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Ershad and his wife, Shilpi, live in Khoyra, Bangladesh, a small village where life once felt impossible for their family. With two young children to care for, Aysha and Imran, every day was a struggle for survival.
After financially helping a friend who never repaid him, Ershad fell deeper into financial despair — eventually owing more than he could manage. As a day laborer working on others’ land, he barely earned enough to cover the family’s daily meals. “It was days of sorrow that I passed,” Ershad said. “I had a lot of loans before.”
Shilpi cries thinking about how desperate they were. “Before, there were so many bad days that we had to eat crushed corn and water,” she said. “Even when I was pregnant, I couldn’t get proper nutrition.”
They survived on two meals a day, mostly rice and mashed potatoes, with fish or meat only once a year. Ershad’s struggles wore on him physically and emotionally, leading to tension within the family and even a strain with his parents.
Life for their daughter, Aysha, wasn’t much easier. She was scared to go to school. Other children often bullied her. She also worried that she would get in trouble with her teacher because she didn’t have a uniform. Her young heart felt fears no child should carry.
But, thanks to your support, an opportunity soon arrived during a village meeting when a community facilitator came and made a presentation about Heifer International. “She told us about the project and the training,” Ershad said. His gut told him it would be a successful project. “It felt good,” he said.
Because of your continued generosity, Ershad received 15 chickens, materials to build a coop, and funds to lease land and buy seeds to start a nursery. Ershad participated in many trainings, his favorite of which was one on Heifer’s Cornerstone of Passing on the Gift®.
“They also had this gift giving process that I liked,” Ershad said. “Many times, I wanted to present people with something, but I was unable to since I was poor. But when Heifer gave me those 15 chickens, after a few months, I was able to gift someone else with 15 chickens. That made me feel good,” he said.
With his newfound training and resources, Ershad began to dream again. He learned to graft mango trees, to cultivate a variety of vegetables and even invested in a new disease-resistant eggplant. His nursery flourished, and he scaled up his farm to cultivate twice as much land.
Today, Ershad’s nursery brings in more than $8,000 USD per year — a world apart from his past struggles. Thanks to his hard work and your support, he quickly repaid his debts and began reinvesting in his community.
As Ershad’s income stabilized, he made sure Aysha and her brother, Imran, had what they needed. With money set aside for education, Aysha now proudly wears her school uniform. She dreams of becoming a doctor or nurse, while Imran imagines himself as a professor. For the first time, Shilpi and Ershad can imagine a future where their children achieve dreams they once thought impossible.
Shilpi, too, found her strength through Heifer’s training. Their garden overflows with homegrown organic vegetables. “Today, we don't buy any vegetables,” she said. When her neighbors ask for vegetables, Shilpi is happy to share what she can.
A wide smile spread across Ershad’s face. “By the grace of God, my income is now abundant,” he said. “I can probably compete with some people who work in offices.”
You transformed Ershad and Shilpi’s lives. Your dedication and compassion gave this family a second chance, a future where their children are no longer weighed down by poverty or shame. You gave Aysha and Imran the hope and opportunity to break the cycle of poverty.
Thank you for believing in families like Aysha’s. Your continued support allows us to uplift families all across the globe, transforming lives one child’s future at a time.
