“By the time I finished collecting water every day, I was too exhausted to earn from my tailoring,” recalled Yeasmin Begum, a resident of Karigorpara village in Horinakundu Upazila of Jhenaidah District.
For years, fetching water consumed several hours of her day, leaving little time to use the tailoring skills that could have helped support her family. While her husband worked as a mason, his income depended on the availability of construction work and making it difficult to ensure a stable livelihood. With two school-going children, the family faced growing financial pressure. Despite her determination to support the family, Yeasmin spent several hours each day collecting water for drinking, cooking and sanitation. Without a reliable water source at home, the demanding household chore left her with little time or energy to focus on tailoring, preventing her from turning her skills into a sustainable source of income.
Hope arrived when Yeasmin learned about WAVE Foundation’s Water Credit Program. As a member of a WAVE’s microfinance group, she came to know that WAVE provides loans and technical support for installing WASH products. To overcome one of the biggest challenges in her daily life, she applied for a loan of BDT 70,000 on 22 October 2025. With the financial support, she installed a tube-well integrated with a running water system at her home.
The impact was immediate, the hours once spent fetching water were now available for productive work. With more time in hand, Yeasmin focused on her tailoring business, taking on more clothing orders from neighbours and community members. Gradually, her sewing machine became a steady source of income, helping bridge the gaps created by her husband’s irregular wages and allowing the family to meet daily expenses with greater confidence. The additional income also strengthened their ability to continue supporting their children’s education. Access to safe water can create opportunities beyond meeting basic household needs. Through WAVE’s Water Credit Program, Yeasmin transformed the time once spent collecting water into an opportunity to earn, building a more secure future for her family.
