Growing something of her own
Jorina came to Sreepur Village from Joypurhat two and a half years ago, bringing her two young children - a seven-year-old daughter and a three-year-old son. Like so many of our mothers, she arrived after experiencing abuse and abandonment. What she found at Sreepur Village was not just safety, but the chance to discover what she is capable of.
Four months ago, Jorina began learning sack gardening - a simple but effective technique that allows vegetables to be grown in vertical sacks using soil mixed with homemade vegetable fertiliser. In a country like Bangladesh, where flooding is becoming more frequent and more severe due to climate change, this matters enormously. Traditional ground-level vegetable plots are easily destroyed when floodwater rises - sometimes wiping out a family's entire food supply in a matter of hours. Sack gardening offers a practical alternative. The sacks can be moved to higher ground quickly, or positioned from the outset on raised platforms or steps, keeping the plants safe even when the land around them is under water.
It takes up very little space, costs almost nothing to set up, and can produce a steady supply of fresh food for a family - whatever the weather.
At first, Jorina found it challenging. Learning how to prepare the sacks, mix the soil correctly, and care for growing plants was all new to her. But she kept going - and the results have genuinely surprised her.
"I was surprised to see that vegetables can grow so well in sacks, even in a small space," she says. "I never thought I could grow fresh vegetables by myself. It made me feel very happy and confident."
Today, Jorina tends three sacks of her own, currently growing aubergine and green chillies. She has already grown tomatoes too, and is learning more about which vegetables do best in which conditions.
The benefits go beyond the vegetables themselves. For Jorina, there is real pride in the process - in watching something grow through her own care and effort, and knowing she is providing something fresh and healthy for her children.
"This training has given me confidence that I can do something good for my family with my own hands," she says.
When she eventually leaves Sreepur Village, Jorina plans to continue sack gardening at home. She wants to keep growing food for her family, reduce her household costs, and - in time - perhaps earn a little extra income from what she grows. She also hopes to encourage other women in her community to try it for themselves.
For a woman who arrived with very little, a small stack of sacks and a patch of soil has become something much bigger: proof that she can build something, sustain it, and be proud of it.
