Dk. Khoribari is a remote and exceedingly poor village community situated beside the River Tista under Tepa Khoribari Union, Dimla Upazila in Nilphamari District. Over the time floods and soil erosion affected the quality of previously fertile agricultural land in Dhakin Khoribari and food production was increasingly compromised Many of he men and women are day laborers but due to lack of employment prospects, are forced to migrate to different aces in search of work leaving the women and children to struggle at home.
JSKS one of Practical Action Bangladesh partner has worked in this isolated community since 2009 and seeks to address the complex problems in fine with program objectives. PAB began by identifying program participants through a Well Being Analysis (WBA) which assessed socio-economic conditions and overall well-being using a Poor and Extreme Poor scale. Most were landless and lived on beside the river embankment.
With the assistance of JSKS. 18 BHHs (Female 15, Male 3) from Dk. Khoribari formed the group and made a plan to cultivated sandbar cropping (locally referred to as mishti kumra). Pumpkin was selected because it grew quickly and could survive in sandy soil and easily preserved in normal place. The Group Facilitator and PO (Agriculture) select the participants, sandbar area arrange two day training on 20-21 December, 2009 about pumpkin cultivation and distribute input (seeds, inorganic fertilizer. organic fertilizer, irrigation facilities and storage facilities) among the participants.
They identified unused sandbar land but some of this land was owned privately, with the assistance of Group Facilitator private owners were also contacted and approval was given. These initiatives resulted in access to 3 acres of privately-owned land.
In December, the group members received training. sweet pumpkin seeds and technical support from JSKS and PAB. They learnt how to cultivate the seeds in sandy conditions using a new agricultural method through which quality soil could be reached with minimal effort. By placing two seeds in each poly bag on 27 December, 2009 and 6 January. 2010 transfer to PITs, the potential for loss was minimized. The group was encouraged by regular field visits from JSKS and PAB staff that reinforced the techniques taught during the training sessions.
The Participants applied their new skills and planting commenced after the monsoon. Within four months the sandy land transformed into green as the seeds germinated. This outcome inspired many of the women and men, particularly those who had previously doubted the activities’ viability, to assist their views with irrigation. weeding and fertilization.
Roksana Begum is 31 years old and her husband Abdul Jalil is 36 years. Roksana Begum lives in Daskhin Khalisha Chapani village, Union Khalisha Chapani, Upa Zilla Dimla under Nilphamari District.
She is the mother of 3 Childs and belongs to 5 member’s family. Her elder son is the student of class three among the two sons and another one is the least daughter. Her husband is a daily labour and hardship is the daily scenario within her family.
CHV counselling with pregnant mother at Dakhin Khalisa Chapani Village, Dimla
Roksana Begum became beneficiary of SHOUHARDO II program through JSKS Dimla. She is getting MCHN ration monthly basis. She is from poor category and her house hold # 341. She became pregnant and her LMP date is 17.10.2011. She is the enrolled for ration on December, 2011. She became again mother of a beautiful and healthy son on 16.04.2012. Rahul is the name of new born baby. Rahul was 3 kg 500 gm weight during birth period. Presently Rahul’s age is eight months and his weight is 8 kg 500 gm.
Roksana begum and her baby Rahul is out of cure. Roksana Begum says, she has maintained all health rules and she attended all awareness program and GMP session.
Rukhsana was ensuring every month of GMP for her son
She has maintained all suggestion and advice from Health Volunteer. Besides breast feeding, she also provide nutritional other foods to her baby including wheat, pulse and oil as she got from MCHN ration. She does not take outside food. She eats vegetable and local fruit as per her ability.
Roksana Begum is a comprehensive homestead development beneficiary. She has taken 3 days training on vegetable cultivation, rearing hens, ducks and goats. She properly used her homestead for cultivation of vegetable.
She earns money by selling vegetable after filling her needs. Roksana Begum received a free goat from SHOUHARDO II program.
She starts to rear the goat for accelerating the income through her training knowledge. It is her dream to develop herself through SHOUHARDO II training activity. Now she is healthy and happy. She seeks of all blessings.
This is a story of Sahara Begum, husband Abdul Jabbar of the village west Chhoto Khata of Khalisha Chapani union, Dimla upazila of Nilphamari district. Sahara is a housewife and her husband Jabbar is a day laborer, works to other neighbors’ houses and farms but his irregular little amount of income is too little to fill up the basic needs of his family. Sahara’s family lives with poverty, hunger, malnutrition in unhealthy environment.
Sahara Begum got married when she was 11 years old. She bonded to early marriage for the traditional mindset of the society. There were six members with a son and a daughter of her family. It was difficult to bear the basic needs of the members of their family for one earner as a day laborer. The members of Sahara-Jabbar family could not be able to put away nutritious food. They were dispossessing from having fresh water, hygiene, they didn’t know about the importance of sanitation and without its harmful effects. They always remained surrounded by dirty and unhealthy environment. For all those misconduct of good practices maximum members remained sick caught by different diseases of fungal and viral infections.
Sahara-Jabbar family not a little bit of land to live on and even any cultivable land. They had to live with a not fully formed hurt without any assets, capital. Sahara’s husband Jabbar has to leave home and migrate to other districts like Chittagong, Comilla, Dhaka, Bogra in the country several times in the year. One day Sahara met with a field facilitator of SHOUHARDO II Program and going with the awareness to live better life of living to health and livelihood development. She was included under the complementary feeding for being pregnant mother. She has birthed a boy last 01.03.2012 of 3 Kg 700 gm weight with sound health condition. Sahara used to participate in court yard meetings and followed the advices of CHY properly. She uses to take the complementary food regularly with proper procedure. She also follows and maintains the Exclusive Breast Feeding (EBF). She takes some vegetables and fruits from home garden and besides home. The new borne babe and mother are so well and good (health) with all aspects that it does not look the babe belongs to an extreme poor family. The baby goes to check weight to GMP regularly. Now the baby becomes nearly 7 months aged and weight 7 kg. Sahara started poultry rearing, thus her earnings and savings habit going well. Sahra-Jabbar bought a piece of land of 2 decimal and made rooms, places a sanitary latrine in their house and follows the hygienic practices. All the members are maintaining the rules and precautions of health, nutrition sanitation, hygiene, cleanliness etc. Now they live well than the previous days.
Nowadays Sahara-Jabbar dreams, their younger child with other children will grow up with good environment good health habits and will establish their livings prosperous.
