Following on from our ‘rural women empowerment scheme’ last month, here is a case study of one of our beneficiaries, Saija Begum.
Saija lives in the village of Paikan, a deeply rural area in the Rangpur district of Bangladesh. She is the wife of Toyob Ali and cares for a family of six.
What we would find idyllic, she would find excruciatingly challenging; these descriptors show much more about her life than what may seem.
There are huge discrepancies between the rural and urban areas in terms of economic stability, education, and health. This is where being in a rural area is a struggle for survival. Stuck in a small village, infrastructure to the nearest cities is minimal. In Bangladesh as a whole, only about ten percent of all roads are paved.
Transport to these places is smaller still, if even functioning. More’s to the point, women’s education is typically compromised due to the tradition of early marriages, with conservative gender roles forcing women to be dependent on their husbands. In these trying times, this means that people like Saija can’t earn money for her family as well.
Put all of these factors together and you get the perfect storm for extreme poverty.
This is why these goats are so important. To have a goat brings food to the home, brings money to the pocket, brings flocks to the fields. It provides a small ray of hope for those whose who, whether by hook or by crook, cannot possibly have it.
A huge thank-you to our volunteer, Moydul Islam Priyo, on the ground who assessed the village and identified those who were most in need – as well as being very involved in the handover of the goat to these poor people.
We are empowering women and supporting them to excel in life!
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