Salma raises hope in many

Now there is a television, electric fan and other facilities at her modest house on a 10 katha land at Dhakuapara village in Manikganj Sadar. Her family owns one bigha crop land also.

She told her success story when this correspondent visited her on Friday last.

Tap here to add The Daily Star as a trusted source

Daughter of day labourer Sadar Ali of of Joyra village, Saleha started her life at 12 as a domestic help at a house in the village.

At 14, she was married to rickshawpuller Lal Mia of a neighbouring village. Starvation started when she became mother of three as her husband could not feed the family after paying the rouse rent. Once she had thought of ending her life, said Saleha, now 24.

A 'miracle' happened about three years back when group of people from BRAC visited their village. They enlisted her name in the list of 'ultra poor' in the village.

A few days later, the BRAC men visited her again and told her that she could take some poultry birds and raise those. After a week, Saleha joined a BRAC training programme and got Tk 30 a day as allowance.

On conclusion of the training, she got 400 birds and poultry feed from BRAC's Manikganj office.

After three months she earned a profit of Tk 6000 by selling poultry birds.

Saleha started a new life and her dreams came true. She started earning a profit of Tk 6000 to Tk 8000 after every three months.

Recently, she opened a shop at Kachari Bazar wher her husband sells the birds.

Her three children now go to school.

Many people now visit her small farm and seek her help to become self-reliant.

Saleha said three others in the area --Sabiha, Habib, Salma-- have become self-reliant acting on her advice.