Against the Odds: Inspiring Tales of Women Entrepreneurs in Kurigram

This is a story of hundreds of women who embody human enterprise and ingenuity. All it needs is a tiny spark to harness entrepreneurial energy, which I found in abundance after meeting groups of women entrepreneurs supported by UNDP's LoGIC initiative. Facing the increasing effects of climate change that are affecting their livelihoods, I heard many inspirational stories from women entrepreneurs in Kurigram. With a poverty rate of above 31%, Kurigram is one of the poorest districts in Bangladesh. The district is also prone to flooding and vulnerable to climate change.

My journey to meet these inspiring women began with a one-hour flight from Dhaka, followed by a three-hour car ride, travel by boat for another hour or so, and then another 30 minutes on a horse carriage. If I hadn't read Amitav Ghosh's novel about the rare river dolphin, I would have thought I was imagining seeing these wonderful creatures. I must consider myself lucky because the Gangetic dolphin is an endangered species, and the Brahmaputra River is one of their last refuges.

The meeting venue on a river island was perfect- in the middle of a cornfield with a makeshift roof made from barks and corncobs serving as decorative chandeliers. With just $300 as startup capital and training from LoGIC, these women pooled funds to lease larger plots of land to grow different flood-resistant crops with short harvesting cycles. After multiple planting cycles, they saved enough to diversify and invest in other business ventures such as cattle raising. Their knowledge of crop rotation would make an experienced agronomist proud. Keeping a detailed record of transactions, separating funds for reinvestments and savings deposited in a bank account, showed their financial acumen.

Talking with them, I was struck by their sense of pride and optimism as they explained their business expansion plans for the future. Many of them are part of business groups and cooperatives that have been set up through LoGIC. As I said goodbye to them, I kept thinking that what development economics textbooks don't tell you- it does not take much to nurture the entrepreneurial spirit of people.