Jui - Pumpkins against Poverty
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Authors
Mehrab ul Goni
Issue Date
2015-09
Type
Language
en
Keywords
Agriculture
Alternative Title
Abstract
Jui is Anwar's daughter. Practical Action's Pumpkins Against Poverty project helped Anwar Ul Islam, his wife Afroza Begum and their two children, who live in the village of Mahipor, Bijoy Bandh situated in the Rangpur District of northwest Bangladesh. Anwar used to work as a cycle mechanic and had to travel an hour a day to Rangpur. When the floods came each year, Anwar struggled to afford enough food to keep his family healthy. Since the Pumpkin project, Anwar now works in his village as a pumpkin farmer. "I can now spend more time with my family". From the 600 pumpkins Anwar produced this year, he was able to sell 450, meaning he could buy a cow and some chickens with the money he made. The family now have milk and eggs and are able to sell whatever they don’t need at market. One small pumpkin can feed the family for 2 meals. A large pumpkin can feed them for 3-4 meals, and provides them with a healthy source of potassium and vitamin A. "My children are healthy". When asked about his hopes for the future, Anwar said: "there's no ending for life. I have land, a cow, shallow machine, I'll keep going forward."