Thirteen years back, 38-year-oldIrani from Jamalpur had no other choice but to divorce her addicted husband. She was left alone with the responsibility of her threechildren.

“My husband used to beat me every nightwhenever he came home drunk. I endured a lot for the sake of my children”, sherecalls her days.

Irani was struggling hard tomanage food for her children. She used to do seasonal jobs which couldn’tsupport her properly. With a meagre income of BDT 2000, she could hardly bearall expenses of her family. After several years of hardship, finally lady lucksmiled upon her. She joined UNDP’s SWAPNO project as a public asset maintenanceemployee. Her life started getting better by receiving wages for this work.

Apart from wages, she receivedseveral life changing training on leadership, women’s rights, health andnutrition which reshaped her mindset. SWAPNO’s climate smart agriculturaltechniques helped her to set up a Vermicompost production center. She uses this organic fertilizer in her nursery and sellsrest of the fertilizer to the local markets.

She has also established anursery producing vegetables. Through livestock rearing, vegetable productionand vermicompost production, now she earns around BDT 15000 per month. She hassaved BDT 60,000 which she now plans to invest in expanding her nursery.

“SWAPNO helped me to look at thebright side of my life. My dream of leading a peaceful life has finally cometrue”, she said.

Irani’s green entrepreneurship inspired others to startvermicomposting. Women in her village are now conducting vegetable farming andearning a handsome amount.

Like Irani, thousands of rural women havechanged their lives with SWAPNO’s assistance and contributing to thedevelopment of society. They are the change-makers in all aspects.