Marginalized Bangladeshi women, on average, do not have their own income and depend on their families. Mst. Muslima Khatun from Jhaudia, Kushtia, was no exception. But with support from WAVE’s microfinance program, she has become a contributing member of her family and an independent woman. However, her story was not always this way.
Muslima’s story of hardship began to change in January 2020 when she became a member of the ‘Padma Mahila Samiti’, a microcredit initiative under WAVE. With an initial loan of BDT 20,000 she started goat farming, which brought modest profits. Encouraged by this success, she expanded her initiative the next year with a BDT 50,000 loan, steadily repaying her debts while building a small capital base.
To further improve her family’s financial situation, she and her husband turned their focus to cattle fattening. In 2022, after completing specialized training on cattle rearing through WAVE’s Ujjibito Project, she took out a BDT 200,000 loan to start cattle farming. The venture proved successful, and in July 2024, she expanded her business further with a BDT 400,000 loan.
Today, her farm is home to four Friesian cows. Her steady income has allowed her to regularly repay loans and significantly improve her living conditions, including constructing a larger home and a hygienic sanitary latrine. Muslimah’s initiative has not only transformed her own life but has also earned her respect within the community as a hardworking entrepreneur. She is now a role model, inspiring other women to follow her path. “If more women like me take such initiatives, they can achieve self-sufficiency and create new employment opportunities as well,” she shares.
