QUALITATIVE MONITORING OF SHIREE INTERVENTIONS: CMS5 (S) LIFE HISTORY AND INTERVENTION TRACKING

reflections on the intervention of Romena Begum

Shiree Q2 Research on Extreme Poverty in Bangladesh
Author / Sohel Rana and Sk. Tariquzzaman
Institution / Uttaran
CMS1 Reference
Interviewee name / Romena Begum / Sex / F / Age / 50
Village, union, upazilla and Zilla / Parulia union, Debhata upazillas , Satkhira
Dates of Interview / 17/04/12, 29/05/12
Livelihood before and after the intervention / Before the intervention / April 2012
1.  Cultivating own plot of land
2.  Goat rearing
3. Looks after the twin infants of a neighbour / 1.Cultivating own plot of land
2. Working in fish farms/ghers
3. Livestock rearing (bull)
4. selling fire wood made of cow dung
Well- being Status before and after the Intervention / Moderate poor / Upper Extreme Poor.
Marital status, children and other household members / Lives alone.
Daughter lives nearby with her husband and four children. Parents and brothers live nearby. / remained as same
Keywords / Loss of livestock due to disease, land mortgage, share cropping, Social capital.

Introduction

This is the continuation of the tracking study on Romena Begum’s life and livelihoods. In her life history we examined the causes of her extreme poverty. In the first ROI we covered the change in Romena’s life from the date of intervention up to December 2011. In this top up of the ROI we capture the changes in her life from December 2011 to April 2012. Her life history and more comprehensive first reflection on the intervention are published on the shiree website.

From her life history we learn that she was born in a large economically vulnerable family consisting of eight members and their poverty passed through the next generation. So she was married off at the age twelve, suffered domestic violence and returned home. After a second brief marriage, also difficult, she returned home with a baby daughter, still in her teens. She has since been a single mother struggling to survive through working as a cook and trying to establish strong patron client relationships in lieu of family ones. She also worked in road maintenance. More recently she suffered from Alia, lost 7 goats, and her home. She did however have access to a small plot of land, but no official deed, the in-kind income from the land pushed her into moderate poverty (though her cash income was below the extreme poverty mark).

From the first reflection on the intervention (ROI (1) from August 2010 to December 2011 we learn that she received first assistance late. During this time she maintained herself in low, moderate poverty by mortgaging a plot of land by investing money received from the previous employer (patron). She also received a bull from the project as assistance (late). She spends weekly to buy fodder for the bull. Profit will come after selling it in the market in Eid-ul-Azha. However, she also lost 8 goats due to disease. Most of them were taken as poshani (share rearing) which makes her aware about vaccinating the livestock regularly.

In this top up ROI (2) December 2011-April 2012- we will draw out how a transferred asset allowed her to be at home to maintain it rather than having to be involved with various income generating activities. To do so, we will see how she is coping with the situation as she is getting older and losing her ability to work hard, how her social relations have supported her livelihood and how she has dealt with her livestock as last year she had faced a huge lose when her goats had died.

summary of change in key indicators since THE INTERVENTION

Indicator / Just before the intervention / December 2011 / April 2012
Well-being category / High extreme poor / High moderate poor / Upper extreme working poor
Diets / Three times a day with rice, vegetable (mostly Potato and eggplant) and fish.
Fish usually collected from the ghers seven days a week (Telapia, parshe) depending on the season / Same as above / Three times a day. Sometimes goes to daughter’s house and take food. Food from employer’s house.
Livelihoods now) in terms of contribution to that years’ income / 1.  Agriculture work on her own plot
2.  Gher work
3.  Goat rearing
4.  Domestic work / 1.  Agriculture work on her own plot
2.  Gher work
3.  Goat-bull rearing
4.  Domestic work / 1.  Agriculture work on her own plot
2.  Gher work
3.  Bull rearing
4.  Selling fuel sticks made of cow dung.
5.  Domestic work.
Productive assets now rank them in terms of value (e.g. Land, livestock, rickshaws), / 10 katha plot of land
With a ditch
Goats / 1. Ten katha plot of land with a ditch (owned Khas without deed)
2. 13 katha mortgaged – she lent 12,000 taka to a neighbor and she operates the 13 Katha land until her neighbor can pay back.
3. Bull
4. 8 Goats / Remained as same except lost goats to disease
House and homestead: ownership, condition of tenure, condition of house. / Moved the house from one side to other / Constructed walls (made of bamboo)paying around 100 taka,
20 taka labour charge / Remained as same

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Narrative

Romena Begum is the only member in her family who had multiple livelihood options. In the first reflection on intervention we have seen the main source of her livelihood were land cultivation and production of two types of crops from her small field, working in the shrimp gher, rearing bull and goats, and working as a domestic maid. As she is aging and losing the ability to perform hard work, she has slightly altered her livelihood strategies

As her daughter is married and living away, she only needs to maintain herself and is not running a family. Since the last interview she has lost the rest of her surviving goats. She also gave her land to other farmers to cultivate; with the condition that she will get one third of the crops. After the harvest in April she got 15 kg of wheat which she is saving for the rainy season. In the mean time she is maintaining her livelihood by working as a temporary housemaid, selling cow-dung sticks, working in gher and taking meals from relative’s house.

During the winter she used to work at other’s house as a housemaid, reserving and collecting cow dung from the community and making cow-dung sticks locally called Nuri. She earns 200 to 250 taka per month from selling nuri. She doesn’t work in that house regularly and they pay her with food rather than money. She bought one bag of rice (50 kgs) against 2000tk which she got by lending her land for rice transplanting and cultivation. She estimated that the rest of the rice stock will last up to rainy season. She estimates that the harvest of wheat through her mortgaged land will yield about 15 kgs wheat which will provide a safety net during the rainy season. One month ago she sold a tree for 3000 taka and took a loan of 1500 tk from her daughter in-laws to buy fodder – some straw, rice husks for her bull. In the last month she also worked as labour at shrimp farm for few days –10 to 12 days against 80 tk. per day (half day).

Analysis disaggregated by material, Relational and psychological empowerment

Here we analyse the changes since December 2011:

Material EMPOWERMENT: changes in ability to command material well-being

December 2011 status / April 2012
Diets / Three meals a day with rice, vegetable and fish / 3 meals a day. Occasionally from daughter’s/parent’s/ employer’s place.
Livelihoods / 1.  agriculture income from mortgaged land and own land
2.  gher work
3.  goat-bull rearing
4.  domestic work / 1.  agriculture work on mortgaged land and own land
2.  gher work
3.  bull rearing
4.  Selling cow-dung stick.
5.  Domestic work (need Basis).
Productive Assets / 1.  Ten katha (16.5 deci) plot of land with a ditch (owned Khas without deed)
2.  13 katha mortgaged – she lent 12,000 taka to a neighbour and she operates the 13 Katha land until her neighbour can pay back. / Remained the same. Except loss of goats due to disease and owned khas with deed.
House and homestead / Constructed walls (made of bamboo)paying around 100 taka,
20 taka labour charge / Remained the same.
Family size / Lived alone. Parents and daughter live nearby. / Remained the same
Income / 1.  2000 taka from rice cultivation.
2.  300 taka monthly working as a housemaid. / 1.  In kind 15 kg of wheat form share cropping.
2.  Monthly 10-12 days work in gher, 80 tk. per day.
3.  Selling cow-dung stick. Monthly 100 taka.
4.  Occasionally works at other’s place and takes meal.
Savings / 220 tk. / 425 tk.
Loans– liabilities / None / Loan of 1500 tk. from her son in law for buying rice bran for cow.

Relational empowerment: Change in power in SOCIAL, economic and political relations

As Romena is living alone, there is no way to look at the changing intra-relation dynamics within her household. She maintains a good relationship with her daughter and son in law. Every now and then she goes to their house and they provide her with food and other things when she needs them. Her mother and brother also live adjacent to her house and they also support her when she needs. Previously she used to work in a house as a cook/housemaid; these employers also support her as she is growing too old and weak to do physical labour so they don’t force her to work daily. So she just goes there when she feels better and needs to work for food.

Because of her involvement in this project, she is maintaining good relations with community people. The poorer people request her to enlist or tell her to communicate with the NGO staff about their position. As she is very careful about her bull she always maintains a good relation with the local veterinarian of the locality. When she has any sort of problem she goes to that person or contacts him over. He gives her the appropriate support.

psychological empowerment

As an only member of the household she is responsible for anyone. Her social network is connected with very few people: parents, daughter and in-law, employer’s place and veterinarian officer. She goes to her daughter’s and parents place regularly to see them and often takes meals with them. She doesn’t need to feed anyone. Even when her relatives visit, they stay and take food at her parents place.

In the mean time she left her regular house maid job, the fish farm and cultivation is supervised by her daughter in law, she isn’t taking care of her pond as there is not enough water due in the dry season. She focuses her attention on her bull which is the only other living member of her household. The bull is growing bigger day by day with the care and love of its master. She assumed that her goats had died in the absence of proper care (they were leased out) as she was involved in various other works. But now for the first time in her life she is trying to rear the bull in the proper way. Once when it was sick she went to the local dispensary and called a veterinarian for treatment.

She said, “At next Eid-ul-Azha, I am expecting price of my bull is 20,000 BDT.”

After selling the bull she will buy a milking cow. It was interesting that she chose the bull at the stage of IGA selection whereas milking cow is the more popular choice. It was found that as she was involved with various work she thought that this will be less hassle as she doesn’t have to think about milk and a calf. But now as she has had enough time on hand and already experienced to rearing cow and she is planning to buy milk cow.

Gender empowerment

Feeling confident to move out of her comfort zone

Romena left the private sphere very long ago. In the public sphere before the intervention she had multiple identities: beggar, housemaid, earth worker etc. However she was not confident and suffered from high levels of stress compared with the period after the intervention. From the very beginning of her professional life she earned money from household work which she finds a comfortable working zone. However now she does not do this job on a regular basis, as she wants to fully concentrate on rearing her bull which refers an example of ‘taking decisions of a woman of work.’

She is more confident in making decisions. She sold a tree to buy fodder for the bull and rice for her. On the other hand, she still does not maintain the accounts of her fish farm which is under control of her in-law (as she didn’t give any dowry to marry her daughter).

Wider context – changes since the INTERVENTION

Growing peri-urban economy

Romena lives in a village which is adjacent to a prominent bazaar or peri-urban area named Parulia. Day by day this area is developing in terms of shops, offices, markets and other urban facilities. People from other areas are settling in this area. Many people are migrating to this area for jobs and businesses. As a result this area is demanding more labour in various activities. As Romena feels comfortable in working in other people’s households as a domestic worker she knows she can get job at any time in that locality. Her land if she gets a deed will grow in value for agriculture and real estate. Moreover, there will be a more competitive market for her milk if she chooses to invest in one.

She doesn’t have to go too far find medical treatment or to buy fodder for the bull as all services are very close to her place. Although in the meantime, her neighbour / cousin bought a mobile phone which she can use in emergencies. So this may help her to take care of the animal.