RANGPUR, Mar 12: Micro-credit has brought significant changes in the life of many extreme poor women in Rangpur district.
A large number of poor women in the district have changed their fortune by taking loans from various non-government organisations (NGOs).
Rural women who were starving before are now able to manage their families by themselves by taking loans.
While talking to this correspondent, Saleha Begum of Khansama village under Kawnia upazila, one of those women said earlier income of her husband, a poor day-labourer was not sufficient to meet the basic requirements of their family. Then she decided to do something positive to change the condition of her impoverished family. So, she received loans of Tk 20,000 from BRAC and began cattle farming on the premises of her house. Within few years she achieved success.
Now, she has 4 cows and 2 bulls in her dairy farm. She also gets 10-12 litres of milk everyday from her cows. Her monthly income is around Tk 10,000 to Tk 12,000.
Marufa Begum, another housewife of Tilokpara village under Mithapukur upazila in the district said she took loan of Tk 10,000 from Grameen Bank to start her own poultry business. She continued to expand her enterprise repaying and retaking loans from the same organisation every year.
Now Marufa is the owner of a poultry farm. She can save at least Tk 3000 to Tk 4000 per month after managing her family.
The success stories of Saleha and Marufa encouraged many women of their area. Following their examples hundreds of rural women have also become self-reliant through various income generating activities by taking micro-credit support from the NGOs and thus they have changed their socio-economic condition through contributing financially to their impoverished family, sources said.
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