Amola Achieved Financial Stability with the Help of CEP-Manikganj

Amola Khatun a-52-old woman is an active member of Chakmirpur Union Balurdanga Women's Development Group. Her agony knew no bounds as she lost her husband after her marriage. She was living at Charkatari village in the Jianpur Union of Manikganj district. But the irony of fate, she lost everything due to river erosion. Therefore, she shifted to Balurdanga village in Chakmirpur union of Daulatpur Upazila. She didn’t have any shelter for the last 20 years.

“After the demise of my husband, I was the breadwinner of my family. I wasn’t able to arrange two meals for my children as I didn’t have any job or earning opportunity. Thus, I had to choose to beg as my profession for living,” said Amola with a pale face.

Apart from begging, Amola was struggling to figure out a better opportunity for living as begging is socially abominable work. One day, Amola came to know about ADRA from one of her neighbors. She joined the Balurdanga Mahila Unnayan Group of Chakmirpur Union of Community Empowerment Project (CEP) – Daulatpur, Manikganj.

“After joining the ADRA CEP project, I participated in various meetings, gatherings, and training. I found it interesting and I started saving money. After a couple of months, I took my first loan of BDT 8,000.00 from my group. I repaired my house and bought a rickshaw for my youngest son. With the rest of the money, I implemented a vegetable garden. Gradually, I involved in various Income-Generating Activities (IGAs) and forsook the begging profession. I received training on vegetable gardening, poultry rearing, and human rights. I was very impressed with the training. I came to know that there are many ways to live without begging. ADRA provided me with seeds for several vegetables, and taught sowing techniques,” Amola was unfolding the scenario of drastic changes in her life.

Amola repaid her first loan with the money from selling vegetables. In the meantime, the Manager of the CEP Project of ADRA Bangladesh visited her house and observed that every year she had to live in the flood water with many difficulties.

“CEP Project helped me to raise my house so that I could be protected from the floodwater. Apart from that, in the last three years, I had planted many fruit trees, wood trees, and herbal tree saplings which were given by ADRA Bangladesh. I hope to get good results soon,” Amola was describing how her living place was improved with the help of ADRA.

“I feel blessed to be able to run my family with my own income by involving with different types of Income-Generating Activities (IGAs). I’m eternally grateful to ADRA Bangladesh. If ADRA had not stood by me, I would have drowned in the flood water every year and I would have had to live on begging,” Amola showed her gratitude towards ADRA Bangladesh.