It was lean period, starvation was rampant. All edible leaf, vegetables and roots in the village exhausted. Bakron’s family went without food for the consecutive third day. The emaciated children of the family, two boys and two girls turned pale and frail. Among the famished children two girls seemed to be more burdensome to their parents. So Bakron, her landless father and her younger sister started walking in wobbling feet towards the orphanage at Ulipur, the Sub-district town. Bakron felt happy as she would be able to eat well at the orphanage. She and her sister grew up in the orphanage. When she turned fifteen the orphanage administrator bought 3 decimal of land for both the sisters.

She returned from the orphanage, got married and gave birth to a son. Her husband died after the birth of her son and everything fell apart again. Her father sold out her land due to hardship. Her son became her only hope and she dreamt of happy future with her son. She started vending spices to earn a livelihood. When her son reached seven years one day he was lost. Devastated Bakron looked for him everywhere possible but nothing worked. Her in-laws forced her to leave her husband’s house. Losing everything, alone, she returned to her brother’s house. Couple of years later she got married again and she had another son but could not continue her conjugal life due to family strife  and came back to her brother again with her son.  She faced serious hardship to manage food for her and her son. She started working as a domestic aid and tried to do spice vending again. Her son grew up and left her. Years passed by, her condition did not improve.

In this distressed condition she was engaged in SWAPNO public works employment. Now she has a stable job and bought a cow. She started spice vending again. She also sells some grocery along with spices. She also took some land on lease.

“SWAPNO has trained me how to do a business. Now I feel empowered, I can count money and manage my business’’, opines confident and happy Bakron.

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