Stories of Hope

For many women in rural Bangladesh, life has long been defined by the limitations of poverty—a trajectory that often feels impossible to escape. However, through the work of Symbiosis and our Jamuna River Development Project (JRDP), this cycle is being systematically interrupted. By integrating literacy, vocational training, and community-based financial support, Symbiosis is proving that […]

At 70, Nobab Ali Shordar from Jamalpur had nearly lost all hope due to rapidly worsening vision over 4–5 years. In the last year, he could barely recognize his family. The former farmer, who cultivated rice, vegetables, and made bamboo crafts, became unable to work or move safely. “I felt helpless,” he recalled. “I could

Amrita (pictured, sitting right) resides in the Haluaghat sub-district of Mymensingh District. She is married to her husband Simanto, who is a farmer. Amrita and Simanto have two sons and have been together for ten years. The eldest son is five years old and the younger son is one month old (as at time of

Pictured: Sabina (left) with her husband Chan Mia (right) Sabina lives in the Sirajganj district. She is 38 years old and a housewife. Her husband Chan Mia is a labourer. They have two daughters- Hasina and Lipi and both are married. Sabina lost her home and livelihood due to a flood 10 years ago. She

Subarna (left) with her children (centre) and her husband Shahidul (right). Sometimes our stories make escaping poverty sound like a recipe – meet Symbiosis, learn, save, loan, work, and presto! Symbiosis does follow a simple process on paper, which is on purpose. We need to work with communities using a model they understand, work within

Pictured: Saleha with her husband and daughters outside their shop The poverty trap reaches wide – sometimes people fall into its vicious cycle with little warning and without realizing it can take hold so quickly. This is what happened to Salaeha and her husband Shajahan who live in the Gazipur district. Their life became very

Pictured: Rupa with her cows she purchased. Rupa lives in Munshiganj District. She is married and together with her husband they are raising their two sons. Rupa’s husband’s income was not enough to provide for the family’s needs. He could only earn a small income from the sweet shop where he worked. Rupa did not

Pictured: Aleya and Moniruzzaman with their daughter Development occurs through the compound effect of change, both small and large. It’s hard to see this sometimes, discussion on ‘development’ often presents either a statistical view (presenting people’s lives as numbers and data) or discusses the macro view (institutional change and big picture thinking). Development discussions are

Pictured: Banesa with her husband Yunus Banesa lives in a village in the Munshiganj District with her husband Yunus Ali. Together they have had four children, their youngest son is now in class four and their three daughters are married. Banesa is one of 25 members of the Nijera Gori Mohila Samity (Build Yourself Women’s

From Jamalpur Sherpur Development Project (JSDP) Rikta is a 27 year old woman who lives in the Jamalpur District. Her husband’s name is Samiul and his occupation is in agriculture and farming. They have one daughter named Usha who is five years old and currently in nursery school. Rikta got married when she was just