13th May 2011

Kulsuma

Kulsuma is 42 years old and has been working with Hathay Bunano for 4 years, since 2007. She has 4 children, 2 are now married and one is still at school and she is married to a day labourer. Kulsuma’s life has changed a lot since she started working with Hathay Bunano. When she first came for training she was living in a tiny and precarious shared space with all her family and sharing a toilet with 8 other families, now she lives in a home with their own toilet.

Every time she saves a little money she buys a cow and she now has 5 cows in the village! The cows also brings her income as well as being a valuable asset. She also pays 300tk per month into an insurance policy to help in case the unexpected happens. Kulsuma values the work at Hathay Bunano because it is regular. Whilst her husband works, he is a day labourer and there are many days every month when he does not get work and so the regularity of Kulsuma’s work enables her to better manage for the family.

Kulsuma now looks so different to the pictures we took of her for an earlier case study 4 years ago; now you can see optimism in her eyes.