In the community where our water program (WHED) has been thriving, we identified an income opportunity for the women in the community and the mums of the children attending our Adventist school.
They are now proactively learning and participating in skill-building. As a result, we have been giving livelihood training on goat and hen rearing. The women provided positive feedback on this training and acknowledged that this will help them increase their sustainable household income sources.
Madina Begum has been part of this training and is learning attentively, especially as she had been rearing others’ domestic animals in her yard so that she could earn some money and support her husband. They have two young daughters, and used to entirely depend on the day-to-day income her husband earns as a daily labourer. She lives near the border of Bangladesh and India in a small house. Cultivable land was not fertile as she lives in a hilly area where it is a struggle to grow green vegetables.
Madina says, “I had wished I had my own domestic animals that I could take care of the way I liked, and not be restricted by others’ conditions.” She adds, “My dream would have never come true if not for your support.” Through our program we were able to provide Madina a goat. Within a month, her goat gave birth to a kid. “I am so lucky that now I have two goats within such a short time,” Madina says.
By our Partner’s report, she was looking very happy and empowered while expressing her gratitude to donors. Madina is committed to increasing her goat farm in the future. She is confident now because she knows how to provide regular care and immediate treatment if her goat gets sick. She knows when to communicate with the vet if anything goes beyond her capacity of care. She is eager to share her experience with other women in her community, and hopes they too would find some financial security like she did.
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You can also read other stories from our recent newsletter here.
