Five women in Jhenidah have enriched society with their boldness, courage and sincerity. They have been marching towards a better tomorrow ignoring all odds They proved their skill and efficiency with their commitment.
A third-gender woman is also enrolled in the list of the successful women in Jhenidah this year. The Department of Women Affairs recognised the mothers as ‘Joyeeta’.
Lovely Yesmin, wife of Abdul Mannaf Mia of Uttar Kastasagra village in Jhenidah Sadar upazila, took the responsibility of the family when her husband lost the job in 2001. She started small-scale famish fish. Receiving training from the Department of Fisheries, she saw the ray of hope within a few years and she could not look back anymore.
Lovely said she visited Malaysia in 2012 for improved fish farming training. She received Bangabandhu National Medal for producing fish fries, and national fisheries award in 2019. Now she has been cultivating fish and fish fries on a total of 7.24 decimals of water body in the village. A total of 10 persons were provided job at her farm.
She has been also rearing cattle heads and chickens, producing vegetables, running handicrafts business, fast food shop and dairy farm. Now the woman owns the property for an amount of Taka 65 lakh, she said.
Retired school teacher Rokeya Khatun of Foila area of Kaliganj municipality won the Jayeeta award on education and jobs in her sorry state. She said that after passing the secondary examination in 1963, she went to her grandfather at Khulna. But she was forced to marry. She passed higher secondary and degree in 1966 and 1969 respectively. After the independence war in 1971 she joined as an assistant teacher at Salimunnessa Girls High School in Kaliganj.
In her reaction, the success woman said as she was bearing the name of Begum Rokairyah, she started encouraging the guardians to ensure education for their girls children. She managed to bring hundreds of female students in the school. Huge number of her students have been playing role in the country as well as abroad. The mother is proud of her activities against the curse of illiteracy.
Rashida Begum, a success mother to ensure education for her children was born at KOdalia village of Magura at the age of 15 due to acute poverty of her parents. Rashida was facing troubles with the limited income of her class three employee husband. As she belongs to an educated family, hardly nursed her children with higher education.
The lucky woman said her first son is an official of the health and family welfare ministry, second son is an assistant general manager of a bank, while third son is an upazila nirbahi officer (UNO).
Selina Parvin, a divorcee of Palianpur village in Moheshpur upapzila a strong voice against torture and abuse I the family and society expressed her reaction when she was awarded with the “Jayeeta” award. She said she was given divorce when she delivered the second child. Finding no other alternative she started sewing and rearing duck and chicken. As she was most popular as a workaholic woman, the locals proposed her to compete in the union parishad election as a ward member.
She was a pathfinder for the women in bordering Moheshpur upapzila as she was engaged in treating the ailing people from local health complex and community clinic free of cost. The woman is proud of her recognition by the government.
Third-gender woman Pinky Khatun of Soadi village in Kotchandpur set an instance throughout the country when she bagged the position of the woman vice chairman in Kotchandpur upazila recently. She raised her voice against social injustice. A daughter of Nawab Ali of the village said she was feeling change in her parts and vocal voice at the age of 10. The guardians arranged her marriage during the teenage which could not continue due to her physical attitude.
Taking the situation the third gender people tried to convince her to enroll her name as Hijra, but failed as Pinky determined to establish herself as a social being with dignity. She was involved with the politics of Bangladesh Awami Juba League and at last she was elected for the woman vice chairman.
Talking to The Bangladesh Post, Pinky said the third-gender people in the country have been surviving at the mercy of the people, while, they should be recognized as they have potentials and play role in nation-building activities challenging with others in the society.
Deputy Commissioner Saroj Kumar Nath in his reaction about the Jayeeta, said the five women are the sticks of sealing wax in our dark homes as they have been removing the curse of poverty, illiteracy and social indiscrimination. These women with their confidence and activities will help establish a just society irrespective of cast, creed and gender as desired by the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
