ONCE upon a time there was a poor, farmer wfio lived on Dearalga Char in the Brahmaputra River In the far north of Bangladesh. Tills man. Kadim Seikh. struggled hard to provide for his eleven children but when he died, he left them very little, for he,was a^ poor as he had Always been. But his children had been left a rich legacy, for Kadim Seikh and.taught them to care for each other, and when troubles came to two of his daughters, their brothers and sisters did not turn their backs.

Nurjahan was Kadim's third daughter, and his favourite. Like his neighbours, he had dreams that his all children would find both happiness and food in' their lives when they left his home. For Nurjahan. Kadim arranged a mgrriage with the spn of another char dweller. Md Ferdous All. Kadim lived long enough to see his grandson. Noor Jamal.

- bring joy to his daughter. He died before Ferdous All. dissatisfied vbith his wife's dowry, sent her away from his home with her son.

Poor Nurjahan. only 21 years of age. was now homeless. But her father's teachings had taken hold. and her brother. Md All Seikh. invited ■ her into his family and his house, small though it was. on Madoner Char. Like his father, he too was a poor man. and Nurjahan had to earn a living. For two years she- survived and fed her son by selling-her labour to richer farmers.

Then, in June 1992. she became a member of group with . 15 other poor women from her village organised by NGO. RDRS. Calling them selves the Highland Mohlla Dal. Madoner Char, they worked and saved together to givr-lbrir children a better

life. At first. Nuijahan worked as a -tree caretaker, earning 23 taka a day. After 18 months, she had saved enough money to buy two cattle that she is still rearing. Working with the group, she was Involved in earthworks and the re-excava -tlon of a fish pond that thev

now cultivate very profitably.

Through the training^ and sipport of her RDRS group. Nurjahan Begum has been able -to lease land for share-cropping and to build'a hpuse for herself ahd het son. H6w happy she was on the day she ^awtlu Iasi-CI sheet pul on

the roof. But now ii was her turn lo help another of her farther s children, her sister.

Khodeza Khatun.

This next daughter of Kadim had been married al 17. Just before her. father died, to Md Ayub All. a man of $0 from Madoner Char. But Ayub was not the man her father thought he was, and soon after the marriage, he left the char after stealing a bicycle. While he was away, Khodeza went to stay with Nurjahan. helping her sister by looking after Nurjahan's growing vegetable garden, goat^and poultry.

Then her busband relumed. bprrowed 500 taka from his mother to pay ‘the fine for the bicycle, and Khodeza moved back to his house. Now 7 months pregnant. Khodeza Begum earns money by working at household chores for her neighbours while her husband is a day labourer. But they live hand-to-mouth, and life is hard for Khodeza. Sometimes.\ when there Is no money for* food. Ayub All tells her to ask her sister Nurjahan- for money, or paddy, or even a cow. If not, he threatens to leave his wife and go away to Cornilia or Dhaka for ever. If, he does, Khodeza knows her sister will help her again/ And now that she has become a member of an RDRS group, she loo can plari to send her future child to school, as Nurjahan sends her Noor Jamal.

The writer associated with RDRS