isolated as
because she was none but a poor woman. Her opinions rarely carried values in
her surroundings. But when the community has found her successful
transformation with labourious struggles, self-reliant, income earning, standing
on her own foot and continuing with improvement in living standards, her
community has started to honour her.
Taking loan from BEES and with their advice and following their ways, Khaleda
Begum has attained in prosperity in her family. With sustained and progressive
22
KULSUMS AND KARIMS
income earning activities, she has become an honourable person in her society
as now she not only runs her family, rather she can help others in need with her
knowledge and minimal cash as loan. As she is now an income earning person,
she has acquired a degree of decision-making authority in her own family and
among the families known to them and among their relatives. As she is now a
working lady, her opinion has become important to the community and to the
peer groups. Her social status thus has been changed with her economic status.
Nobody neglects her, instead likes to talk and mix with her. She now finds that
with her progressive uplifting in economic generation with IGA, she and her
family are now acquiring dignity, honour and respects from the community
which her family never enjoyed in their lives before.
Income earning successes with the help of BEES has changed Khaleda Begum
totally and she has become enthusiastic, active and participatory in the family
and community decision-making and in community events. She has become
morally high enough to speak out her rights to the local level bodies and to the
community leaders. She also inspires others to struggle and fight for their rights
with hard working, so that they also can be successful to stand on their own
foot.
Khaleda Begum still dreams for more prosperity in her IGA. "I want to construct
a new house with sufficient space for improving our standard of living. I want
to make my children educated enough to get honourable job", Khaleda
discloses her dreams. She wants her entrepreneurship would be ever
expanding and make logical profit which she wants to earn by hard labour.
Thus she wants to live an honourable life with her family in the community
where she lives. She wants her success stories to be disseminated among the
others who are in crisis in the vast rural areas for poverty and famine. She
desires with appropriate income earning activities all the people of her
community should be healthy, sound and creative with optimal food and other
basic amenities to match unprecedented greenish paddy fields of Naogaon
district.
Khaleda feels that her family's prosperities are the result of the cooperation from
BEES. She expects that continued help and intervention from BEES can give her
23
and other similar women to improve their livelihood standard with income
earning and for their struggle to be self-reliant.
I am extremely grateful to BEES and workers of BEES for the transformation of
my life. I thank BEES for helping me translating my dream into reality. I believe
very strongly that BEES is in position to implant dreams for continued progress
and prosperity for the deprived and poverty-stricken people in need. I hope all
others capable to act like BEES to come forward for mitigating the hunger,
starvation and century long disgrace and dishonors for the ever poverty-ridden
destitute population in the vast rural areas.
24
KULSUMS AND KARIMS

25
I hold a vision that with appropriate income earning activities all the people of
my community should be healthy, sound and creative with optimal food and
other basic amenities to match the extreme beauty of the indigenous Sal, Teak
and other evergreen forests of Madhobpur of the Hobiganj district.
Madhobpur upazila under Hobiganj district is ornamented with the

unprecedented scenic beauty of the evergreen tropical Bangladesh at the hilly
and densely vegetated frontiers of Tripura and Karimganj, Assam of India. Under
the scenic and spectacular natural beauty, only a few people are enjoying their
lives with affluence. However, most of the population have very little means to
even procure their daily minimal food and they live in the world where
everything is precious enough except their lives, and they are simply unable to
earn to maintain their minimal household food security and other basic
amenities.
Halima Begum, 35 years old, is one of the neglected members of the society.
Solim Mia, the husband of Halima Begum, is no other exception as a family
guardian of these vulnerable groups. This family, like others, was involved in the
struggle of livelihood but couldn't arrange anything better than doing the job
as day labourer. They don't have any child.
BEES has been working in the poverty-stricken area of Modhobpur upazila.
Along with their other services, they have been attempting poverty alleviation
of the poor of the prioritized groups through disbursement of micro-credit,
initiating their savings and empowering them with community based skill
development training. With the efforts of BEES, there had been opportunities
created for the distressed people to be developed as small entrepreneurs,
traders or something else for their minimal income earning to carry on their
livelihood and to combat their hunger and starvation through mitigating
distorted food security in the household levels.
With the support from BEES, Halima could do something based on the
enormous possibilities within her as a human being. This is a chronicle of
success in the relentless struggles for mitigating hunger and may be something
more than that. Before participating with BEES, Halima's family, like most of the
other families in rural Bangladesh, in the region of Hobiganj district was passing
their livelihood just hand to mouth. They haven't had any household land of
their own and they used to live in the land of their relatives. The situation was a
continuous matter of frustration for her and the family and they used to blame
their fate and to seek divine help to get rid of their extreme miseries. She used
26
KULSUMS AND KARIMS
to think of her committed possible sins, for those creator was not enough kind
to bless her with a handful of happiness!
Halima's monthly income earning was about Taka 800 from low-cost day
labouring and vending clothes. However, her monthly family expenditure was at
least Taka 870. And this expenditure was only for managing very low-standard
quantity of food and clothing.
Being associated with BEES my first training was on social awareness, followed
by a goat rearing training. While trained in goat rearing, I could understand the
potentials of the goat rearing and in 1st phase, I took Taka 1,500 as loan from
BEES and purchased a goat. That goat gave 3 kids in one time in a year then
made the number of my goats to 4 and that made me immensely interested.The
situation made me interested to take Taka 4,000 as the second loan to purchase
other two goats and also I commenced the vending business with cloths. I took
Taka 6,000 as loan in the third phase. Now I own 13 goats in total and I am
capable of selling 6-7 goats per year.
While receiving skill development training, it became apparent to Halima that
the goat rearing is safely profitable. So, she decided to purchase goat, even by
taking loan from BEES or any other organizations while she ended her training.
However, BEES granted her loan and she started her new life with honour,
dignity and self-confidence with income earning.
Halima now not only has minimal income earning to mitigate her poverty,
starvation and mitigate volatile food security, she has now some assets those
can be counted as the valuable reserves in crisis. Along with the current capitals
for small trades and poultry, she has a total of 13 goats. Along with goat rearing
and vending clothes, Halima also is rearing poultries and is successful to earn
considerable income from all those. In fact, now she has become self-reliant,
standing on own foot and gained a degree of social power and rights to bargain
about the fundamental rights for her and the families like her.
Being a member of BEES, Halima's monthly income has increased to around Taka
6,500 with goat and poultry rearing and clothes vending with optimal capitals.
27
The increase in income earning has enabled her to spend optimally in food and
clothing; she can now spend an amount for health services and recreation.
Some other expenditure to improve the quality of life has been increased. Now
she can also save a little in cash.
Before Halima was socially neglected, left-out and overpowered. Her opinions
carried little values to her commensal community. But when the community
found her self-reliant, income earning, standing on own foot and continuing
with progress in livelihoods like food, cloths and even she has now some skills
on reading, writing and numeracy, her community has started to honour her for
her efforts. Before involved with BEES, Halima had to face immense psychosocial stigma. She always thought of her as very low, vacant, poor and helpless
and used to pass days with a single or a half-meal! At the same time, she always
had understanding that there was no income earning scopes for an unskilled,
non-working and helpless anywhere in her known vicinities.
Monthly income after being
member of BEES
Taka
3000
2000
Poutry
Goat rearing
Clothe vending
Others
1000
Before her engagement in development works as a member of BEES, no body

cared Halima socially. As she was worthless and poor, very few evaluated her as
a person of dignity and honour. She was just a left out personality in the vast
population. Nobody intervened in her wants and she became totally
directionless, even unable to decide what to do or where to go for a relief.
28
KULSUMS AND KARIMS
Apart from the loan received from BEES, Halima received a number of essential
life skill trainings and awareness orientation under Seba Package within credit
plus services of BEES including those of different skill development trainings,
health care awareness and skills, disaster management awareness, vegetable
seeds for kitchen gardening, family planning and welfare awareness, etc for
continued development and progress of Halima's family.
Halima now feels empowered and does not think herself weak and helpless as
she felt before becoming involved with BEES. She now dreams for the ultimate
transformation for her own and for others and plans for herself! She wants to be
an example for the others in the process of socio-economic upliftment struggles
wining over the poverty and hunger. Her husband now evaluates her better
than before and he does not become angry now and then on her as he used to
do before. As Halima is now an income earner, she has now better position for
decision-making within the family and in the community. Understanding with
the husband and other family members has been enhanced tremendously.
Skill development training from BEES and the loan facilities have given Halima
the opportunity, courage and dream to be a successful and sustained income
earner. She is now able to meet her minimal needs for the usual livelihoods in
the usual class-standard in the community and dreaming even better
transformation.
She is now better evaluated by her fellow community members and
neighbours. Many take her news, far more degrees of prevailing social customs
and manners are exercised with her as she is now an income earner and is
capable to drive on her own! She is now specially invited and honoured in the
social events like marriage ceremonies and other social and religious rituals. She
is also evaluated for her influences in the community, even in politics.
Halima's contained memories of her past days' helplessness, poverty, and pity
seeking and community's extreme negligence to her still hurts her too much.
The shame, ignorance, and disgrace by the relatives even the family members in
past days resulted in psycho-social stigma still surfaced as bad dreams
sometimes. However, participating in intervention with BEES Halima has already
29
changed the scenario and she now feels, life is to be lived with self-reliance and
in graceful way with honour and stout neck!
I want to be sustained as an income earner with more one or two loans from
BEES. Once self-reliant, I want to be esteemed in my own way with the
awareness, knowledge, skills and the dreams achieved with my association and
participation with BEES.
I have achieved many thing. Being assisted with the BEES support I have become
capable to mitigate poverty for my family in a part of my country where majority
of the people have been living under the poverty line and has to be engaged in
relentless struggles for income earning to mitigate volatile food security in the
households and famines in each day.
"I hold a vision that with appropriate income earning activities all the people of
my community should be healthy, sound and creative with optimal food and
other basic amenities to match the extreme beauty of the indigenous Sal, Teak
and other evergreen forests of Madhobpur of the Hobiganj district", Halima
expresses her feelings being extremely grateful to the organization and workers
of BEES for the transformation of her life.
30
KULSUMS AND KARIMS

31
I have stood on my own feet for economic self-reliance and confidence which have fulfilled
my dream of sufficient income earning for mitigating the poverty in my family for ever and
to drive my family for dreamed prosperity.
Sheuli became pregnant for the second time. She became seriously sick. She
became bed-ridden. Everybody in the family thought that Sheuli might not
survive.Then the BEES paramedic madam came forward. She helped Sheuli with
medication and advice. She referred Sheuli to higher medical facilities. Sheuli
was finally saved. "I prayed to Allah for the BEES and the paramedic madam. The
incidence still makes me emotional when I remember that", Sheuli expresses
herself having a big smile. Sheuli continues that her family frequently suffered
from food insecurity, and poverty, but with the help and efforts from BEES,
slowly she could overcome the trouble and could start income generation
activities. With the effort, she and her family have become self-reliant. "This has
given me a very pleasant and grateful feeling for the BEES", says Sheuli with a
very grateful heart for BEES.
This was the turning point of Sheuli's life. Sheuli Akhter is a rural woman of 28
years old. She was struggling to manage minimal requirements for an ordinary
life with adequate food, clothes and other basic amenities for herself and her
family. Sheuli is a mother of two children. Her husband's name is Md. Arfanuddin
(Badal). They are living in the village Diakandi of Sukundi union under
Monohardi upazila of Narsingdi district.
I and my family had very limited scope for income earning.We had to suffer with
extremely vulnerable situation without any capacity to purchase minimal food
for the family. Poverty, hunger and starvation were the regular phenomena for
the family. My family was passing days in extremely demoralized situation.
Miseries never come alone. The sky was the roof of my children. I used to work
as a maid servant in others' houses. Neighbours used to abuse me and my family
members frequently for water. We had no sanitary latrines. So we used to go to
the open ground at the call of nature.
Sheuli Akhter's family had only income earning opportunities with her
husband's such job as working at a shop and rickshaw-van driving irregularly
before she became a BEES member. That could only contribute to their 'hand to
mouth status', but were too meager to meet up the other demands for a family
with minimal basic amenities. For small capital in shop business and low income
32
KULSUMS AND KARIMS
yielding rickshaw van driving, they could afford a little in comparison to their
family's basic needs. They didn't have any reserve to continue their family
expenditures in crisis periods. With rickshaw-van driving and small shop Sheuli
Akhter's family could only earn as much as Taka 1,500 per month through the
job of her husband. However, Sheuli herself wasted the time as a housewife and
couldn't contribute to any income earning. On the other hand, the expenditures
of her family were amounted not less than Taka 3,000 per month. Thus it was a
very difficult situation where the spending was just double than the monthly
earning! The family had difficulties in arranging daily meal for the family
members. Even the family couldn't purchase sufficient clothes, and couldn't
spend necessary money even during the severe health ailments.
Sheuli Akhter narrates the background of her becoming the member of BEES,
"Some of my neighbours were the members of other NGOs. They took training
and loans from them. With those, they considerably improved their quality of
lives. I also went with them and became the member of BEES. I started to pay
back my loan. BEES, which I saw as the real friend of the destitute permitted me
as their member and offered all that service provision they had, like trainings
and the loan. In my poverty-ridden past days, when me and my family were at
the edge of total extinction for poverty, I was looking for an organization which
could provide me skill training and loans for initiating IGA for my income
earning. Finally BEES gave me the essential and vital support. At last I got the
opportunity to try something for changing the mode of my family's fate. I
thought and hope that it might be a rare opportunity for me to change the
direction of my family's long deprivation and poverty. So I took the information
about their rules and regulations to be a member. Then I found them and
became their member. In the process soon, I received the necessary skill training
and took opportunity of loan".
Sheuli Akhter took training intensively on poultry, sanitation, vegetable and
primary health care from BEES. With skill training and loan from BEES, with the
first loan of Taka 3,000 Sheuli Akhter purchased a cow and continued her family
expenditure with selling of the milk. Then with the second loan of Taka 5,000,
she again purchased another cow. In the meantime she again took training on
poultry farming and raised a poultry farm with 5,000 birds. Sheuli used to profit
33
considerably from poultry products. Two cows were producing 8 kg. of milks
everyday. She has constructed a good house with enough space. She has made
her children school-going. Her family has been able to construct a brick-built
house. She has also built a sanitary latrine for her family. Her husband has
stopped working in others' shop. As a result, she is now living peacefully with
her husband and the children. "All these are the contribution of BEES. I have
stood on my own feet for economic self-reliance and confidence which have
fulfilled my dream of sufficient income earning for mitigating the poverty in my
family for ever and to drive my family for dreamed prosperity", Sheuli expresses
herself.
Sheuli has directly been benefited from the practical training on the poultry.
With the training she has been able to understand the technical know-how to
raise poultry in the households. She also has learnt the importance of
vaccination. She now knows the information where to go if she is in trouble with
her poultry. In the process she has taken Taka 10,000 loan to raise a household
poultry farm with 500 birds. BEES has helped her with loan and technical advice.
She has made a profit of Taka 3,000 with the selling of the produced chicks. She
has also been trained on small entrepreneurship topics especially the
management, sales and accounting and that is of high utilization for her grocery
shop, the main business run by her family. All these trainings have been
conducted by BEES. In some instances, other people interested now come to her
to learn the skills of the mentioned entrepreneurship techniques and she
teaches them those without hesitation. Thus community empowerment with
such capacity building has been started with BEES efforts through transfer of
sustained technologies.
Now Sheuli's 6-member family has been living with all the basic amenities with
food and others. She is now getting full social dignity for her family. Her family is
now using sanitary latrine and drinking safe water. Her husband now seems to
be more inclined to her than before and just has forgot becoming harsh with
her that he used to do in earlier times. Understanding with her husband and
other family members has been accelerated tremendously.
34
KULSUMS AND KARIMS
As I am now a successful income earner, I have acquired better position to be a

decision-maker within the family and in the community. My successes definitely
have enabled me to acquire better and strengthened bargaining power within
the family and in my commensal community including the relatives and peer
groups.
My husband now takes my opinion in any work and we work together for our
family prosperity. I and my husband have become opinion leaders in our village.
We also are contributing to the development of our village rendering
appropriate suggestions. After becoming a successful entrepreneur, the
community people now call me for any 'Salish' or community decision. They are
now paying me and my family a great respect and that has made me amazed
and satisfied. Earlier I was socially neglected, left-out and almost isolated
because I was poor. My opinions rarely carried values in my surroundings. But
now my successful transformation with labourious struggles, self-reliance,
income earning standing on own foot and continuing improvement in living
standards, my community has started to honour me for my efforts and
successes.With success in income earning, I am now even respected by the local
opinion leaders and the local decision-makers in the community as with the
efforts and assistance from BEES, I have become successful to create a group of
people who found me as the symbol of success.
Sheuli now earns about Taka 10,000 per month even after maintaining the
expenses of the children's education. Even in need, she can give loan to her
known people. She has become solvent with the help of BEES through business.
She has made her grocery shop bigger enough to be self sustained and she is
now a proud owner of that shop. Skill development training from BEES and the
loan has given Sheuli Akhter the opportunity, courage and technical know-how
to be a successful and sustained income earner through entrepreneurship. Now
she is just an example of successful entrepreneur like a 'role model' who can be
followed by others to meet their minimal needs for the livelihoods in the
community. It is now easier for her to have loan from other sources as it has been
proved that she can make profit, can repay, and thus her entrepreneurship has
suffered less trouble for making capital as she has already become a good
borrower who can pay back the loan money with service charge.
35
Apart from receiving loan from BEES, Sheuli Akhter has also received health
services under Seba Package and very important family planning advice and
service from BEES paramedic madam for herself and the family. She also has
been given vegetable seeds free of cost for kitchen gardening to get essential
vegetables in family food and also for income earning. Proper guidelines for
cultivating the vegetables has also been given by BEES. Sheuli Akhter says, "I
have received assistance for other essentials from BEES and also the necessary
information and awareness for a better life. I have also received a number of
essential life skill trainings and awareness packages from BEES including those
of different skill development trainings. I get help from my savings with BEES
and even occasionally take money from BEES to meet up any urgent need". In
the way, Sheuli Akhter seems to be not only capable of being able to face the life
on her own through successful income earning and to spend those for her
family for optimal food and other essentials, also she is now able to save an
appreciable amount to be used in future crisis or to create some assets for the
family. Now Sheuli plans for raising another poultry farm with two more workers
in a participatory manner by taking loan from BEES. She wants to train them and
help them for their economic establishment with IGA through the technical
know-how and training from the BEES.
36
KULSUMS AND KARIMS
Sheuli Akhter holds the vision for more prosperity in her trades and businesses.
She wants to make her children educated enough to make them capable of
getting honourable job. She wants her entrepreneurship would be ever
expanding and makes logical profit which she wanted to earn by hard labour.
She states her desire, "I want to make a brick-built house. Thus I want to live an
honourable life with my family in the community where we live". She desires
with appropriate income earning activities all the people of her community
should be healthy, sound and creative with optimal food and other basic
amenities to match unprecedented scenic beauty of the greenish Narsingdi
with hundreds of rivers, canals and flood plains.
Sheuli feels extremely grateful to BEES for its loan and training support with
advices as those have made herself reliant. She hopes for the best of BEES and
its continued effort in the rural area for upliftment of the deprived people. She
thanks BEES for implanting dreams for continued progress and prosperity for
the deprived and poverty-stricken people in need. "I hope all others capable to
act like BEES to come forward for mitigating the hunger, starvation and century
long disgrace and dishonours for the ever poverty-ridden destitute population
in the vast rural areas. I hope that BEES would continue to help the destitute
people", Sheuli concludes with a big smile.
37

39
In 2000, Eid-ul-Fitre was knocking at the door. The villagers were taking preparation for
observing Eid festival. Parents were buying new dresses, shoes and other things for their
children and themselves. Every family became busy arranging delicious food for the
holyday. But, I and my wife could not manage to cook any improved meal
What about Azad's family? Eid-ul-Fitre on the next day. Azad was empty handed.
He had no money. His wife and the eldest son understood his problem. Azad
observed that his wife was crying silently in absence of him. His son was
pretending that everything was alright and he needed nothing. But his two
daughters were too young to understand the financial crisis.They started crying
for new cloths as the children of other families were putting on new cloths on
the festival. They became impatient and asked once and again for new dress to
Azad and his wife. Azad became speechless. His wife had nothing to console
their daughters. The daughters got sleeping after crying for a long time.
Abul Kalam Azad, son of late Ayez Uddin, resides at Rohotra village in
Mahadevpur upazila under Naogaon district. He is the father of one son and two
daughters. Azad used to earn a very poor income through running a small shop
at his village. His average monthly income was only 1,800 Taka. It was very
difficult for him to maintain his five-member family with this little earning.
Moreover his children used to suffer very often from different types of waterborne diseases. It was very hard for him to manage doctor's fees and medical
expenses for his children alongside maintaining his family.
Azad recollects, "In 2000, Eid-ul-Fitre was knocking at the door. The villagers
were taking preparation for observing Eid festival. Parents were buying new
dresses, shoes and other things for their children and themselves. Every family
became busy arranging delicious food for the holyday. But, I and my wife could
not manage to cook any improved meal". Azad adds, "Our children remained
almost unattended on the Eid festival. They didn't get anything to observe the
Day with enjoyment. While the other children of the village enjoyed the Day in
a festive mode, our children did not find any option to make it a Day for
enjoyment". They, finding no other way, just visited their relatives' house and
had some sweets and food there. Azad and his wife spent the whole day
helplessly at home and thought how to overcome the financial crisis.
Few days later, when Azad was sitting in his shop, one man came to the next
shop and started discussion about different development initiatives.
Overhearing some of the conversations Azad became interested and joined the
discussion. He came to know that this person was from BEES office and he was
a development worker.
40
KULSUMS AND KARIMS
The staff of BEES was describing about BEES' initiative towards improvement of
standard of living. He was explaining how to become a member of BEES and
avail the micro-credit facilities from BEES. He was also describing that BEES used
to provide technical support through training and financial support to expand
entrepreneurship. Being a participant and listener of discussion, Azad became
very impressed. He got an inspiration listening to the BEES' worker and
discussed the issue with his wife. Finally Azad decided to join BEES.
On the very next day Azad went to BEES office and became a member of BEES.
Then becoming a member of BEES, he received training on Enterprise
Development. Not only Azad, but also his wife received training on Cow Rearing
and Livestock Management. Azad and his wife also received training on
Homestead Gardening, Health Care and Sanitation. As part of the process Azad
took 10,000 Taka from BEES in the year 2000 as the first loan to invest in his shop.
Earlier due to lack of money, Azad could not manage to keep a good number of
41
grocery items in his shop. Now with this investment he increased the number of
items in his grocery shop. As a result the sale from his shop had been increased
and he started making more profit. He invested 15,000 taka more getting the
2nd loan from BEES.
Azad's wife was not sitting idle. Since she received training on cow rearing and
livestock management, she wanted to participate in income generating activities
along with Azad. Azad utilized his third loan of Taka 20,000 to buy a cow for his
wife in the year 2002. Now his wife has been rearing the cow and earning money
through selling milk. At present their monthly income is about Tk. 14,500.
Azad's wife has been proved as an enthusiastic woman. She has been managing
to utilize the homestead area to grow different fruits and vegetables. These are
meeting the requirements of their family. Sometimes she also sells the excess
amount and earns some extra money.
Now Azad and her wife are more health conscious. They maintain better
hygiene practices personally and within their family.They have also constructed
a sanitary latrine as per the advice from BEES staff. Now their children do not
suffer from any water-borne diseases. They also have the opportunity to avail
health services from Seba Package within BEES credit plus services, if needed.
Now their life is getting better. Azad and his family now enjoy the essence of
happy and solvent life.
I and my wife often discuss together about our past life as well as plan for the
future.We remember that in many occasions we were ignored by the society for
our financial crisis. But now with the assistance from BEES, we have become able
to overcome our miseries. Now we are solvent and have a better status in the
society. We have earned respect from the community people. We have become
an inevitable part of our community. It is BEES, who has showed us the light for
survival. We are grateful to BEES and its staff. Their efforts and encouragement
have helped us to climb-up the ladder of development.
Azad has been planning to expand his business along with his wife. They are
now caring about good education for their children. They wish that their eldest
son would become a doctor.
42
KULSUMS AND KARIMS
Smiling Face of Shahanara:

A Downtrodden Woman
43
In my poverty-ridden past days, when me and my family was at the risk of demise for
hunger and starvation, I heard of an organization named BEES which was with
programmes for providing skill development training, rendering primary health service
and disbursing loans among the destitute population. I found the organization out and
became a member. In the process soon, I received skill training and took opportunity of
loan and the events started changing my livelihoods miraculously.
Shahanara didn't get any source of income earning except engaging her as
agricultural labourer. Her family suffered from poverty and food insecurity so
frequently. In such an occasion, for essential money to purchase food for the
family, she mortgaged her ornament to a local money lender on a very low
amount of money unfortunately who never returned those. As a woman, she
took great pain in loss of her ornaments as those were the ornaments which she
got on her marriage.
Shahanara Arju Ruby, a woman of 28 years old was one of the million
housewives in the area who was struggling to live an ordinary life with food,
clothes and other basic amenities for her family. She is married and a mother of
two children - one boy and one girl. Her husband is Abdul Majid of Gogonpur
village, under Patnitala upazila of Naogaon district.
My family had only income earning opportunity in agriculture and as labourer.
But for the whole year, the works were not available and we didn't have any
reserve to continue our feeding when there was no income earning work
available for us. I and my family were to suffer from hunger, and other poverty
related health ailments frequently.With agriculture, my family used to earn only
as much as Taka 1,800 per month. In the other hand, the minimal expenditures
of my family were amounted not less than our monthly income. I couldn't save
any money and I was not happy with a 'hand to mouth' status.
Shahanara states, "In my poverty-ridden past days, when me and my family was
at the risk of demise for hunger and starvation, I heard of an organization named
BEES which was with programmes for providing skill development training,
rendering primary health service and disbursing loans among the destitute
population. I found the organization out and became a member. In the process
soon, I received skill training and took opportunity of loan and the events
started changing my livelihoods miraculously".
With skill training and the loan of Taka 5,000 from BEES, Shahanara first started
to herd the poultry. Shahanara started to earn a good amount of income by
selling eggs and poultry. With the second loan of Taka 8,000, Shahanara
purchased a cow and earned from selling milk. With the 3rd loan of Taka 11,000,
44
KULSUMS AND KARIMS
she started a small fish cultivation project. With the fourth loan of Taka 14,000,
she infused necessary money to her running businesses to make them more
beneficial with more investments and since then, all the three businesses were
running with more profits. Thus Shahanara stood on her own foot for economic
self-reliance and confidence which fulfilled her dream of sufficient income
earning for mitigating the hunger and starvation in her family for ever and to
drive the family for utmost prosperity. Her monthly income is approximately Tk
9,000 at present.
Now Shahanara's husband seems to be more inclined to her than before and
just has forgot to become harsh on her that he did in earlier times. As Shahanara
has become a successful income earner, she has acquired a better position to be
a decision-maker within the family and in the community. Understanding with
the husband and other family members has been accelerated tremendously.
Before Shahanara was socially neglected, left-out and almost isolated as
because she was poor. Her opinions rarely carried values in her surroundings.
But when the community found her successful transformation with labourious
struggles, self-reliant, income earning standing on own foot and continued
Smiling Face of Shahanara: A Downtrodden Woman
45
improvement in living standards, her community has started to honour her for
her efforts and successes.
Skill development training from BEES and the loan have given Shahanara the
opportunity, courage and technical know-how to be a successful and sustained
income earner through entrepreneurship or small trades. She is now seemed to
be an example for successful entrepreneur like a "role model" who could be
followed for enabling on similar to meet her minimal needs for the livelihoods
in the usual class-standard in the community.
I have received health services from BEES for me and my family. I have also been
given vegetable seeds for kitchen gardening to get essential vegetables in family
food and also for income earning to an extent. I have also received assistance for
sanitary latrine from BEES and also the necessary information regarding many
essentials for better life. I have received a number of essential life skill trainings
and awareness packages from BEES including those of different skill
development trainings in poultry, cow rearing, and fisheries, etc. In the way, then
I am seemed to be not only capable of being able to face the life on my own
through successful income earning and to spend those for my family for optimal
food and other essentials, also I am now able to save an appreciable amount to
be used in future crisis and to create some assets for my family.
Shahanara dreams for more prosperity in her trades and businesses. She wants
to make her children educated enough to get honourable job. She wants her
entrepreneurship would be ever expanding and make best profit which she
wants to earn by working heart & soul .Thus she wants to live an honourable life
with her family in the community. She wants her success stories to be
disseminated among the others, who are in crisis in the vast rural areas. She
basic amenities to match unprecedented greenish paddy fields of Naogaon
district.
Shahanara is extremely grateful to BEES and the workers of BEES for the
transformation of her life to prosperity. She thanks BEES to implant her dreams
46
KULSUMS AND KARIMS
for continued progress and prosperity for the deprived and poverty-stricken
people in need. She hopes all others capable to act like BEES to come forward
for mitigating the hunger, starvation and century long disgrace and dishonours
for the ever poverty-ridden destitute population in the vast rural areas.
Smiling Face of Shahanara: A Downtrodden Woman
47

49
Only courage, self respect and sincere efforts are essential to flourish the buds which
really exists inside the destitute women. I have already proceeded half-way and still I
have a long way to go to fulfill my latent dream.
What is lotted, cannot be blotted - a very common proverb among the general
people in Bangladesh. I am Moyna Uriya, obviously one of them, who have
experienced the essence of this proverb very practically. I am an ordinary, simple
rural young lady of only 25 years old. I spent my childhood at the tea garden of
Madhobpur upazila under Hobiganj district. I dreamt of a life full of love,
enjoyment and new experiences with my newly married husband. But it
happened quite opposite. My husband divorced me claiming a huge amount of
money as dowry when I was four-month pregnant. Finally I had to return to my
father Dipok Uriya's house.
Noapara Tea Garden - a place of natural beauty with all its deep green. Moyna
resided in a thatched house at a corner of this tea-garden with her innocent
little daughter. She felt herself as a burden of her father. Days were passing with
grief and uncertainty. Moyna considered herself responsible for her own fate.
She felt herself disadvantaged and helpless. It was really hard to arrange food for
her daughter and herself. Moyna was ignored by the society. Everybody started
at her with pity. "Life became unbearable for me. Sometimes, I considered myself
a curse of God", Moyna defines her distressed life.
Years gone by
Moyna had the scope to become a group member of BEES - a lighthouse for
Moyna. The name of the samity (cooperative) of BEES was Noapara Tea-Garden
Samity. BEES provided training on Social Awareness to develop self-reliance
among the distressed women. In addition, Moyna received training on Cow
Rearing and Livestock Management from the staff of BEES.
Moyna was supported by BEES as she borrowed money to buy a cow and some
chickens. Moyna says, "I received 2,000 Taka and 4,000 Taka as the first and
second loan respectively. I spent the money of first loan for buying a calf. Upon
receiving training and necessary advice from BEES, I became confident to rear
the calf efficiently". Moyna utilized her second loan in buying a cow. In fact,
training added perfection to efficient management of husbandry. She also
spent some money to buy some chickens. Just after few months, her life started
changing. The cow gave birth to a calf and chickens started laying eggs. "I
50
KULSUMS AND KARIMS
started earning money from selling milk and eggs. I started also paying back my
loan money", Moyna expresses her happiness.
Moyna also received some seedling and saplings from BEES. Moyna sowed
plants at her homestead. She came to know the health benefits of fruits and
vegetables from the staff of BEES. Moyna became health conscious. She used to
feed her daughter fruits and vegetables and sold excess portion to the nearby
market. It became an extra source of income for Moyna. Moyna and her
daughter regularly received health services from BEES clinic.
Moyna proved herself as a trusted member of BEES. She used to pay back her
loan installments on a regular basis. Again she took third loan from BEES and
bought a van for her father by adding some of her own savings. Moyna's father
now has become a self-employed man!
Everyday Moyna used to sell more than five liters of milk and dozens of eggs.
Gradually her monthly net income raised to more than 5,000 taka after
repayment of the loan.
Now Moyna can meet the requirements of her family. She has taken the
responsibilities of her family. She is getting priority at her family as well as in the
community. Moyna's daughter Swapna has started schooling. Swapna has
already proved her as a brilliant student.
Moyna is now getting importance in her surrounding community. She has
earned respect and love from them. Now the community people do not forget
to invite Moyna in any social or religious occasion. Sometimes Moyna looks back
to her past. "These are the people who ignored and disregarded me. I was always
undermined and my appearance in any social events was not accepted
positively. I was thought as a woman of misfortune. But now, the scenario is
different. BEES has changed my life totally", Moyna makes a strong point in
favour of her present status.
Just one day back, Moyna has bought a new saree. Putting on that saree she is
standing at the door and waiting for Swapna, her daughter to come back from
51
school. Moyna observes Swapna, with blue uniform and carrying the red bag at
her neck is approaching to her with a mind blowing smile. Moyna tries to be
assured, "Is it a dream? Oh no! It is my daughter Swapna, my dream".
I want to forget my past. I want to forget the violence and brutality caused to me
by my husband for dowry. I have learnt many practical things in 25 years time of
my life. Now my husband wants to get me back into his family. But I know that
time and tide wait for none. I will never go back to my distressed life again. Now
it is time for me to move forward. I am ready to face the truth of life and struggle
for fulfilling any dreams. Now my dream is only Swapna, my daughter, and a
bright future for her and myself. Now I am more confident and self-reliant. I do
not want any sympathy from anyone. I believe that my self-respect and efforts
will take me to a desired place.
52
KULSUMS AND KARIMS
Moyna has a plan to expand her business. She will take some more money to
expand her poultry. Now-a-days demand of eggs is increasing gradually. She will
go for a bigger poultry farm. She needs supporting hands also. She has planned
to employ a person to look after her poultry. Before expanding the poultry, she
feels to receive some training on vaccination from BEES. Moyna knows that BEES
extends its support always. She has decided to share her plan with BEES staff
and get some advice on how to proceed on further with everything positive.
Moyna has established herself in the society as a symbol of determination. She
wishes all like her to come forward and win over violence and establish
themselves. She further hopes, "BEES will always stand beside us to extend all
possible support. Only courage, self respect and sincere efforts are essential to
flourish the buds which really exists inside the destitute women. I have already
proceeded half-way and still I have a long way to go to fulfill my latent dream".
53
Perseverance Brings Ataur

a Bright Future
55
I am planning to expand my business. I will marry soon and of course without

any dowry. My mother is looking for a bride.
Ataur Rahman is a young man of 33 years. His father is late Mia Hossain and
mother's name is Rahela Begum. He lives in a remote village named Baniagram
under Kotiali upazila in the district of Kishorganj. Ataur Rahman describes one of
his unforgettable memories. "In the year 2000, my neighbour's son Muhit
became seriously ill. Muhit's mother was a poor woman and her husband went
out to work for few weeks at a long distance during the harvesting season. She
became puzzled and helpless. I went there, stood helplessly and could not
understand what to do.
Suddenly I found a man named Reza. Reza came and made necessary
arrangement to take Muhit to the Upazila Health Complex. I accompanied them.
I observed that Reza talked to the doctors and they informed us that Muhit had
acute appendicitis. He needed to go under operation immediately. Muhit's
mother was about to be faint. She only uttered that doctor must do whatever is
suggested by Reza. I became little bit curious about Reza.Who was he? Why was
Muhit's mother so dependent on Reza? In fact, I did not meet him earlier.
However, the doctor operated Muhit. His sense came and he talked to his
mother. The doctor said that his life was saved because he was admitted and
operated in time. We were relieved. Then I started talking to Reza at the veranda
of the hospital. I came to know that Reza was a development worker of BEES. He
started explaining the mission and vision of BEES, development initiatives of
BEES and many other issues. I was listening to him and the night was getting
deeper. I also came to know that Muhit's mother was a group member of BEES.
She received training on cow rearing and livestock management and started
rearing a cow with loan from BEES. Reza was the contact person from BEES. He
helped Muhit's mother in starting the income generating activities. Gradually I
understood that Reza was really a trust-worthy person and that's why Muhit's
mother could entirely depend on him.
Reza really impressed me with his behaviour and attitude. Later on I met him
several times. I discussed my present financial status and my desire to do
something better in life. I used to repair bicycles and earn very little money.
Sometimes I used to buy and sell paddy and make some profit out of that. But
my income was not stable. I am the only earning member in my family. My
parents got old and my father was not able to work. So, it was my responsibility
56
KULSUMS AND KARIMS
Gradual progress of Ataur's loan receiving

Yr 2000
40,000
Yr 2001
Yr 2002
Taka
30,000
Yr 2003
Yr 2004
Yr 2005
20,000
10,000
0
to maintain the family but unfortunately I was not in a position to cope with the
situation.
Reza listened to me very carefully. Then he analyzed my situation and advised
me some options which I could avail. He informed me that I could get soft loan
from BEES and repay it on maintaining weekly installments. He also described
the potentiality of trading on paddy and suggested how to do it in a better way.
Accordingly I enrolled myself as a member of BEES. Gradually I received training
on Micro-enterprise Development and Trading. Then I borrowed 7,000 Taka as
the first loan from BEES to start trading on paddy in the year 2000. I made
reasonable profit out of it. Therefore, I invested 12,000 Taka more getting the
second loan from BEES in 2001. With necessary guidance and support from
BEES, gradually I came to know how to do better in this business. I became more
confident and invested 15,000 Taka more having the third loan from BEES. I
regularly repay the loan to BEES.
I also utilized some of the money to purchase some tools and spares to repair
bicycles. It is my hobby and I also earn a handsome amount from the repairing
work.
Perseverance Brings Ataur a Bright Future
57
BEES continuously supported me. The staff of BEES guided and facilitated me to
run the trading professionally. They continuously monitored my business and
suggested what to do and how to do. I also availed 25,000 Taka and 35,000 Taka
respectively as the fifth and sixth loans from BEES. I was able to repay most of
the loan.
BEES, appreciating my potentiality, encouraged and helped me to become
financially solvent. Now I am able to carry out all the responsibilities towards my
family. I have extended two more rooms in the homestead with earlier two
rooms. We did not have any cattle earlier. Now we have eight cows and one of
my distant nephews looks after them. My mother is busy in selling milk and the
earning from the milk is only for her! My parents are now very happy. At present,
my monthly income is nearly Tk. 20,000.
My attachment with BEES has made me responsible for the community as well.
I feel responsibilities not only to my family but also to the society. I consider
myself as a responsible citizen of the society. Also the community people love
and respect me. They often invite me to solve any social problem. I involve
myself with various social development activities. I help the flood victims and
people who suffer from any other natural calamity and social problems.
I am planning to expand my business. I will marry soon and of course without
any dowry. My mother is looking for a bride. BEES not only helped me to
establish myself in the society but also enhanced my human potentiality. Now I
know about the benefits of a small family and rights of a woman. I wish I could
have a small and happy family. I want my wife to be my partner in all respects
throughout life".
58
KULSUMS AND KARIMS

59
BEES will expand its similar interventions throughout the country to reach to all
poor communities.
I used to think many a time whether God created my children only for suffering!
When the children cried out of hunger, it became unbearable for me - an
affectionate mother. I used to go door-to-door to borrow some money to buy
food for my children. But relatives and neighbours became reluctant to lend
money to me anymore. They were gradually trying to avoid my family. I could
not send my children to school.
Complain and quarrel are the everyday phenomena in the family of Lalbanu.
Because Lalbanu, 45, has a big family of three sons and three daughters. Her
husband, Md. Shamser Ali, is a day labourer of Bengadoba under Madhobpur
upazila in Hobiganj. He also used to sell some vegetables in the nearby market.
Altogether his monthly income was about 1,300-1,400 Taka only. It was
troublesome and almost impossible for Lalbanu to manage her big family with
so little amount of income. She had to borrow money from her relatives and
neighbours every month. Lack of money and burden of such a big family were
the usual points of argument between husband and wife.
But Lalbanu did not stop dreaming. She always thought that she must do
something for her family. One day that scope came to her life! Being learnt about
BEES and its programmes Lalbanu was enrolled as a group member of BEES-run
samity. She started depositing money in the samity regularly and soon became
eligible to get loan from BEES.
The staff of BEES were very supportive. They inspired Lalbanu for
entrepreneurship development. Several options were consulted with Lalbanu.
At last Lalbanu decided to start a small grocery shop.Then she received training
on Small Scale Entrepreneurship Development. She was trained on how to keep
accounts and how to manage entrepreneurship.Training made her confident to
run business sitting a grocery shop. Lalbanu started the shop with 2,000 Taka
only getting that from BEES as the first loan. Initially the grocery items were few
in number. When it was observed that she was making reasonable profit, she
availed the second loan of 4,000 Taka. Now she has added some more items in
her shop. Gradually she has become a confident and successful entrepreneur.
Lalbanu has never missed any repayment schedule. She has proved herself as a
60
KULSUMS AND KARIMS
trusted member of Bengadoba Mohila Samity under BEES. She has expanded
her business by taking the third loan of 6,000 Taka.
Lalbanu has also received training on Social Awareness Raising. She has from
training of BEES that hard work is the key to success. She was not ashamed
about what she was doing. At the beginning many neighbours teased her when
she used to sit in her small shop. But when people observed that she was
earning money, gradually their attitude had been changed towards her. The
people who ignored Lalbanu earlier have started respecting her. Even her
husband, who used to start his day quarrelling with her has changed his habit!
He now shows respect to Lalbanu's opinions and decisions. Now they are a
happy couple.
Solvency has financials brought enjoyment in their life. Now Lalbanu earns more
than 4,000 Taka per month. Her total monthly expenditure is about 3,500 Taka.
She is now sending her children to schools. Earlier some well-off families did not
allow their children to play with Lalbanu's children. But now they don't have any
embargo on that.The neighbours who were afraid of lending money to Lalbanu
are now coming to her for borrowing good advice. Now Lalbanu gets respect
and honour from the family and the community.
61
I am planning for expanding my small enterprise to a medium one. I will receive

training on Advanced (Medium) Entrepreneurship Development. I will avail
technical and financial assistance from BEES. My eldest son will assist me in
accounts-keeping while my husband will share the workload. My family effort
will be there with a dream to attain economic and social emancipation.
Lalbanu has high esteem and self-confidence and all the good wishes for BEES.
She expects, "BEES will expand its similar interventions throughout the country
to reach to all poor communities."
62
KULSUMS AND KARIMS

63
My wife will also join in my business as soon as my youngest son starts schooling. I
want to keep the smile in the face of my wife forever!
"When I failed to get loan from any financial institution without collateral
security, BEES extended financial support to me", says Abu Ashraf.
Ashraf, age 45, had a small shop at Muktijoddha Market in Mirpur, Dhaka. He was
involved with small scale trading of cloths. His monthly income was about 10,000
Taka. He could manage his family with two sons and one daughter with his
income. But after meeting all the expenses, he could not save any single amount.
He wanted to have a solvent life and provide better education to his children.
Ashraf, 45 years old, was a hardworking and potential entrepreneur. His ambition
was to establish a shop of ready-made garments. He had a business plan, which
was derived from his own experience. He visited several banks and financial
institutions to get loan. But he could not manage to get without collateral
security. He did not have enough savings to deposit as collateral security. At this
juncture, he was involved with BEES.
BEES was looking for potential and energetic entrepreneurs. BEES appreciated
Ashraf's ambition, efforts and hardwork. He took part in BEES's training on
Entrepreneurship Development. He came to know how to prepare a business
plan professionally. Then he revised his business plan in consultation with the
staff of BEES. Ashraf stated the business of ready-made garments with the first
loan of 20,000 Taka received from BEES in the year 2000. He invested 40,000 Taka
more taking the second loan from BEES in the same year.
This is the beginning of Ashraf's new dimension of entrepreneurship. BEES
remained always beside him. The staff of BEES provided technical support to
him on how to run and expand the business and market the products. BEES's
staff continuously monitored the progress of Ashraf's business and provided
necessary advice and guidance.
In 2001, Ashraf expanded his business by investing 50,000 taka getting the third
loan from BEES. Ashraf and BEES both are satisfied with the level of profit made
from the business. BEES's staff realizes that they could pick up the right potential
person and Ashraf will do much better if he gets proper guidance and necessary
financial back up from BEES.
64
KULSUMS AND KARIMS
Amount of loan received

from BEES
100,000
Taka
80,000
60,000
40,000
1st Lone
2nd Lone
3rd Lone
4th Lone
5th Lone
6th Lone
20,000
0
Ashraf availed the fifth loan of 75,000 Taka and sixth loan of 85,000 Taka from
BEES in 2003 and 2004 respectively for further expansion of his business. His
business started flourishing accordingly. Out of the profit made, Ashraf regularly
repays the loan to BEES. Now he earns 70,000 Taka per month. Ashraf's future
plan is to establish a departmental store in addition to his ready-made garments
shop. He is planning for the same in consultation with BEES staff.
Ashraf is not only a rising business figure, but also he is known as an honest and
sincere person amongst the business community of the Muktijoddha Market at
Mirpur. His pleasant personality attracts everybody. Now he is a part and parcel
of that business community. They feel proud to get him in their association.
Ashraf has become the Secretary of the Mukti Cooperative Society as an
uncontested candidate. His wise opinion and advice are well accepted by Mirpur
business community. Ashraf has made his position in the business community.
Ashraf's establishment as a business leader is an excellent achievement of BEES
too. Honest efforts of Ashraf along with sincere support from BEES has made it
possible.
65
Not only in the business community, also in the family, Ashraf's status and
acceptance have been enhanced. All his family members treat him differently.
Now he receives more attention, love and respect from his family members.
They obey him and follow his advice.
Before my involvement with BEES, I was not aware of the importance of female
education, health & nutrition, sanitation, family planning, mother & child care,
etc. However, during my long association with BEES, I came to know about all
these issues. I am now more caring about the well being of my family. I love my
wife and share my problems with her. Now I consult my wife in decision-making.
I believe in empowerment of women in the society. I dream that one day my
daughter will become a doctor. I appreciate that my wife always support me
behind the screen. She always provides moral support to me. I am grateful to my
wife.
Ashraf expresses, "My wife is the most important person in my life who always
stands besides me. When I became very disappointed after not getting loan
from any bank without collateral security, she encouraged me to join BEES. And
ultimately I was able to find my way". His wife is very happy with Ashraf and her
three cute children. Ashraf expects, "My wife will also join in my business as soon
as my youngest son starts schooling. I want to keep the smile in the face of my
wife forever!"
66
KULSUMS AND KARIMS

67
With the profit, I could construct a house, sanitary latrine and could bear the education
expenses of my children. Thus I have stood on my own foot for economic self-reliance
and confidence which has fulfilled my dream of sufficient income earning for
mitigating the poverty in my family for ever.
Raushan Ara remembers many nights she passed with her family members
without food! Her family frequently suffered from food insecurity and poverty.
Rain-water used to make the whole of the inside home coming through broken
holes in the thatched roof house. Even intense desires, she couldn't send her
children to school. "Even some of the community leaders used to deprive me,
my rights of getting relief due to my absolute no importance in the community.
These make me still gloomy and frustrated as I cannot forget the insults of
others. I had to face these while I was poor and not income earning", recollects
Raushan Ara.
Raushan Ara, wife of Md. Samad, was among the numerous housewives in the
area struggling to procure minimal requirements for living an ordinary life with
food, clothes and other basic amenities for her family. Raushan Ara is 46 years
old having 2 sons. She is from the village of Dharabandha of Monohordi upazila
under Narsingdi district. She was involved in struggle of livelihood and couldn't
arrange anything better than becoming a day labourer.
Raushan Ara and her family had no scope for income earning and were to
depend on the seasonal day labouring. Raushan Ara and her family had to suffer
with extremely vulnerable situation without any capacity to purchase minimal
food for the family. Poverty, hunger and starvation were the regular features for
the family and the members were passing days in extremely demoralized
situation.
BEES is working in the poverty-stricken area of Monohordi upazila under
Naogaon district.With the support from BEES, Raushan Ara initiated her dream of
her long expected self-reliance for mitigating hunger and many more than that.
As a house wife, Raushan Ara at last found to do somethinks for her families with
which she could survive with her family with the requirements, those the
human beings require minimally. Raushan Ara states, "In my poverty ridden past
days, when I and my family was at the edge of total extinction for hunger and
starvation, I heard of an organization named BEES which was with programmes
for providing skill training and disbursing loans among the destitute people. I
thought and hoped that it might be a rare opportunity for me to change the
68
KULSUMS AND KARIMS
direction of my family's long deprivation and poverty. So I decieced to be a

member of BEES-Samati."
I took the information about the rules and regulations to be a member of BEESSamati. I also heard that they were providing seeds for winter vegetable
cultivation for increasing vegetable consumption for better health and income
earning. I found that they were also rendering minimal health services with
referrals and thus helping the destitute people attaining an optimal health
status. Then I just searched and found them and showed my interest to be their
member. In the process soon, I received the necessary skill training and took
opportunity of loan and the events already have changed the direction of my
life and livelihoods up to my utmost expectations!.
Raushan Ara took training intensively on banana and betel leaf cultivations. All
the trainings were arranged by BEES. Raushan Ara was directly benefited from
the practical training on the banana cultivation. Her family made considerable
income earning from the banana cultivation. She also got training on practical
knowledge about the cultivation of betel leaf, another economically important
agro-based production. Raushan's family started to profit a handsome amount
each month.
With skill training and loan from BEES, with the first loan of Taka 5,000, Raushan
Ara started banana cultivation as per the suggestion of the BEES field workers
and profited 3 times more than her investment. With the profit, Raushan Ara
then purchased a cow and utilized a small amount of money for different small
trades to continue the daily family expenditures. With the second loan of Taka
9,000, Raushan Ara started betel leaf cultivation and she perceived the
economic prospects of that was seemed to be an all-out demanded item in the
market and capable of making good profit without too much technical
knowledge and investments. "With the profit, I could construct a house, sanitary
latrine and could bear the education expenses of my children.Thus I have stood
on my own foot for economic self-reliance and confidence which has fulfilled
my dream of sufficient income earning for mitigating the poverty in my family
for ever", says a proud Raushan.
69
The income earning source of Raushan Ara's husband was only day laboring. But
the works were not available in all the years. They have no reserve to continue
their feeding when there were no income earning works available for them. She
and her family had to experience cruel hunger and other poverty related health
ailments frequently. As agricultural labourer with earth work, Raushan Ara's
family could only earn as much as Taka 600 per month. In the other hand, the
expenditures of her family were amounted not less than monthly income. With
the money, she couldn't arrange daily meal even once for her family members.
She couldn't purchase clothes and spend any money even during severe health
ailments. She even couldn't dream to save any money and her family even was
not in so called 'hand to mouth' status.
After starting income earning with BEES support, Raushan's family has started
earning as much as Taka 5,500 per month with cultivation of banana, betel leaf
cultivation and other trade. Raushan's family now spends near about Taka 5,000
per month. Now she can spend a considerable amount of money on essential
clothing for the family members. Also her family now can spend money for
education. In this way, Raushan Ara can spend more to improve the livelihood
status of her family.
Raushan's monthly income

Monthly
Expenditure
Monthly
Savings
70
KULSUMS AND KARIMS
As Raushan Ara has become a successful income earner, she has acquired better
position to be a decision-maker within the family and in the community.
Understanding with her husband and other family members has been
accelerated tremendously. Her successes definitely has enabled her to acquire
better and strengthened bargaining power within the family and in her
commensal community including the relatives and peer groups.
Before Raushan Ara was socially neglected, left-out and almost isolated as
because she was poor. Her opinions rarely carried values in her surroundings.
But when the community has found her successful transformation with
labourious struggles, self-reliant, income earning standing on own foot and
continued improvement in living standards, her community has started to
honour. Raushan has now been respected by the local opinion leaders and the
local decision-makers in the community.
Skill development training from BEES and the loan have given me the
opportunity, courage and technical know-how to be a successful and
sustained income earner through entrepreneurship. It is now easier for
me to get loan even from other sources as I have proved that I can
make profit and can pay back, and thus my entrepreneurships have
suffered less trouble for capital as I already have become a good
'borrower' who can pay back the loan money in time.
Apart from the loan received from BEES, Raushan Ara has received health
services from BEES for herself and the family. She has been given vegetable
seeds for kitchen gardening to get essential vegetables in family food and also
for income earning to an extent. She has also received a number of essential life
skill trainings and awareness packages from BEES including those of different
skill development trainings. She has also got help from her savings with BEES
and even occasionally taken money from BEES to overcome any urgent need. In
the way, Raushan Ara now seemed to be not only capable of being able to face
the life in her own through successful income earning and to spend those for
her family for optimal food and other essentials, also she has been able to save
an appreciable amount to the used in future crisis and to create some assets for
the family.
71
Raushan Ara still dreams for more prosperity in her trades and businesses. She
wants to make her children educated enough to get honourable job. She wants
her entrepreneurship would be ever expanding and makes logical profit. She
states her desire to make a separate house for her children. She also plans to
raise a poultry unit which she wants to take care by herself. Thus she wants to
live an honourable life with her family in the community where she lives. She
basic amenities to match unprecedented scenic beauty of the greenish
Narsingdi with spectacular presence of rivers, canals and flood plains.
72
KULSUMS AND KARIMS
73

A Collection of Success Stories of The Disadvantaged People of Bangladesh Edited by Anirudha Alam

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KULSUMS

BEES (Bangladesh Extension Education Services)

KULSUMS AND KARIMS (A Collection of Success Stories of the Disadvantaged People)

Price: 250 Taka; US $ 12

To the Kulsums & Karims,

Porisker's Determination to a Vision

Khaleda Wins over Negligence

Halima Finds Way to Survive

Sheuli Turns to the New Horizon

New Life of Abul Kalam Azad

Smiling Face of Shahanara:

Moyna's Miseries Gone by

Perseverance Brings Ataur a Bright Future

Happiness in Lalbanu's Family

Abu Ashraf Makes it a Success

Raushan Ara becomes Self-reliant

Saiful Islam Robin

I've no pain but only hope and dream.

Im now economically better of than ever before.There is no scarcity of food and

KULSUMS AND KARIMS

Porisker's Determination to a Vision

Selling of Cow Milk

Poultry Rearing & Selling of Eggs

Monthly expenditure after being a member of BEES:

KULSUMS AND KARIMS

Porisker's Determination to a Vision

Khaleda Wins over Negligence

KULSUMS AND KARIMS

poultry farm. Khaleda Begum started to earn a good amount of income by

Khaleda Wins over Negligence

a significant amount of money to be used in future crisis and to create some

KULSUMS AND KARIMS

Khaleda Wins over Negligence

KULSUMS AND KARIMS

Halima Finds Way to Survive

Madhobpur upazila under Hobiganj district is ornamented with the

KULSUMS AND KARIMS

Halima Finds Way to Survive

Before her engagement in development works as a member of BEES, no body

KULSUMS AND KARIMS

Halima Finds Way to Survive

KULSUMS AND KARIMS

Sheuli Turns to the New Horizon

KULSUMS AND KARIMS

Sheuli Turns to the New Horizon

KULSUMS AND KARIMS

As I am now a successful income earner, I have acquired better position to be a

Sheuli Turns to the New Horizon

KULSUMS AND KARIMS

Sheuli Turns to the New Horizon

New Life of Abul Kalam Azad

KULSUMS AND KARIMS

New Life of Abul Kalam Azad

KULSUMS AND KARIMS

Smiling Face of Shahanara:

KULSUMS AND KARIMS

Smiling Face of Shahanara: A Downtrodden Woman

KULSUMS AND KARIMS

Smiling Face of Shahanara: A Downtrodden Woman

Moyna's Miseries Gone by

KULSUMS AND KARIMS

Moyna's Miseries Gone by

KULSUMS AND KARIMS