Being a member of the SUDIN Program and receiving its livelihood service was a ray of sunshine in my life. I now make enough to support my family. My family and I are content, and that is all that matters”

Farjana Akter, a daughter of a farmer, was raised in a low-income family. As the river banks beside her home began to erode, it took away their home along with the land. Her family made the journey to Dhaka, setting up their abode in Noagao Rail Colony. Her parents had to work extremely hard to support their six-member family. Farjana felt helpless and, like so many others, recounted the same tale about how she yearned to work, make a solid living, and support her family.

She was married off at a young age to a day laborer. Due to his limited earnings, Farjana’s husband struggled to provide for his family. The birth of her child made her realize she wanted to do something but couldn’t, because she needed to take care of her family. A stable and dignified life seemed a pipe dream.

Farjana’s dream came true when an officer from SAJIDA’s Urban Development Initiative (SUDIN) approached her and introduced her to the program, which directly provides livelihood and savings services. As part of livelihood support, SUDIN found Farjana Akter a job placement and provided livelihood support to for microbusiness to other Naogao Rail Colony beneficiaries.

After selecting Farjana for job placement, SAJIDA provided her with ten days of employability skill training to prepare her for her new job. She was hired by a garment company after completing the training. With a salary of BDT 8,100 Farjana was set to start her job. However, she encountered difficulties at work due to transportation issues and had to quit. Farjana was never disheartened, her skills were now fortified by SUDIN’s training. She was soon hired by another garment factory, with an increased salary of BDT 14,000 a month, plus overtime.

Farjana is now happily continuing her job and living a very content life with her family. Farjana believes that the employability skills training of SUDIN program assisted her significantly in achieving her goals and stability. She was able to get the job that suited her needs, earn a good living, and support her family the way she desired.