The people of Sundarban coastal area live with tigers in the forest, crocodiles in the water, salt in the river. Apart from this, damming of rivers, floods and cyclones are part of their life. Every year, many families lose their last possessions in these natural disasters.
However, women in the remote areas of Satkhira are playing a role in the family along with their husbands in raising goats and sheep in the coastal areas and growing vegetables in the courtyard of the homestead. In this, the women of male-dependent poor families are becoming important partners in achieving economic prosperity and improving the quality of life of the family along with their husbands. And prosperity has returned to these poor families.
As the water and soil in Shyamnagar and Asashuni upazilas of the coastal district of Satkhira are salty, men in poor families mainly earn their livelihood by working as brick kiln workers in various parts of the country, dependent on the Sundarbans, deep sea fishing and rickshaw drivers in various cities of the country including the capital Dhaka. As a result, the women of these families had to wait day after day depending on the men to get anything they needed. This wait is aggravated by the natural disasters that hit the coastal areas every year.
At present, women of these regions are playing an important role in the social arena as well as strengthening their position in the family. With the cooperation of Friendship, a non-profit and non-political private development organization of national level, the women of the two upazilas are now independent and economically prosperous.
Through the Transition Fund Project (ASD), Bichhat of Anulia of Assasuni Upazila, Kakbashia, Chakla of Dakshin Eksara Pratap Nagar, Kurikahania of Padmapukur Union of Shyamnagar Upazila, Paschim Patakhali of Padmapukur Union, Dakshin Jhapa, Sonakhali, Chandipur and Kalbari Datinakhali of Burigoalini Union are active in improving the quality of life of 12 villages of 12 villages. Housewives are provided with goats, sheep and season wise 24 types of summer and winter vegetable seeds and training on vegetable cultivation in saline land.
Besides, the organization supports the use of organic fertilizers and pheromone traps instead of chemical fertilizers in vegetable cultivation. Moreover, lofts and beds to continue vegetable production even during calamities
ASD project of Friendship has encouraged vegetable cultivation in the system. At present ginger cultivation in sacks is being encouraged in the coastal areas and every house in the village is cultivating ginger in sacks.
Lutfa Begum of the lime shelter project of Burigoalini Union said that the family depended on her husband’s earnings. With the help of friendship, I first cultivated vegetables in the garden of the house. As the yield of vegetables is good, after eating them, they sold them in the market and got around 10-12 thousand rupees in the last monsoon season. In the current winter season, I have started cultivating vegetables on a large scale in the yard of the house and in the adjacent land. Now I can support myself financially along with my husband. I can also pay some expenses for the child’s education.
Savita Rani, wife of Tapan Kumar Mandal of Dakshin Jhampa village of Padmapukur Union, said that I was dependent on my husband, the only earner in the poor family. So I risked my life to catch prawns in the river. At present I am self-sufficient in sheep rearing and vegetable cultivation. And you don’t have to ask for anything from your husband. I can meet my needs with my own money.
Sufia Khatun, a tiger widow of Patuakhali village in the same union, said that she was very helpless after the death of her husband, the sole breadwinner of a poor family. Currently, I have started raising goats and sheep provided by Friendship and have benefited a lot. From one goat to owning 13 goats and sheep. From that, I sold 6 goats together and made a soft crab production point in a pond next to the house. The only son is not allowed to go to Sundarbans anymore.
Upazila Chairman of Shyamnagar SM Ataul Haque Dolan said most of the people in my area are poor. They are mainly dependent on Sundarbans or brick kilns. Nowadays, women contribute to the income of their families.
Nazrul Islam, chairman of Burigoalini Union Parishad, said that women used to risk their lives to collect shrimp fry in the Sundarbans river. In this
They were suffering from various diseases including cervical cancer. Now they cultivate vegetables in the fallen areas of the house.
Shyamnagar Upazila Agriculture Officer Nazmul Huda said, friendship organization is distributing various types of vegetable seeds of improved varieties in saline areas. We have also already trained women for farming in modern technology.
Shyamnagar Upazila Animal Resources Surgeon Dr. Subrata Kumar Biswas said, Friendship is distributing goats, sheep and goats for free. In these areas, we will provide training and vaccination in the modern system of animal husbandry by the government.
Jewel Hasan, project manager of the Friendship Transitional Fund (ASD) project, said that with the help of Friendship Luxembourg, members are working towards economic development, good governance and local infrastructure development through the regularization of income. The main objective of this project is to create income-increasing work opportunities for poor families and to alleviate poverty and improve the quality of life through disaster-tolerant active social systems.a