Rubina Akter was born in Chandipur in Sokhipur Union under Debhata Upazila. Growing up in poverty, she was married young to Abdur Rob of the same village. After family property division, the couple received only 15 decimals of land and a dilapidated hut where they lived with their two children. Rob’s only income was 35–40 maunds of rice a year from operating shallow tubewells.
Through SUS and the PKSF ENRICH programme, Rubina received poultry farming training and a loan of Tk. 1 lakh in May 2020. Combined with Tk. 90,000 of her own savings, she started a poultry farm and earned a profit of Tk. 39,000 in less than a year. Her husband later received a Tk. 50,000 loan and bought an improved cow. With additional winter gourd seeds under ENRICH’s vegetable cultivation programme, she earned another Tk. 12,000.
The family now has improved housing, a tube well, sanitary latrine, cattle, and two poultry sheds (about 1,500 chicks). Neighbors have followed her example. Rubina reflects that with ENRICH’s technical and financial assistance, they are no longer poor.
