Field story

Agriculture
In Dinajpur District, there is a house, where live Ayesa and she made a remarkable story of success. This is the story of Aysha Begum; 30 years of age, a mother, a wife, and a fighter! Her dark complexion, and resolute eyes, impart a sense of rousing curiosity in anyone who is to meet her. She have two daughters. Her husband was a rickshaw driver until he began to work in her nursery garden. She is a primary school graduate. When she was 15 years old, she got married. Ayesa husband’s income was very low when she got married. Most of the time, he was sick. Once her husband became very sick and a doctor advised him to have an operation. Her husband sold the little land he had to fund his treatment. When her husband recovered from his illness, the doctor advised him not to do heavy work outdoors. Ayesa had four members in her family but no income-generating activity. She became very frustrated. After learning of my critical situation, one of my friends advised me to go the local AGWEB office. One day, I visited the local AGWEB office and explained my situation. The AGWEB workers advised me to start a nursery business. They send me to the sub-district headquarters for basic nursery training, where I learned basic nursery methods. After coming back from training, I received a 6,000-Taka loan from the local AGWEB. The next day, I started building my nursery business.

She explain her own story…
At first, it was difficult for me to establish a nursery garden, but I always received guidance from AGWEB experts. I had to send my husband to the local market to sell my products. At that time, people were not aware of my nursery, so they did not come to my house to make purchases. The first six months were very difficult. I spent all day in the nursery taking care of my plants. Sometimes I became very tired of the work, but I had no choice; I needed money to live. In this way, I almost six months passed, but my income was not good enough. I visited the AGWEB office again. The workers introduced me to another NGO, which requested that I provide them 5,000 plants for their national development program. I gladly accepted their request. After receiving this good order, I went home and started plant production with my new investment loan. Within one month, I supplied the order. They were pleased with it. Since that time, I have received lot of plant orders from various organizations every year and, over time, I built my nursery.

Now I have a big nursery that includes five hundred thousand plants. I purchased a little bit of high land, where I have planted various types of plants. Every day, more than 3 employees work in my nursery. Now I don’t have to send my husband to the local market because everybody in the village knows about my nursery. Now they come to my house to buy suitable plants.

I am grateful to my local AGWEB Organization. They always provide me with necessary support, and I still receive a lot of information from the organization Now I am satisfied by having established a nursery. It showed me a way of making a living. Once, I had nothing; now, I have everything.

My hard work, sincerity, commitment, patient, dedication, and support from my family and the AGWEB helped me to succeed.

Tailoring
Mahbuba is a high school graduate who runs a successful tailoring business in the village of Norail. Having learning after training Organized by AGWEB.

She explain her own story…
My father was a poor tailor. He had a small tailoring house in the village market. My father taught me all about tailoring in my childhood. After my father died, nobody was interested in seeing our family running my father’s business. I was interested in running the business, but, as a Muslim woman, it was impossible for me to work in the village market. At that time, I attended entrepreneurship training for rural women organized by a AGWEB. It was very helpful for me in running a women’s tailoring business in my own house. At first, I did not get a good response or orders from the villagers. I took out some loans from the Organization AGWEB to establish a woman’s tailoring business in my own house. Every week I had to go to the AGWEB office to make my loan payments. There I met a lot of rural women who promised to order clothes from me. Day by day I became inspired. Every week I received 2 to 3 orders from village women for dresses. My orders increased day by day. In this way, after five months I repaid my previous loan and received a new loan to expand my business. In this way, I established my business.

I am now receiving almost 50 to 60 orders every week from the villagers. Most of the customers of my tailoring business are women; they feel free to come to my house because all of the workers here are women.
When I tried to expand my tailoring business, the NGO provided me with loan support and advice. They also sent other women to my house; in this way, the NGO established customers for my tailoring business.

But when I started my business, I got a negative response from the community. Everybody laughed at me because I am a woman tailor, which was not common at that time in the village. Now I am a receiving positive response from the villagers, especially from the women.

Now I am very satisfied. Now I have my own income; I am not a dependent woman. I can help my family, relatives, and villagers

Handicrafts

Mansura Kanam is a Muslim woman from Tangail, one of the nearest district Dhaka who makes various products from Crystal Handicrafts. She used to be only a housewife once, but now her strong non-stop hard working makes her a valuable earning person of her family. She had nothing to do except frustration at that time. But her strong initiatives came afterward by the help of AGWEB Handicrafts.

Mansura Kanam comes as a Crystal products producer for 35 years past. She has been working with more than 45 producers under her supervision. Her family is dependent on her only income. She collects crystal help from the AGWEB workers and use them in her products. Now Mansura Kanam has overcome the dark night of her sorrow with her those two non-stop hands and her products which she makes for nice beautiful and attractive crystal products. AGWEB help her to sell this products and have shown her the way of life and the meaning of the living. She earns about 15,000.00 Taka per month now. She has returned smile to her mother’s lips also. She also has expanded her production center for the poor women in her own village by the help of AGWEB.