Sukha Barua and Ratna Dhar are not related but they had one thing in common: no place to live in.
That was until they each got a semi-pucca house with land under an Ashrayan Project at Adarsha Gram at Hajom Road in Ukhia.
One of these two women has been left by her husband, while another one is a widow.
When their lives plunged into darkness and frustration, the Asharayan Project, an unique initiative of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina gave them second chances to rebuild their lives.
And they properly utilised that chances to change their destiny. Now, they are self-reliant and earn their own livelihood well as spend happy lives.
Shukha Barua, who was left by her husband as she had no money after few years of marriage, used to work as domestic help for others enduring miseries with two kids.
“But, my life has started to turn around when I got a house from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina,” she said.
She used to stay at dilapidated rented houses in poor condition in different places of Ukhia.
In 2002, Shukha received the house as gift like 88 other families under the Ashrayan Project at Adarsha Gram at Hajom Road in Ukhia.
After getting the house, she started to think that how could she change her life and found out a way to utilise the small places adjacent to her house.
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“I started to cultivate different types of vegetables and daily essentials on seasonal basis,” Shukha said.
Not only in her house, but also she started to cultivate vegetables and other essentials like turmeric, ginger at the unutilised lands of others' houses.
“I got a good outcome, and so I didn’t need to buy any vegetables for me, rather I was able to give some of the produced crops to my near and dear ones.”
Shukha said that this year so far, she sold vegetables of Taka 12,000, while dried up 25kg of turmeric although she produced over 100kg.
Seeing the success, many women came to her and wanted to learn cultivation methods from Shukha Barua.
“So far, I taught 35 destitute women on how they can make good harvest of vegetables,” she said, adding, “Now, I have reset my motto of life and spend my days to train other destitute women.”
Expressing her gratitude to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Shukhla in an emotion-chocked voice said “I couldn’t be self-reliant if the premier had not given this house to me.”
“My previous life was full of agonies, but my present life is happier,” she said, mentioning that her two kids now are studying in school and she dream to make them to get higher educated.
Another woman, Ratana Dhar who lost her husband, also changed her life centring the house of Ashrayan project.
Ratna said that her husband died 27 years back and then she used to stay here and there taking shelter of land lords for working as a domestic help.
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But, the story of changed life came when she also got a house from the prime minister in 2022 under the Ashrayan Project at Adarsha Gram at Hajom Road in Ukhia.
Taking loan of Taka 5,000, she bought a goat from local market, and now she has 10 goats.
Ratna said that she already repaid the loan and is saving money to start a new business.
She said that she also produces seasonal vegetables and others to meet her own family needs, and so she does not need to buy any vegetables from market.
Ratna, mother of three sons, said that two sons already became adults and self-reliant while the younger son is staying with her.
She said that her younger son has opened a watch shop in nearby market and plans to expand it with her help.
Also expressing her deepest gratitude to the prime minister, Ratna said “It was not possible if the premier didn't give a house to her. This house has changed my life.”
PM Hasina on Tuesday will handover 18,556 more houses and lands to landless and homeless families as part of her promisees to ensure housing for all.
She will distribute homes among the homeless and landless families under the fifth phase of the Ashrayan-2 Project.
The prime minister will open the distribution programme joining through a videoconference from her official residence Ganabhaban in the morning. She is scheduled to connect with Kaliganj upazila of Lalmonirhat, Charfashon upazila of Bhola and Eidgaon upazila of Cox’s Bazar district.
At this stage, a total of 70 upazilas including all upazilas of 26 districts will be declared free of homeless and landless people.
“Husband and wife have equal ownership rights to Ashrayan homes for homeless”
With these, a total of 58 districts and 864 upazilas of the country will be homeless and landless-free.
On March 21, 2023 , PM Hasina handed over 39,365 more houses under Ashrayan-2 project to landless and homeless families in the the fourth phase of the Ashrayan-2 project while 63,999 houses were distributed in first phase, 53,330 in second phase and 59,133 in third phase.
With the distribution of more houses, the total number will stand at 2,34,383 under the Ashrayan-2 Project.
Under the project, the landless and homeless people will get good quality tin-shed semi-pucca houses on two decimals of land.
Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman introduced the rehabilitation programme for homeless people in 1972.
Following the footprints of Bangabandhu, her daughter Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina took the initiative to provide ownership of houses and lands to homeless and landless people through the Ashrayan Project in 1997.