Stories of Hope

Deep stigma and misunderstanding is the reality for people and families living with disability in rural Bangladesh. Cultural superstitions blame mothers for giving birth to children with disabilities. As a result mothers are sometimes abandoned, left with an enormous burden of care and deep family shame. Without support, families often hide children with disabilities indoors

Just three days after Fahim was born, Farida realised something wasn’t okay. Following several seizures, the doctor gave a diagnosis of pneumonia and jaundice.  Fahim lived with undetected cerebral palsy for many years, which has meant a life of dependence for him and struggle for his family as they continued with years of ineffective treatment.

After many years of walking alongside some of Bangladesh’s poorest and most inspiring people, our team is preparing to start working in new areas. They are looking forward to inviting new people to begin the journey to learn, save and grow their way out of poverty by working together. The process of starting new work

One of the most remarkable impacts of our work over the years is seeing how the men and women who are overcoming the effects of poverty are also keen to walk alongside their own communities to see others flourish. On my most recent trip, I heard stories from our staff of how the local community

The wet season in Bangladesh brings more than rainy days; it brings life, renewal, and growth. As regular rainfall nurtures the soil and eliminates the need for additional watering, young saplings can thrive. Making now the perfect time for Symbiosis’ annual sapling distribution initiative. Every year, Symbiosis distributes around 4,000 saplings across all projects. This

Mother of 3, Mousumi envisions a future not just for herself, but for her entire community, a society free from unemployment and corruption, where every child can learn safely and contribute to the building of a developed nation.   However, Mousumi hasn’t always had this much hope for the future. For years she faced severe

The work of Symbiosis is built on a foundational belief: that transformation for the poor and marginalised happens most effectively through relationships of trust and peer support within their own communities. It has certainly been true in the transformational 18-year journey of Shahanaz. Twenty years ago, Shahanaz’s reality was one of hardship. Deserted by her

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. JRDP is also currently supported by a charitable partner, ERDO.  By integrating literacy,

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