“Our family was running by hand to mouth in some way by the low income of my husband’s day labor, I was not able to provide educational expenses of our sons properly”, those words with sad voices was saying by Sorodini Mondal, age 42, husband Bimol Mondal; village: Jelekhali, Post: jelekhali, Sub-district: Shyamnagar, district: Satkhira. Twenty-six years ago in 1993 she got married. Four family members along with her husband and two sons. The wealth of the family was nothing but seven decimal of homestead. Sorodini’s family was suffering a lot. Her husband’s has no regular work that’s why she borrows 5000 Tk. loan from a cooperative and buy a three wheeled paddle van.
She was managing all sorts of family cost and expenses with extreme hardship by her husband’s low income from day labor in day time and passenger transportation by van in the evening. Sorodini’s family almost collapsed to manage her husband’s treatment expenses and medicines cost. She became indebted a lot of money due to her husband’s treatment. LEDARS (Local Environment Development & Agricultural Research Society) a non government development organization by the financial aid of ‘Bread For The World’ form a few Climate Resilient Group (CRG) in different villages of Munshigonj union under Shyamnagar Upazila (Sub-district), of Satkhira District under project named- Strengthening Livelihood Security of Climate Change Vulnerable People (SLSCCVP).
Shapla Climate Resilient Group is one of them. Sorodini Mondal include as a fish cultivator member of Shapla Climate Resilient Group under alternative income generating activities (AIGA). She gotbtraining on fish cultivation and cash support. By the support she took one bigha (33 decimal) leased land and started fish cultivation. She cultivates fish in the first year and later on she started integrated farming of fish, vegetables and rice and got good results. With the help and cooperation of her husband and sons’ each year she earn approximately 30,000 Tk. from fish, 50,000Tk. from vegetables and 5000 Tk. from rice from the integrated farming. This year she started crab-fattening project.
She paid all sorts of previous debts from the earning of integrated farming. Now her financial condition is well and free from economical burden. She got one Bigha mortgage land for 70,000 Tk., bought a rice harvest machine by 26,000 Tk. and made a house by 80,000 Tk. Besides this she bought electricity and solar power line, TV and household furniture also. Youngest son of Sorodini Mondal studied up to class five and now he do agricultural work with his father and her elder son Debprosad Mondal is a final year student of Bachelors of Arts (BA). Now the dream of Sorodini is to educate her sons in higher education. She gives heartfelt thanks to LEADRS and conveys gratitude “Bread for the World” for her success and sustainable living standard.
