What’s in it for you?

Whenever we undertake to do something which is not strictly part of our profession or family welfare, often we are asked by our near ones: what’s in it for you? Why do you need to do this? What will you get? How much money? Any special position? Any accolade? Generally this is the case. With most of us…….

Here is a story of a middle aged lady. Let’s see “what’s in it for her”?

Marjina bewa (means widow), aged about 55 years, lives in the Village Dadpur, Block Baruipur, Dist. South 24-parganas (West Bengal, India).  As it happens with most girls in poor families, she was married off early- and married into poverty. Husband was an agricultural wage laborer.  When they had two sons and they were growing up gradually it was becoming more and more difficult to run the family on the meager income of the husband. It was far from “two square meals a day”. Children slept with half-empty stomach and dried up tears on their cheeks. Marjina had only water for the dinner. It is then she decided to join her husband in the field so that their joint income would perhaps improve the situation somewhat. And it did. Somewhat…..

It’s the usual story of a poor family in rural Bengal. Like thousands of such stories. Not exciting enough, not cool enough. And obviously no news story value in it. They were destined to doom. And sure, it was going like that. Until one day when a strange incident happened. Marjina was collecting firewood near a forest land. Suddenly she heard a baby crying. She looked around and found a new born baby, wrapped in clothes, abandoned. She took the child back to the village and looked for its parents. No one came forward. No one seemed interested. The kid was unwanted….  

Marjina decided to adopt him. She said “i am a mother, how caniI not take care of this child…even if it’s not my biological one”.  And hence she had her third son “Jahangir”. But this didn’t bring any luck to the family. Rather this additional member was an additional mouth to feed. Her husband fell ill and became bedridden. Eldest son got married and started living at his in-law’s place, leaving his parents. Next son got married also but stayed with parents. But his income was low. Marjina  started working as domestic help to supplement the family income. But despite the penury and hardship she admitted the youngest son Jahangir into school.

We run a holistic assistance program for the poorest of poor in this part of the country. It identifies the most needy women headed families through rural appraisal, supports them with productive assets, provides livelihood and confidence building training, connects them to village mainstream, build social capitals for them. With the instilling of hope & dignity and continuous hand-holding on livelihood and range of other interventions like immunization, schooling, water-sanitation, safe housing, entitlements, it is remarkable to see that such poorest families, headed by women graduate out of extreme poverty in 2 years and undertake stable livelihood options successfully. This graduation program (we call it ‘’THP” program here) is proven in various Asian, African and LatAm countries and its efficacy is well proven by RCT and other action research (by MIT, LSE, World Bank etc.). It’s now a talking point at various policy circles if this could be a real & sustainable pathway out of poverty.

As luck would have it, at this most troubled time Marjina’s husband died. She along with the family of her middle son got into more hardship. At this near destitution point our THP program team at

Baruipur came to know about Marjina and included her in the program.  She got a small asset support (worth $150) to start trading of garments in the village. And of course other assistances like training, capacity building, community guardianship, entitlements and so on. Marjina dreamt her dreams again. With the small capital she started trading with ladies garments bought from the wholesale market in Kolkata. Sold it door-to-door.  In her village and neighboring ones. Her grit & determination resulted in growth of her business gradually. And prosperity smiled upon them finally. Today she earns about $150 per month. The mud hut has been replaced by a two bed-roomed frugal house. They have started rearing ducks, chicken, cows and goats in the household. Her income, added with her middle son’s income (though meager), covers all the needs of the family. There is smile in everyone’s face.

Did you think we forgot Jahangir? Not at all. He is one central character in the story.  Jahangir completed his elementary schooling and now doing apprenticeship in wood craft designing.

Let’s ask ourselves the question again: what was in it forMarjina?