Coming home in Bangladesh

Monoara Begum, 45.

“In my country, it’s difficult to buy land; it’s too expensive. And Bangladesh is very densely populated, so it’s hard to find proper land. When I think, this is my house, I bought it with Heifer’s support, I feel proud. Now I’m independent. I’m satisfied to live on my own land.”

—Monoara Begum, 45

Years ago, Monoara Begum and her husband, Aslam Khan, left their rural lifestyle to find jobs in a nearby town. But Monoara Begum found there weren’t many opportunities for an illiterate woman there. Her husband peddled a rickshaw every day, but the money he earned wasn’t enough to support the family. Shortly after moving back to their home, the couple began working with Heifer Bangladesh. Now the family earns more than double what they earned in town raising goats and cattle on land they call their own.