Two women from marginalised char islands take reign over their fate, despite overwhelming circumstances through the help of the Friendship Farmers Club
by Iffat Ara Sharmeen,
28 January, 2025
Lima Pathang and Jorina Khatun were once marginalised women whose fates were sealed by prevailing gender norms. Today, they are thriving, financially stable women giving back to their communities through the Friendship Farmers Club in Mymensingh.
Women in marginalised, remote communities in Bangladesh bear the bigger brunt of financial stress, climate change, and societal discrimination. These areas already have low access to basic services and rights, and being a woman in these conservative and uneducated societies means that their access to what little services exist is effectively non-existent. Yet, two women from the remote corners of Mymensingh overcame these challenges and created sustainable businesses within their communities, exhibiting limitless resilience, confidence, and faith in themselves. Lima Pathang and Jorina Khatun are proof that with the right guidance and thinking, these areas too have a shot at meaningful development.
Lima Pathang: A Symbol of Courage
Lima’s life was marked by poverty. Her father was a struggling farmer and the sole breadwinner of the family. As the eldest daughter, she knew she had to do something to change the fate of her family. That is when she came across Friendship, and the organisation’s Farmers Club operating in her village in Nolkuda, Haluaghat upazila, Mymensingh. The Farmers Club was looking to recruit members, and Lima joined aboard to support her father. Lima soon chose to enlist in an animal health worker training workshop organised by Friendship.
The training gave way to a new avenue of hope for Lima. She started to provide quality animal healthcare services in her village to earn a living. Lima connected with more farmers from different areas through the Farmers Club, and advised them on animal health, vaccination, and government campaigns. With time, both her income and respectability in society increased. She used her influence to also prevent child marriages, gender-based violence, and child labour in her village with the support of Friendship. Lima Pathang is now a trailblazer for her village, breaking the cycle of poverty and gender bias towards meaningful development.
Jorina Khatun: The Face of Resilience
Jorina Khatun too was shackled to financial constraints and had no way out. Apart from 1,400 square metres of land, Jorina and her family of seven owned nothing else. She and her husband supported their five children by farming these lands, their only source of income at the time.
After she joined the Friendship Farmers Club in her village in Dhobaura upazila, Mymensingh, things changed for the better. After multiple meetings, training sessions, and exchanges, she decided to commercially produce vermicompost. Throughout this journey, she received technical and knowledge support from Friendship Farmers Club and Friendship Sustainable Economic Development officials.
She now owns a 13.7 metre-long vermicompost house through which she sells more than 1,600 kilograms of vermicompost every month. She also sells quails and eggs and earns an extra 30,000 BDT per month. Using her newfound income, she was able to secure her daughters’ futures and buy a home for herself. Seeing her triumph from hardships, Jorina’s community is immensely proud of her. Jorina now works on solving various issues in her village with the support of public authorities and Friendship. Jorina Khatun is a powerful example of how resilience and strength can forge an indomitable force of good.
Friendship Farmers Club: A Community-driven Platform for Empowerment
For communities that mostly depend on farming to run their economy, Friendship Farmers Clubs (FFCs) are a blessing. It is a common platform for farmers to get together and disseminate critical information and technology related to agriculture, livestock, and fisheries. This fosters friendship between farmers and keeps them organised under similar goals. Club participants are managed by an executive committee. Members of the club are all chosen from the community, and women are particularly encouraged to join and run these committees. Club members themselves vote for candidates for these positions to ensure fairness and democracy.
The Club offers learning sessions, need-based workshops, experience-sharing participatory sessions, climate adaptive technology solutions, demonstrations of different crops and technologies, etc. Farmers are also taught about the One Health approach so that they ensure responsible farming. The Club networks with traders, government officials, and market suppliers to facilitate quality farming, enforce best farming practices, and empower farmers in decision-making. They are actively contributing to the economic development of marginalised communities and women’s empowerment.
