During my fieldwork, I conducted several case studies. These case studies give good insight into the real life struggles of people and the impact of CDSP-III on the position and empowerment of women. An example I would like to share with you is the case of Zakia, a female entrepreneur and community leader:

Zakia (31) moved to Boyer Char in 1999, after her family lost all their land in Ramguti (Lakshmipur) to the river. Her husband, his first wife and their two children already migrated to Boyer Char two years before, but Zakia and her daughter stayed with her parents in Ramguti – out of fear for the Bahini that ruled the char areas at that time. Only after her husband’s first wife died during the labor of her third child, did Zakia come to Boyer Char - to take care of her stepchildren and husband. She brought her mother – who then recently became a widow – with her.

Before she migrated to Boyer Char, Zakia worked as an installment collector for an insurance company in Ramguti. Her husband – whom she married at 15 - owned a small shop and sold products such as soap and shampoo. When river erosion processes started, her husband sold all his belongings – including his shop – and used the money (20.000TK) to go to Boyer Char and build a new life for his family there. Zakia took a 10.000TK loan from Grameen Bank and gave this to her husband as financial support during this difficult and uncertain time.
Upon arrival in Boyer Char, Zakia’s husband bought a small piece of land from a land grabber. As the area was completely covered in forest, he first had to deforest the plot in order to make it suitable for cultivation. Her husband also started a small grocery shop underneath a tin roof in front of their hut. The Bahini that ruled Boyer Char at that time forced people to comply with their rules and pay large bribes. If people did not obey, they were at risk of becoming victims of rape, kidnapping, torture or even murder. This was also the case for Zakia’s family; in order to be able to use their land and be safe from violence and harassment, they had to pay large bribes to the Bahini. Because they often could not afford the large sums of money demanded by them, the family had to resort to local money lenders which charged them high interest rates. The Bahini also demanded bribes in kind from Zakia’s family, like 40kg of rice per year. These bribes formed a serious burden on the young family, which was trying hard to build a new existence. The bribe taking did not stop until 2004, when the people of Boyer Char took the law into their own hands and publicly killed 50 to 60 Bahini members in an effort to restore safety in the area.

Since the start of CDSP-III four years ago, much has changed for Zakia and her family – which in the meantime has grown to include 10 members. Not only did they receive an official title to their land and were they therefore no longer forced to pay bribes to land grabbers, but they were also presented with many income-earning opportunities. Zakia – as an enterprising young woman – tried to seize every opportunity given to her, in order to improve her life and that of her family.
She started borrowing money from various NGO’s. When CDSP-III was just started, she got selected by HASI to become a nursurer, and received training on horticulture as well as a 5.000TK loan to start her own nursery business. Together with her family she now produces and sells seedlings, with which they earn around 75.000TK per year. After repaying this loan, Zakia obtained three other loans of 3.000TK, 4.000TK and 12.000TK from HASI and Grameen Bank. She invested this money in a new location for and – subsequently – expansion of the family’s grocery shop. With the savings of her nursery and grocery shop, Zakia opened a small restaurant in February 2009. One month later, she obtained a 30.000TK loan from Grameen Bank, which she invested in the expansion of her restaurant business. Except for her last micro credit loan – which is still running – Zakia has repaid all her loans successfully and managed to become a very successful female entrepreneur.
Zakia also has several other sources of income. Through her membership of an NGO group for example, she received free vegetable seeds which she has used to grow homestead crops. She’s not only a regular member of the NGO group, but also the president. As the president, Zakia regularly has to attend trainings and receives 100TK per training day. She is also a member of the local Polli Somaj. Every two months she has to attend a meeting, for which she receives 80TK. This amounts to 480TK per year. Her membership in a Social Forestry Group (SFG 0 has not provided her with many benefits so far, as the trees are not mature enough yet. However, she expects to receive fruits, timber and fuel wood in the near future. Her membership of an Labor Contracting Society (LCS) group – of which she is also the president – brought her some income in the past, when many construction and maintenance work was done in the project area. Zakia recently also became a Local Facilitator (LF) for the RLFDC project of DANIDA. As a LF, she has to attend four days of training (on fisheries, livestock and homestead agriculture) per month and organize Farmers Field Schools (FFS’s) to train people in her area on these subjects. The goal of these FFS’s is to enable people – men and women - to increase their production and improve their livelihoods. By organizing FFS’s, Zakia earns 3000TK per month (36.000TK per year). Last but not least, Zakia’s family owns a small fish pond and land for field crops. As the family is too busy with their other businesses and income-earning activities, they lend this land to another family. They provide them with half the inputs (seeds and fertilizer) and receive half the crop production. Zakia’s family also owns 12 cows and many poultry birds, which is much more than before the project.
Since the start of CDSP-III, the overall income of Zakia’s family has more than tripled and – consequently - their living standard has increased significantly. They now have plenty to eat, live in a better house and have many more possessions, like land and various successful businesses. According to Zakia, she would not have been able to achieve all this without the opportunities provided by the project.

Zakia is not only an example of a very successful entrepreneur, but she also managed to establish herself as an important community leader. Crucial in this regard is her status as an entrepreneur, as well as her involvement in many community activities.
As mentioned before, Zakia is president of an NGO and LCS group, member of the local Polli Somaj, secretary of a SFG and Local Facilitator for RLFDC. Furthermore, she is the cashier of the Tankir Khal – 2 Water Management Group Ltd and member of Boyer Char’s Water Management Association (WMA). Especially her involvement in the local WMG and WMA has increased her social status and improved her leadership position within the community. She now has an important influence on the water resource management and development activities in her locality, which has a direct impact on the lives of the people around her. As a result, Zakia is often approached by people – men as well as women – concerning the activities of the WMG and WMA and deals with their questions and problems in this regard. Furthermore, as a much respected person and member of the Polli Somaj she is often involved as a mediator and advisor in community and family affairs/disputes. At various occasions, she has also been invited to join the local Shalish (informal village court) and share her knowledge concerning the case under discussion.
As a woman, Zakia has a special interest in the women of her community and fights for their empowerment. She tries to sensitize men towards women’s rights and needs, and motivates women – especially victims of violence and abuse - to stand up for themselves and take charge of their own lives. As argued by Zakia; “I want to empower and motivate other poor women to become like me”. She aims to inspire these women by setting a strong example herself, this way showing them the strengths, capabilities and importance of women. Even though she leads a very busy life managing her household, businesses and community activities, Zakia always tries to find enough time to help women folk. According to Zakia, her efforts have contributed to a significant decline in violence against women in her community. She also managed to motivate large groups of women to work outside the domestic sphere, in order to improve their family’s economic situation.

According to Zakia, her position has improved a lot due to CDSP-III. Not only her economic situation, but also her decision-making power within the family – economic as well as non-economic – has improved a lot. She is one of the few women in her community who manages her household’s finances and is the main decision-making body concerning the size and use of micro-credit loans. According to her, this is not only the result of her strong character and perseverance, but also of her husband’s understanding and cooperative nature. He has a lot of faith in her as an entrepreneur. Furthermore, Zakia has become more mobile and now actively participates in public life. She has experienced a significant increase in her status and developed herself into a real leader. According to Zakia, this would not have been possible without CDSP-III; “I am intelligent and hardworking, but without CDSP I would not have developed into the leader that I am today. We would all have remained the same”. The project has provided her with many opportunities to improve her life and become more emancipated and empowered. Despite her busy schedule and heavy workloads, Zakia says she is very happy. She feels strong and proud to be a leader.
Zakia aspires to become an even more important community leader in the future. She hopes to one day be a UP member and continue her work for the empowerment of women. Furthermore, she wants to build a brick house, expand her businesses and give her children the best education possible.