Aklima Begum, a green job holder in Bangladesh
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Authors
Mohammed Nayeemur Rahman
Issue Date
03/02/2017
Type
Language
en
Keywords
Agriculture , Environment , Water and Sanitation
Alternative Title
Abstract
Aklima Begum is now 46 and very happy with her family. Her only daughter is a graduate and has got married. Her eldest son has been working with GrameenShakti (An organisation working on solar energy) soon after completion of his higher secondary education. His monthly salary is BDT 12000.00 (1 USD = 79.5 BDT). He is supporting his younger brother to complete his diploma from a private technical college in Faridpur. “I had a very tough time with my family. I could not complete my education due to hardship. I got married with a rikshaw puller in 1986 when I was studying in class IX. I accept that as irony of my fate. But my married life was happy with one daughter and two sons until my husband became seriously ill and lost his memory after 3 years’ suffering. We had nothing left in our savings. I decided to work to support my family. I had to change my jobs very frequently. I worked as a domestic help, cook, and cleaner in a poultry farm and could hardly manage both meals for my children. I was looking for a secured job and finally settled down as a green job holder, a waste segregator in a compost plant and that was the beginning of a new avenue in my life.” In a drive of promoting decentralised informal systems for recycling waste, Faridpur Municipality provided cooperation to establish a compost plant with the technical and financial assistance of Practical Action Bangladesh in the year 2007 under IUD project. The municipality has engaged a local NGO WORD (Welfare Organisation for the Rural Disabled) for household (HH) waste collection service and operating the plant under public private partnership (PPP). “First time it was a challenge for me to work in such a green job. But I didn’t look down and owned it from my heart because like waste segregation. I have already learned how to segregate opportunities from challenges.” Every morning at 8:30 am Aklima starts her job till 5:00 pm. She has to segregate waste for the bio-gas plant and she also works for waste composting. She involves in the whole process of waste to compost and bio-gas production. “Now I can enjoy my work when realise I am saving our environment in a process to turn waste into wealth.” When asked about how green job has changed their lives, Aklima replied “Not only did they help me change my life...they changed my children’s life, because after suffering from the bitter experience of life they got their own life to lead. I have my own piece of land, my own house. My children now often request me to leave the job but later they can understand my feeling with this job. I’m working and doing social service which I firmly believe."