By Sumon Ali from Rajshahi
At 52, Mosammat Champa Begam of Small Amgachi village in Bodorgachi Union is redefining resilience. Once leading a comfortable life with her husband and two children, her world was upended when her husband married another woman and abandoned the family, leaving them without any financial support for their sustenance or the children’s education.
Refusing to surrender to despair, Champa Begum took firm control of her household’s destiny. Juggling domestic duties, she began working as a day labourer in other people’s fields. In her spare time, she turned her homestead into a hub of productivity and creativity.
“I could have been sitting here in a miserable condition if I had given up without a fight,” Champa Begum stated. “Instead, I chose patience and effort.” Her home now boasts a diverse cultivation of fruits and safe, organic vegetables. She skillfully crafts date-palm leaf mats, brooms, baskets, and embroidered quilts. The sale of these products has become her family’s financial lifeline.
Her approach is sustainable and community-oriented. She conserves seeds from her seasonal harvests, replants them, and exchanges them with relatives and neighbours. She has also become an advocate for native crops, actively sharing seeds of local varieties like pumpkin, beans, and hyacinth beans with social groups.
She said, “Now, I want to move forward even more for my children’s bright future. I want to show society how a woman can advance. There was a time I struggled for two meals a day, but now I have that security.”
Champa Begum credits BARCIK, for empowering her saying, “BARCIK’s contribution is immense. The organization taught me how a woman can move forward in society. We are women, and we are capable.”
Her story stands as a powerful testament to self-reliance, demonstrating how one woman’s determination can cultivate not just food, but also dignity and hope for the future.
