Saleha - Pumpkins against Poverty beneficiary
Loading...
Authors
Elizabeth Dunn
Issue Date
2015-08
Type
Language
en
Keywords
Agriculture
Alternative Title
Abstract
Rajarita is a settled community of around 500 households. The road to reach it was very narrow, causing problems whenever we met a bicycle. From the river bank we walked about 500m along a long embankment fringed with rice paddies, to Saleha's house. Saleha is a widow, whose husband died 25 years ago. She has one son and two daughters, all are married. She lives with her son’s wife Anjumari (20) and two grandchildren, a girl of 18 months and a 6 year old boy. The son is away working in Chittagong to help support his family. “I am earning for 6 months only with no earnings for the rest of the year. I have to borrow money to eat”. She works as an agricultural labourer transplanting rice, husking nuts and fruit and other post-harvest activities. She earns around 150 taka per day. She also keeps some chickens and sells the eggs. “If you have work you have everything. If you have no work you have nothing.” In 2014 the flood came half way up her house and all her chickens died and she had to move to another place. In the flood season she does some needlework to make money. Altogether she has had to move 5 times. Originally she had her own house and land but now this place is only temporary. Saleha cooks for herself separately from her daughter in law. She mainly eats aram leaf and rice. She had an egg about 2 weeks ago. “If I have food I will eat more often if not then less often.” She has no spare money to buy clothes and the sari she is wearing was given to her. “I suffer from hunger throughout the year but October/November is the worst. Life is hard.” She does not have any severe health problems only occasional fever and stomach upsets. Saleha will benefit from the Pumpkins against Poverty project. Her area was chosen due to the incidence of extreme poverty and the accessibility for sandbars.