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Swarasati Joydhar |
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Swarasati Joydhar is an ordinary typical Bangladeshi woman who lives a small village under Agaijhara Thana (smallest government administrative unit) in the southern district of Barisal in Bangladesh. One must be surprised to see a woman selling goats in a village market. Swarasati draws attention of the people who comes to the sell market, since it is uncommon for a women to sell cattle heads in the market of this conservative village. Swarasati's husband died some years ago. Her husband was a landless farmer. He worked in others' fields as daily laborer. He left nothing but two children and a thatched house for his family when he died. Shwarasati Joydhar was in great misery with her children after her husband died. Sharaswati could hardly manage a job as a maidservant in the others house or sometimes worked as a day laborer in others cultivation just for the day's meal for her children and herself. Some day when she couldn't manage a work then the whole family had to live on empty stomach. Thus Swarasati passed her days with her two children enduring endless suffering. Though they were passing their days in miserable conditions, Swarasati always thought about her children and for their future. But despair and frustration engulfed her mind when she couldn't resolve anything. Always she desired to do something that would make her life better. Her days begun to change when one day she found an aged woman selling vegetables in the village market. Swarasati learned that the woman was a member of a Women's Group. She regularly takes loan from the group and with that fund started this small venture. She buys vegetables from the growers of the village and then sells in the market. Thus she makes a small profit by which she purchases necessary household and also repays the loan installments. Swarasati became inspired and desired to join such a women's group to change her lot. In the meantime, she was informed that YMCA works in her village for the empowerment depressed and deprived women. She then joined as a member of a group named "Sandhani Women Group" which was run by the YMCA under its Community Organising Program.. Being a member of the group she at last finds a way to develop her own way of life. Here, she gets the opportunity to attend adult literacy classes. She also learns about social concerns, human rights, women’s right, democracy and she learns how to make decision at every step of life and different levels of society. After becoming a member of the group within six months she succeeded to get her first loan of Taka 500.00 for preparing puffed rice and selling those. She made satisfactory profit which ensured her repayments of the weekly installments. Then she started goat rearing and small poultry with her 2nd loan. She and her children worked hard which yielded her substantial benefits. After a short while she realized that the initiative of goat rearing will be more profitable and appropriate for her. She sold the chicken immediately and purchased some more goat kids for rearing. In this way, she developed a small goat farm and started to sell one or two grown goats every month. In the mean time, she also purchased a calf. She intended that she will be able to provide milk for her children for their nutrition and also sell the additional milk to augment her family income. Thus Sharasatty struggles hard with the inspiration and cooperation of the Field Assistant and Community Organizer of Barisal YMCA . Later Swarasati could manage to take lease of a piece of land for share cropping by her own savings and also the amount she received from her 3rd loan. Sharasatty expects that she will get enough crops from this land by with which she will meet her family needs and she will use it for her preparing puffed rice for selling. Swarasati dreams to build a tin shed house for a better shelter for herself and her children. She realizes that without education none can live with dignity. So now she is very much conscious about the education of her children. She sends her elder daughter to the village Primary School. She wants to make them educated so that they can take the challenge of their future life. Thus Swarasati prepares herself to win the struggle of her life. Now she says with a great pleasure that she finds a better way of life through the cooperation of Barisal YMCA. She wants to achieve the dignity in her own life and as well as in the life of her children. |
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