Drenro Biswas, once a skilled weaver, has lived with pain and uncertainty since an accident seven years ago left his hands permanently injured. He can no longer straighten his fingers, let alone weave mats or do any heavy work. Deprived of his rightful share of ancestral land and unable to find alternative income, Drenro found himself struggling to support his family in a small coastal village in Bagerhat, a district in southwestern Bangladesh.
But where hardship struck, resilience rose.
Drenro Biswas’s wife Sova Rani Biswas, already familiar with running a small business, became the backbone of the family. She took charge when Drenro could not. While others gossiped about her working outside the home, repairing roads or buying and selling goods , Drenro never wavered in his support. “People will always talk, but they won’t feed you three times a day,” he says with pride. “So, whatever the work is, you must do it with dignity.”
Sova’s journey of empowerment took a turn when she joined SWAPNO, an initiative supported by the Local Government Division, the Embassy of Sweden, Marico Bangladesh, and UNDP. She became part of a women’s group maintaining public assets like earthen roads, earning a regular income while gaining confidence and new skills.
With her earnings, she started reinvesting, first buying BDT 500 (4 USD) worth of thin bamboo to weave mats, a trade she once ran jointly with her husband. After 280 days of work with SWAPNO, she has saved BDT 13,600 (112 USD) and plans to invest more to expand the business further. She now dreams of scaling it up with BDT 15–20,000 (124-165 USD) worth of raw materials.
Through it all, Drenro remains her biggest supporter. Though life didn’t go as he had planned, he takes deep pride in Sova’s strength and dedication. “Dignity doesn’t come from what people say about you, it comes from standing on your own feet,” he tells their three sons, hoping they follow in their mother’s footsteps.
Now Sova and Drenro dream of a day when they can buy a small piece of land, something to finally call their own. But for now, he knows the family stands tall, because Sova dared to rise.
